More than a year after entering closed beta, Torchlight Infinite launched worldwide on May 9. This launch was accompanied by a new season and improved gameplay, but while fans of the beta will be happy with the changes, there’s not much here to recommend to newcomers. However, if you’ve exhausted the best RPGs available on the Play Store, read on for our review of the latest installment in the Torchlight Action RPG series.
In terms of performance, little has changed since I played the open beta last year. But in case you want to try and spot some of the differences, I recorded the above hands-on video on an Asus Rog 6 for your viewing pleasure, and I also tested the game on my Pixel 7 Pro. I had no performance issues on either device; Frame rates remained stable at 60fps.
Torchlight Infinite aims to replicate the success of Diablo Immortal
Last year’s release of Diablo Immortal ruffled some feathers for good reason. The ridiculous microtransactions and pay-to-win gameplay have turned many away from the mobile ARPG, but that hasn’t stopped the game from achieving over 10 million downloads on the Play Store. Torchlight Infinite offers a similar gameplay loop, but is different enough to feel unique.
Before I dive into the gameplay, let’s discuss how to monetize the game. Monetization in Torchlight Infinite is more fair than in Diablo Immortals, but you can still get an advantage with your wallet. There is a focus on cosmetics, revive tokens, and inventory expansions. While none of these things are necessary to play in the early stages, things get murky with Souls of Pact and Souls of Champions. Purchasing these items with money provides a fast path to a powerful character, but they can also be easily obtained through gameplay. So, while it’s not perfect, Torchlight Infinite’s monetization isn’t as disastrous as Diablo Immortals’.
Torchlight Infinite’s gameplay is a repetitive effort
Although I couldn’t stand monetization in Diablo Immortal, I found the gameplay to be the game’s high point, if a bit uninspiring. Unfortunately, Torchlight Infinite’s gameplay is not at all satisfactory.
There are two major problems with Torchlight Infinite’s combat. First, although weak enemies stand no chance against you, their large health pool means that taking down hordes of minions becomes a chore. It’s not immediately noticeable, but after a while, you’ll realize that the fight is waiting for your health bars to drop while you’re checking Facebook messages on your computer.
The second problem is that the abilities seem underwhelming and lack impact. Their mana cost is minimal, so you’ll be spamming them as quickly as possible. This quickly turns what should be exciting ways to start a fight into something new. For example, my starting character, Berserker, had a jump ability to launch him in and out of combat. But instead of being an exciting start to battles, I used it to jump around the map like a frog. It would be more fun if he had a longer cooldown and higher damage.
Torchlight Infinite offers controller support, which is what I used in my review. However, many of the menus are not compatible, so you’ll be switching back and forth between the controller and the screen frequently. Regardless, the game is still best played using a compatible Android controller.
Most abilities suffer from similar problems. There are so many numbers and effects on screen that it’s impossible to know exactly what result you’ve achieved other than reducing health bars. Combat gets boring quickly, which isn’t helped by the unnecessary amount of perks you’ll unlock.
The perk system in Torchlight Infinite is bloated and meaningless
Torchlight Infinite is a game for turning small numbers into big numbers, offering plenty of opportunities to do so. Ability upgrades, sub-abilities, pacts, talents, bonuses, and traits are all ways to add numbers, and they quickly blur together into an incoherent mess.
Unlocking new perks in RPGs should be exciting, but in Torchlight Infinite, it’s an unforgettable journey through some menus. While I was initially careful to choose upgrades that I thought were effective, I eventually gave in and chose perks at random to get the same result.
The Newbie Builds option helps to understand all this. This suggests a build that can be unlocked after a few hours of play and explains the meaning of each component. However, this should be an optional tool, not a lifeline. Of course, you can always start building with our beginner’s guide and work your way up to what Newbie Build suggests. This is the best way to understand what’s going on because there’s a lot to take in.
Torchlight Infinite’s upgrade system will be well received by those who like to improve designs, but is it really necessary for buffs to hit percentage points?
Torchlight Infinite was let down by its boring gameplay and perk system
Torchlight Infinite offers surface-level fun, but there’s not much to recommend compared to Diablo Immortal. But I can’t recommend Diablo Immortal in good faith either, thanks to its terrible monetization, so if you’re looking for a fun ARPG that won’t drown you in microtransactions, try the Diablo Immortal alternatives instead.
