![]() ![]() With literal dozens of abilities, spells and potions to use during any one encounter, having only a handful of them available at any one time is a huge misstep, especially in the later game when there are so many more skills available to use. As an ARPG, arguably the most important part of the game is the use of powerful skills to decimate groups of enemies for that sweet, sweet loot yet the bindings available to players effectively limit them to only five skills at a time. The other issue I have with the port is the limitations of the Switch’s control scheme, or rather how it’s been utilised for Torchlight 2. Again, while it’s not a devastating bug, it’s still annoying and surprising that something that’s seemingly so obvious got past the QA team before the game’s release. This is especially prevalent in the character menu I can’t begin to list the number of times I’ve looked at a very thorough explanation of “Strength” while desperately trying to remind myself what stats “Dexterity” effects. Most of them occur in the game’s menus, as descriptions often don’t match up with the items they should. First off is that it can be quite buggy while I’ve never encountered anything especially debilitating or game-breaking there are a few annoying glitches that made it into this in the game that are nonetheless impossible to really overlook. While the game runs like a dream on the Switch there are still some issues I have with this adaption. Which isn’t to say that the port is flawless, mind you. In many ways, it looks better than I remember it looking on PC. The game is as bright and charming as ever, with colours and effects popping against the often variety of environments. It’s a game from six years ago so it was never going to have the best graphics around, but Torchlight 2 has always rolled with its graphical quality, utilising it more as a style than leaning on it as a limitation. Maps load especially quickly, with loading times going by faster than I ever expected them to and the game looks crisp as ever. The game runs at a solid 60 FPS, only ever giving the most minor of stutters when things get frantic on-screen and even then it’s only for the briefest of seconds. This would be the thing to do it, don’t let it be true Torchlight! Most of your game consists of killing dozens of enemies with flashy skills, oh I can’t bear to…oh, wow not even a single chug? Torchlight 2’s performance on Switch might just be the best port of an older game to the device I’ve seen since…I don’t know. I killed my first enemy, still expecting a dip in performance…yet it did not come. ![]() I moved further along the path, waiting for the inevitable drop in performance…yet there was nothing. Standing still on the first map, I was at 60 FPS. So going I held my breath as I started up Torchlight 2, obviously worried that it would be plagued by the same issues that have made returning to so many favourites on a hand-held device so disappointing. Many Switch ports are plagued by excessively poor performance, down-graded graphics and all kinds of bugs that stem from a weaker system accommodating for gameplay that was never designed for it. The Switch isn’t exactly the most powerful of machines so you expect to sacrifice some level of performance to accommodate for the convenience of taking some of your most beloved games on-the-go but it’s often not worth the trade-off. ![]() I’ve reviewed quite a few ports of my favourite games onto Nintendo’s hybrid console and more often than not I’ve been resoundingly disappointed. I was somewhat concerned about the Switch port of Torchlight 2. In the September of 2012 I turned to Torchlight 2 to take my mind off the looming idea of maths and physics exams and to go back to it now, well, it feels like I never left. It can be a really stressful time and while many younglings relieve that stress through going out with friends, playing sports after school or having clandestine parties shrouded in the shadows of their complex pool, I was never really keen on many of those things. A lot of people tend to forget just how stressful high-school could be at the time we look back on what were generally carefree days and smirk at how good we had it, but when you’re a teenager, insulated within the very small world of school above all else, everything feels a lot bigger than it has any right to be. Teachers won’t stop going on about how we have to start studying now for our exams while continuously giving us essay after project after presentation to prepare for at the same time. It’s September, so the end of the year is starting to make its presence known. I’m in grade 11, sixteen years old and going through the paces of high-school.
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