Torchlight III

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Critics Recommend

Average Score

Total Reviews: 47

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Torchlight III is endearing, but the world fees unfinished, and bugs, glitches, and design issues ruin the experience.

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Critics Recommend

Critic Reviews: 47

Critics Consensus

# Reviews: 47

Torchlight III is endearing, but the world fees unfinished, and bugs, glitches, and design issues ruin the experience.

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Critic Reviews for Torchlight III

Reviews

High Score - 80/100

Low Score - 30/100

Jordan Devore (Destructoid)

6/10

“There isn’t much for me to love or hate here. Torchlight III is a slow burn, one that struggles to stand out like its predecessors did back when this genre wasn’t nearly as stacked with great competitors.”

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Matt Miller (Game Informer)

8/10

“A simple and no-frills action/RPG that ticks all the boxes, so you can keep clicking the monsters.”

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Luke Winkie (PC Gamer)

60/100

“Torchlight 3 does a great job with its class design, but the world feels barren and unfinished.”

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Read the Reviews (47 total)

Outlet	Author	Score	Date	Quote	Read
Attack of the Fanboy	Brandon Adams	4 / 5 stars	10-13-2020	If you are new to the Torchlight franchise then Torchlight III is an excellent jumping on point. At $30 it's a great binge game to play with friends while we all wait on the next-gen onslaught that's just around the corner. But, if you're a hardcore ARPG fan looking for something deeper then you may be better served elsewhere, namely by Torchlight II.	Read review
But Why Tho?	Rashaad Johnson	7 / 10	10-13-2020	Overall, I have to say Torchlight III is in an ok-ish place right now. Torchlight III has the potential to be a great ARPG like Diablo III or Path of Exile, but right now it does need a bit more polish.	Read review
Chalgyr's Game Room	Pierre-Yves Lanthier	6.75 / 10	10-14-2020	So overall, while Torchlight III doesn’t surpass its predecessors or do anything revolutionary for the genre, it was a fun return to the ember filled world. With loads of enemies, challenges and class combinations in both single and multiplayer, if you’ve been needing a Hack & Slash fix, Torchlight III will have you covered.	Read review
Checkpoint Gaming	Luke Mitchell	6 / 10	10-26-2020	It’s a shame, because there are elements of an enjoyable co-op adventure here that still kept us playing over several nights. At the end of the day, it all just felt a little bit soulless; ticking the boxes of what the genre should be, but never pushing to excel in anything in particular.	Read review
COGconnected	Tony Bae	68 / 100	10-13-2020	Torchlight is a beloved dungeon-crawler that has carved out a place in the competitive genre. With a bright art style and story, it stands apart from its edgier cousins like Diablo and Path of Exile. The good news is that Torchlight 3 carries that torch very well, however, there is a regrettable shallowness to the game that fails to live up to its predecessors… and much of the answer seems to lie within the development of the game.	Read review
Critical Hit	Darryn Bonthuys	7.5 / 10	10-13-2020	Torchlight 3 will scratch any basic RPG itch for adventure, loot, and fantasy, but even with a heckin' doggo sidekick at its side, it feels a bit too old-fashioned to stand out from the rest of the pack.	Read review
DarkZero	Dominic Sheard	6 / 10	12-21-2020	Torchlight III is a strange one – it comes with some good ideas but falters in others.	Read review
Destructoid	Jordan Devore	6 / 10	10-13-2020	There isn't much for me to love or hate here. Torchlight III is a slow burn, one that struggles to stand out like its predecessors did back when this genre wasn't nearly as stacked with great competitors.	Read review
Digital Chumps	Nathaniel Stevens	7.5 / 10	11-06-2017	The gameplay design of Torchlight III is fun and motivating, but it has some deeper flaws that need to be addressed. Players must have a balance of difficulty and challenge. Giving players too much advantage at the beginning and overpowering them will not benefit the longevity of the game. If you need proof, go look at Bungie's Destiny 2, which is struggling to maintain challenging content, while believing that making players 'grind' for shoddy rewards is the right solution for the issue. Finding that balance of building up a character properly and delivering difficulty and challenging enemies along the way is what other action RPGs, like Diablo, classics. Echtra Games did a great job with the initial groundwork of Torchlight III's gameplay design, but it needs a bit more balance in some backend areas.	Read review
DualShockers	Laddie Simco	7 / 10	10-17-2020	Though it has fun gameplay and unique character classes, Torchlight III doesn't do much to progress the franchise to attract a new audience.	Read review
Game Informer	Matt Miller	8 / 10	10-13-2020	A simple and no-frills action/RPG that ticks all the boxes, so you can keep clicking the monsters.	Read review
GameGrin	Jamie Davies	6.5 / 10	11-04-2020	Torchlight III started life as a free-to-play title, and by all accounts it shows. It won't bore you, but it's just not engaging enough to become your next gaming obsession.	Read review
GameSpace	Xevrin	7 / 10	10-14-2020	Developer Echtra Games and publisher Perfect World Entertainment have released Torchlight III. The game has a lot going for it, from its stylized graphics to the overall feel of combat. But it is currently missing a spark that the previous two entries in the series captured.	Read review
GameSpew	Kim Snaith	7 / 10	10-13-2020	But as annoying as the decision to completely separate single player and multiplayer is, there’s no denying the actual gameplay of Torchlight III is a joy. It’s very polished; we’ve encountered a few hiccups, but nothing too frustrating – when passing through a portal, we’ve occasionally been taken back to the entrance of an area rather than where the portal opened, for example. But that’s about it. Very few – if any – Diablo-likes have been able to grab our attention like Torchlight III has. It’s the type of game that begs you to explore just one more area before turning it off; and when you succumb to the ‘quit game’ option, you’re already looking forward to being able to jump back in again.	Read review
Gaming Nexus	Russell Archey	7.4 / 10	10-22-2020	Torchlight III is an enjoyable game but is also a bit more simplified than the previous entry in the series. While the Relic system brings some new ways to customize your character, the lack of a regular flowing of skill trees and spending stat points makes it seem like you can't quite customize your character as much as you'd like with stats being tied into your gear. The new fort system is nice but I really only found myself using it to stash gear I wanted to keep and to swap out pets. Overall while I did enjoy my time with Torchlight III, it felt like a downgrade from Torchlight II and fans of the series might want to wait a bit before picking this one up.	Read review
GamingBolt	Matt Bianucci	6 / 10	10-22-2020	Torchlight III is an imperfect but endearing action RPG whose great boss fights and enjoyable special skills clash with the noticeable relics of a freemium experience.	Read review
GamingTrend	Ron Burke	50 / 100	10-14-2020	Torchlight III feels watered down compared to its contemporaries, and worse, its predecessors. The loot is as plentiful as it is unsatisfying. The monsters are a deluge of health bars, removing all sense of threat or purpose. The characters feel so genericized that they can't transcend past whatever non-specific weapons they may carry. Betrayed by its F2P roots, Torchlight III needed a full rebuild to iterate on its origins, and clearly, that's not what happened here as it's simultaneously more of the same, and somehow less.	Read review
Generación Xbox	Pedro Alexis	7.2 / 10	10-28-2020	Torchlight 3 suffers from the decisions made in its development. It is a good ARPG but does not stand out at all.	Read review
Hardcore Gamer	Chris Shive	3.5 / 5 stars	10-13-2020	Torchlight III doesn't bring anything new to the looter dungeon crawler and that's okay.	Read review
Impulsegamer	Hugh Mitchell	3.5 / 5 stars	10-25-2020	Torchlight 3 is the best game in the series, but the new additions may not be worth the hefty asking price.	Read review
Just Push Start	Mark Fajardo	3.5 / 5 stars	10-15-2020	Enjoyment hinges on what you're looking for in an RPG. If you want a great story that has tons of metrics to pay attention to, this really isn't that. Torchlight III is essentially a basic RPG that has a lot of extras if that is your thing, behind engaging gameplay. What makes more to you will differ but if you really just want to run around killing stuff, it's a good choice.	Read review
KeenGamer	Adam Conner	5 / 10	10-16-2020	The Torchlight series, a fantastic series of ARPGs is finally back with the newest entry, Torchlight 3. Originally, this game was planned as a free-to-play shared-world game titled Torchlight: Frontiers. The game is a pretty bog-standard ARPG, but a few bugs and it failing to escape its free-to-play roots ultimately led to an underwhelming experience.	Read review
Metro GameCentral	GameCentral	6 / 10	10-19-2020	A colourful, loot-orientated action role-player let down by over-simplified systems and levelling up that often feels inconsequential.	Read review
New Game Network	Ben Thomas	63 / 100	10-20-2020	Torchlight 3 is a passable action RPG with decently crispy combat and satisfactory classes. But the workmanlike boss runs, unexciting gear, dull story, bizarre Fort design, and multiplayer issues all keep it below both its predecessors and competitors.	Read review
Niche Gamer	Frank Streva	5.5 / 10	11-12-2020	Even if you are absolutely desperate for a new action RPG experience, you are probably better off rolling up another character in Torchlight II or Grim Dawn over buying Torchlight III in its current form.	Read review
Nintendo Life	Mitch Vogel	7 / 10	11-02-2020	Torchlight III is the sort of game that we can only describe as genre filler. It does absolutely everything that you would expect of an ARPG, and it often does these things extremely well, but it also doesn't do anything particularly interesting or revelatory. Those of you that love a good ARPG will find plenty to love here, then, just don't come into it expecting to be blown away by anything on offer. And while we'd sooner recommend that interested newcomers jump on Diablo III for their first experience, it's pretty tough to go wrong with Torchlight III. Despite some of its shortcomings, Torchlight III is a rewarding experience that we'd say is certainly worth your time.	Read review
Nintendo Times	Alex Knight	7 / 10	11-12-2020	GOOD	Read review
NintendoWorldReport	Justin Nation	6 / 10	10-29-2020	Just in terms of the big picture of the overall experience Torchlight 3 has sort of a Frankensteined-together feel, lacking in cohesion and polish. Given the presence of not only Diablo on the platform, but other strong contenders like Victor Vran that deliver a more exciting experience, unfortunately this Torchlight entry just fizzles out a bit.	Read review
Noisy Pixel	Azario Lopez	7.5 / 10	10-13-2020	Torchlight III is a great entry in the series as it doesn’t explicitly try to be exactly like its predecessors. Instead, it attempts to do new things using classes and relics to personalize the adventure along with a few accessible leveling systems and skill trees. It all works for the most part, but it’s a design that doesn’t allow for the deepest amount of customization. Sure, building a fort and collecting loot with my friends is fun, but there has to be some balance and short term goals that make each level up and new area discovered worth it.	Read review
PC Gamer	Luke Winkie	60 / 100	10-22-2020	Torchlight 3 does a great job with its class design, but the world feels barren and unfinished.	Read review
PC Invasion	Jason Rodriguez	6 / 10	10-16-2020	Torchlight III still suffers from many issues that have been present since its Early Access stage, including a middling endgame and bland core gameplay loop. Worse, its restrictions on character builds and relic usage lead to a lack of experimentation and customization.	Read review
PlayStation Universe	Eric Hauter	6.5 / 10	10-13-2020	Torchlight 3 offers a solid foundation of ARPG goodness, but the balance of loot drops and progression feel off to the point where long sections of the game feel interminable. When everything is clicking, players can destroy waves of bad guys with the best of them – but expect an ebb and flow to the good times.	Read review
PSX Brasil	Bruno Henrique Vinhadel	70 / 100	10-18-2020	Torchlight III is not the best game in the franchise and appears in a very simplified way, mainly in its gameplay. The changes were notable during the development of the title and it is an experience that falls short of its predecessor. However, it is still fun enough to guarantee a few hours of entertainment.	Read review
Push Square	Ken Talbot	6 / 10	10-13-2020	This is the same old Torchlight, but somewhat diminished. Classes are full of character and lots of fun to play, while Relic abilities encourage experimentation and significantly change combat. However, there's nothing especially new or exciting about this third instalment.	Read review
Rock, Paper, Shotgun	John Walker	Not Recommended	10-13-2020	Torchlight III feels an awful lot like what it is: a free-to-play multiplayer game that thought better of itself, and decided to become a proper full-price microtransaction-free primarily solo release. If I didn’t already know the path it had taken, I’d have spent my entire time playing the game being gnawed at by wondering just what it was that made it all feel so off.	Read review
RPGamer	Ryan Costa	3 / 5 stars	11-11-2020	Players looking to simply loot, slash, shoot, and fireball their way through dungeons will not be disappointed. However, those looking for an exceptionally deep experience won’t feel fulfilled.	Read review
Shacknews	Sam Chandler	7 / 10	10-13-2020	Though the experience is hampered by bugs, glitches, and a few design issues, the snappy and moreish combat, the treasure trove of stats and skills, and the delightfully chaotic co-op play make Torchlight 3 a must-have for anyone looking for more ARPG goodness.	Read review
Softpedia	Cosmin Vasile	6 / 10	10-30-2020	The bugs can be corrected, even though the patches seem to not really deal with them. But the main problem is the peculiar concept choices, the serious lack of variety, and the feeling that you are investing time and effort in a free-to-play game still in development. As such, I cannot recommend Torchlight III, not even to long-time fans of the series.	Read review
SpazioGames	Daniele Spelta	5.5 / 10	10-21-2020	Torchlight III is stuck in between what it is and what it could have been in its MMO days. The final overcome is, unfortunately, everything but unforgettable.	Read review
TheSixthAxis	Gareth Chadwick	4 / 10	10-23-2020	Torchlight III is a disappointment. It has good production values and gives a good first impression, but it just lacks depth in so many areas. The loot and skill systems are boring, and there's not enough variety as you're pushed into crowds of enemies with shallow explanations for why you have to go through. There's very little really to recommend here when its biggest competitor is now so old and cheap.	Read review
Video Chums	A.J. Maciejewski	3 / 10	10-18-2020	In its current state, Torchlight III is a step down from its predecessor with its less rewarding gameplay and odd mishaps.	Read review
WayTooManyGames	Thomas Medina	7.5 / 10	11-04-2020	While I understand those less than impressed, I still really enjoy Torchlight III. I feel if the game had stuck with its original title, reception would have been totally different. As it stands, it feels like this weird hybrid game, with elements of both Frontiers and a proper Torchlight III haphazardly mashed together.	Read review
Wccftech	Dave Aubrey	6.5 / 10	10-13-2020	Everything Torchlight III does, it does worse than one of its contemporaries. Primarily Diablo. While what is here looks good and plays fine, it's repetitive and lacks the magic of games it shares a genre with. But all of that could've been forgiven if it had at least allowed me to suffer through it with a friend in local multiplayer, but it couldn't even do that. If you get the urge to play Torchlight III, just play Diablo III instead.	Read review
We Got This Covered	Todd Rigney	2.5 / 5 stars	10-13-2020	Torchlight III, while clearly wearing the franchise's skin like a badge of honor, never hits the marks of the previous entries. This is a very basic ARPG that frequently shows its free-to-play roots, and in a market overflowing with action-packed role-playing games, being a mediocre sequel isn't going to win you any favors -- especially from hardcore fans.	Read review
Windows Central	Samantha Nelson	2.5 / 5 stars	10-13-2020	Torchlight III is a lighthearted, simple co-op ARPG that might provide some fun to casual ARPG players or serious fans of the series, but doesn't do much else to justify its existence.	Read review
Worth Playing	Cody Medellin	6.5 / 10	02-05-2021	Torchlight III is fine but only if you don't have too many expectations. Ignoring the many elements of the old free-to-play formula that still remain, the game is relatively unchanged from the first and second entries, which can disappoint those looking for improvements. It's a simpler action/RPG, and it's good for those who might want to get their feet wet with the genre but don't want to do so with an older game. Genre veterans, on the other hand, might not be too impressed with what they see.	Read review
ZTGD	Ken McKown	7 / 10	11-05-2020	Still even with these shortcomings Torchlight III is a solid ARPG that will please anyone who decides to take the plunge. I enjoyed the hours I got from it, and loved playing with friends online. I had a hard time coming back to it regularly like other titles such as Diablo III and Path of Exile, which is not good considering how old those games are.	Read review

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Game Info

Game Description / Storyline:

Set in the same beloved universe as Torchlight I and II, this shared-world action-RPG brings back many of the franchise’s signature features and mechanics that captured the hearts of ARPG fans around the world. Led by former Runic Games and Blizzard North co-founder, Max Schaefer, the team developing Torchlight Frontiers is comprised of veteran developers who were responsible for the games that defined the ARPG genre, including the original Diablo and Torchlight franchises.

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