An old category that lacks heavy new works, somehow seems to have suddenly had a lot of new product planning in the past two years.
Today, the self-developed "Torchlight" series of genuine mobile games "Torchlight: Infinite" held a public beta preview meeting, announcing that it will be officially open beta at 10 o'clock on May 10, and introduced the gameplay preview of the public beta version and the exclusive benefits of the national uniform.
At the face-to-face meeting, the producers, curators and community managers also introduced the basic design concept and season setting of Torchlight: Infinite.
Some of the settings are very thoughtful, such as in addition to the rich skills and equipment that are necessary for the foundation of ARPG, Torchlight: Infinite also has a quest system with no physical limitations, a free auction house, and as the season updates, it is used to revitalize BD heroes, equipment, and so on.
The mobile and cross-platform ARPG space now has another unique competitor.
This also made Grape Jun feel a little emotional, looking at the products that have been announced, tested and launched in the past two years, APRG, an old category with a long history, seems to usher in a renaissance.
01 What will "Torchlight" look like when made into a mobile game?
It has been several years since Torchlight: Infinity was first announced, phased and tested to the current official public beta, and we have followed up on relevant developments when overseas testing started.
After a few tests, the game has undergone some tweaks and optimizations, but the general temperament is still the same.
Initially, "Torchlight: Infinite" on mobile platforms continues the consistent style of this series, such as the American cartoon style, fantasy magic + mechanical elements of the theme makes the game mixed with a little steampunk flavor, and those a little "" spirit of unfolding and so on:
Even for the details of the plot and the original characters, which were originally not very present, "Torchlight: Infinite" has also made a corresponding inheritance:
In terms of gameplay, "Torchlight: Infinite" is naturally the same as typical ARPG, with the help of the main story to initially guide players to understand various basic operations, the next core content is to repeatedly conquer bosses, brush equipment, adjust skills and talents, and improve Build's gameplay cycle in each map copy.
For brush games, the player's long-term goal is nothing more than the pursuit of two dimensions: the skill/talent system of different heroes, the equipment system that includes randomness, and the various BD genres born from the linkage between the two.
In these two aspects, "Torchlight: Infinite" has a set of designs that try to differentiate from its predecessors:
Auxiliary skills embedded in active skills can change the characteristics of skills to some extent, such as increasing the rate of fire, reducing mana consumption, increasing the ejection of ballistic skills, etc., which are somewhat similar to the rune selection of Diablo 3; Trigger skills are similar to the design of "Path of Exile", setting various conditions such as "trigger on critical hit", and the combination and triggering between these skills makes the actual effective talents and skills become more, which can alleviate the pain point of "limited mobile game skill buttons" from this level.
In terms of equipment, "Torchlight: Infinite" also adds a more diverse item drop mechanism, as well as a series of additional elements around this mechanism, such as a buff compass and a crafting system to enrich the access to items.
At the meeting, the game's chief planner also mentioned that the reason why the subtitle of the game name is called "Infinite" is to express that the torchlight on the mobile platform has no restrictions on gameplay and cultivation, and there is unlimited space for exploration. For example, provide a sufficient amount of skill self-core and equipment types, so that the construction of BD has no restrictions; There are no physical and daily task restrictions on the brush book; In terms of trading, there is also enough space for most items to be traded.
This was also affirmed by David Brevik, the "Father of Darkness" and consulting producer of Torchlight: Infinite:
"I really like the current BD system with great depth, it's very playable and there are a lot of different combinations to choose from. It's these different mechanics that allow you to create many different types of BD and truly achieve unlimited BD. The game's loot system, where you can hunt endless treasure and eventually get loot, is really different and great. Overall, I think it offers something that other games on the market don't have. ”
In the later stages of the game, as the BD construction of various heroes gradually moves towards the formation stage, it is usually inevitable to enter the burnout period.
Like some similar products that operate for a long time, Torchlight: Infinity also determines the season-based operation plan, introduces new themes in a timely manner, and also facilitates returning players to have a "start from scratch" foundation like everyone else. The game is regularly updated with new seasons, bringing new heroes, hero traits, relic equipment, costumes, and some season-specific gameplay.
At the same time, in order to facilitate new players to get started and old players to return, "Torchlight: Infinite" also cooperates with the well-known game forum Maxroll and Wiki Station Exile Chronicles to provide strategies and various materials for the game.
02 Category challenges and solutions for Torchlight: Infinite
ARPG represented by "Diablo" was initially formed more than 20 years ago, and the category has developed for many years, and many common gameplay design frameworks have been finalized.
This is not a category dilemma, but it is still a problem for latecomers from "Torchlight" to "Torchlight: Infinite" - the first movers have already finalized some directions, and how to get out of their own unique path for later games will be a challenge for long-term development.
In the ARPG category, there have been few revolutionary new works and masterpieces in recent years, which is also due to this to a certain extent. In my opinion, these problems can be broadly attributed to these aspects:
One is the issue of diversity in the construction of game builds—whether there will be a universal optimal solution in the later stage, or will it be possible to achieve as many varieties of classes/genres as possible.
After defeating the level boss, you can randomly get some additional rewards from the Rubik's Cube
Season-specific talents brought by the Season theme
At this face-to-face meeting, community manager Duck Duck focused on explaining the optimization and remake of the beta version of "Greed Cube" on various systems, as well as the continuous professional balance adjustment. For example, the spell burst mechanic that will be implemented this season is used to strengthen the spell system that has been weak in the previous mid-term.
During the Common Beta season, the game also added a prototyping feature to further enhance the control of forging with advanced affix equipment.
The second is the problem of long-term play motivation, which on the one hand overlaps with the previous point - whether there is enough diversity to keep players interested for a long time - on the other hand, there is also a test for the project team, since the game is relatively bold and low to make no physical strength, no daily mode, it also puts forward high requirements for subsequent development.
Judging from the community's official response more than a year ago, the challenge at that time was still the accumulation of content
From the perspective of many long-term products such as "Diablo 3", "Road to Exile", "Diablo 2 Remake" and so on, the season system is basically a recognized high-quality solution in the industry.
For example, "Road to Exile" has accumulated enough systematic content through these to give the game corresponding depth; In recent seasons, Diablo 3 has received praise from players due to the official introduction of some low-level mechanics that have not been seen before. These are all ways to revitalize the game from a long time and repeatedly activate old players.
In addition to updating the season periodically like regular similar products, Torchlight Infinity adds new equipment, challenging objectives, etc. in each theme season, as well as some more unique update methods.
For example, in the new season, there will be new heroes and new hero characteristics, and the introduction of elements that will affect the construction of the game from the bottom is rare in its kind. Judging from the information of the face-to-face meeting, there are usually elements related to the addition of new heroes, such as new stories and plot backgrounds, which are also more weighty updates than similar ones - in traditional buyout ARPGs, these usually have to be large-scale DLC-level updates. Seasons that can introduce new stories and new characters also make RPG attributes a little richer.
In addition, the cross-platform accessibility also makes Torchlight: Infinite easier to "pick up and put down".
"Torchlight: Infinite is a cross-platform ARPG that is very similar to other ARPGs on the market, inheriting the classic combat style and the core gameplay of the genre. But I think the thing that really sets it apart is the cross-platform nature of it, being able to play games on your phone or computer is really very different. David Brevik said in a face-to-face meeting.
03 ARPG, Renaissance?
From PC/console to mobile, the ARPG category has been in a state of some lack of blockbuster works in the past few years, and it is not until the past two years that the situation has begun to gradually change - from the previously launched dark mobile game and the upcoming Diablo 4, to the previously announced "Path of Exile 2" and "Road of Exile" mobile games under development, to the current confirmed login of "Torchlight: Infinite"...
Several classic ARPG series have some visible innovations, and they have also been announced and launched with sequels, and have gone in several different directions from the design concept and long-term operation ideas. The old category, once regarded as a product of the times, has shown new vitality.
For ARPG players, some blockbuster products are on the agenda, and the sequel to several well-known IPs is poised to launch, which makes this category lively.
What's more interesting is that "Torchlight" and "Torchlight 2" were launched before and after the release of "Diablo 3". However, under the premise that there is already / will soon have a heavyweight similar product on the market, the two predecessors of the series still have achieved some breakthrough results, which also allows this series to stand on this footing.
This time, a somewhat similar scene seems to be about to play out again. After watching this face-to-face meeting, I have some optimistic expectations about how things will go.
(You can pre-order Torchlight: Infinite)