Torchlight demo released on Steam

By Oli Welsh Published 28 October, 2009

Try the Diablo-alike for free.

Runic Games has released a demo for its action-RPG Torchlight on Steam.

The game was released yesterday, and can be bought direct from the developer as well as from Steam, Direct2Drive and a number of other digital download services. It costs US $19.99.

Torchlight is a top-down action-RPG in the Diablo mould, descended from the never-released Mythos which was being made by Hellgate developer Flagship before it went under. Runic was formed by Diablo veteran Max Schaefer and other members of the Mythos team.

Torchlight is currently a single-player RPG only, but a massively multiplayer version will be built on its bones and released next year.

"This game is pure Diablo-ish wonderful-ness. My fave from E3, can't wait to play tonight," tweeted nerd actress Felicia Day.

Read our PAX preview for more info, and look out for a review soon.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (17) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • skillian #1 2 years ago

    For some reason I thought this was a movie tie-in, so I'd ignored it as it moved up the Steam charts.

    Top-down action-RPG in the Diablo mould? Guess I'll have to give it a try then.

  • mingster #2 2 years ago

    Its very much like FATE.
    Great for loot whores.

  • spatss #3 2 years ago

    It's really good, but the lack of a co-op mode is a bummer.

  • Rirekon #4 2 years ago

    Quite enjoyed the demo but there do seem to a be few issues with minions - might pick it up to keep my Diablo cravings at bay

  • sneetch #5 2 years ago

    I downloaded it last night and played it for half an hour from 11 to 11:30. It was great, I really enjoyed it but then realised it was actually 1:30. Two hours that just completely vanished, it may have been alien abduction but I reckon it was the game, a great Diablo/Rogue-like game so far.

  • Skurmedel #6 2 years ago

    Sounds good, will try it tonight.

  • penhalion #7 2 years ago

    Just played the demo. This is pure and I mean pure diablo in a jar! The music, the voices. Everything about this game reminds me of the original diablo. It truly captures that "hero in a dungeon" feeling that only diablo one ever seemed to understand. Well worth 14 quid of my hard earned!

  • VampiricEye #8 2 years ago

    Should I even try the demo or should I just get straight to buying?:)

  • sneetch #9 2 years ago

    @VampiricEye

    If you try the demo then I think you'll probably have to re-download the full game when you buy but, either way, I'd go straight to buying. :)

    Edit: Ignore my speculation, Kain201 below has the scoop. Definitely buy it though.
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/09 @ 17:45

  • kooi1980 #10 2 years ago

    @VampiricEye I would download straight away if you're in for some Diablo 1-style loothunting.

    It costs next to nothing, has music from the Diablo composer and many veterans from the original Diablo team behind it.

  • TriggerHippie #11 2 years ago

    Just grab it and enjoy. Its pure crack for lootwhores (glad I got that right). I've been up all night playing it. Matt Uelmen's music cast a spell on me and forced me to stay a while and listen. Somebody get me off this computer!
    Edited by 1 at 28/10/09 @ 13:29

  • Kain201 #12 2 years ago

    @VampiricEye

    The Demo is the full game. When you buy it, Steam just unlocks it and you can continue your demo save.

    Also: Thread

  • Eraysor #13 2 years ago

    Is it better than Borderlands for loot-whores? Because that game throws loot at me like infinite monkeys with infinite rocks.

  • Sharzam #14 2 years ago

    They werent kidding when said like diablo its basically the same game but with high res cartoon style graphics. iam not saying this is a bad thing but it really is the same game in every way.

  • rhubarbandcustard #15 2 years ago

    I downloaded this when I got home yesterday, and while it was downloading:
    cooked and ate a rather nice meal
    drank some wine
    unwound from the stresses of the working day

    Then I returned to the PC clicked the Torchlight tab and Steam crashed. Not once, but twice in a row.

    At which point I gave up.

    ...and this is why I hate PC gaming.

  • mr_ruberfon #16 2 years ago

    won't work for me either, downloaded it twice. really want to try it : (

  • sneetch #17 2 years ago

    @rhubarbandcustard

    I'm sure you're not still checking this thread but just in case, Steam was pretty shite for a few days for me too, Valve were releasing fixes for problems with Windows 7 that seemed to have screwed up the XP version, a case of the more haste the less speed I think as they released several updates in quick succession to fix the problems the previous updates introduced. However, Steam is working fine again, for me at least.