Torchlight III. Most disappointing video games of 2020

After 2012's quite successful Torchlight II , the series of hack'n'slash games created by former Blizzard employees went underground for years. Behind the scenes, however, there was a lot going on – the authors started working on a new installment which turned from a MMORPG into a logical adventure Hob. The idea for a multiplayer Torchlight didn't fall through, however, and in 2018, it was officially revealed to the world as Torchlight Frontiers, developed by Echtra Games. The problem was that the new direction was strongly disliked by the fans of the original and the developers eventually withdrew from the concept, rebuilding Frontiers into a traditional, single-player game. They also changed the title – it became simply Torchlight III.

Unfortunately, this hasty change of ideas didn't do this work any good – the third installment of the series turned out to be a strange hybrid of everything known from its predecessors, with the least interesting elements of the MMORPG genre. The gameplay lacks depth and special features that would encourage further play – simplified mechanics quickly become boring, the loot system lacks the punch, and repetitive locations can't convince the audience that they are worth exploring. Compared to games like Path of Exile or even Wolcen, the latest Torchlight comes off as a B-grade product rather than an equal competitor.

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