Trivia / Torchlight II

• Dueling Games: It is a more direct competitor to Diablo III than the original, as it also supports multiplayer and it was released in a relatively short time after D3. Despite Runic's insistence that any rivalry is unintentional, some friction is sure to arise between some fans of each series.
• Dummied Out: Much of the first Torchlight's assets and resources are present within this game. Chances are these were used as convenient placeholders more than anything. Some of the player classes have had dialogue recorded for quick vocal commands ("Run!" "Thanks!" "Sorry." "Wait.") much like, you guessed it, Diablo II. In one of the later patches that added several new pets, it seemed like Runic intended to give the Headcrab its original chitters and screeches. Nothing a quick little edit in GUTS can't enable.
• Follow the Leader: Much like Torchlight borrowed heavily from the first Diablo, Torchlight II borrows heavily from Diablo II. Granted, there's also the fact that Runic has many of the people behind the early Diablos and many of the common elements are part of their Signature Style.
  • The first open area in both is a badlands type area, and the first area in the second act is a desert. Both games also have a much shorter fourth act.
  • Both first games involve traversing primarily downward in a dungeon in a cursed town, while the second graduates to wide-spanning story after a player character from the preceding games becomes a Rogue Protagonist.
  • Both have the town from the first installment completely obliterated by the aforementioned Rogue Protagonist.
  • While the Netherlord is akin to facing Diablo at the end of Act IV, the fact that you do so right in the Clockwork Core is similar to fighting Baal in the Worldstone Chamber at the end of Act V, except this time you aren't too late to prevent its corruption and/or destruction.
  • It also shares similarities to Diablo III as well, with the first Act being a wilderness level but with a graveyard area and catacomb levels, the second Act taking place in a desert, and the final boss being fought on a platform floating in the middle of a strange dimension.
  • Some of the skill trees are clearly inspired by World of Warcraft, most particularly the Embermage.
    • One poster on the official forums pointed out that the series as a whole has gameplay closer to the late 90s ARPG Darkstone than the Diablo's.
• Schedule Slip: The release date went from "July", to "Summer 2012", to "when its done". Then Runic Games finally announced that, on August 31st, 2012, they would... announce the game's release date. (At Penny Arcade Expo, so one must acknowledge their sense of spectacle.) September 20, 2012 was the big day. Not too bad, actually, but still annoying for some.

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