Torchlight creators give nods to Zelda
After garnering critical acclaim and widespread fanfare for its Torchlight series, Runic Games is taking a break from the action/RPG genre with its upcoming adventure game Hob. With gorgeous visuals, Zelda-inspired gameplay, and an intriguing take on storytelling, Runic’s new game is looking good even at this early stage.
The world is shifting in dangerous and unexpected ways, and nobody knows why. Hob places you in the shoes of a nameless protagonist who must explore a beautiful and dangerous world. You don’t know why you’re there, but your mission quickly becomes clear: find the mysterious catalyst for the recent changes. The world you navigate holds undeniable beauty, which is expertly displayed by the gorgeous visuals.
Rather than explaining the narrative through cutscenes and conversations, Runic Games is telling the story without any text or dialogue. Players learn about the world’s tragic fate through the somber events they witness, as well as the massive changes occurring in the world. As I explore the world of Hob during my demo, chunks of land rise and fall, aggressive enemies appear in an otherwise peaceful world, and a guide character (similar to the fairies in Zelda) highlights points of interest. The story isn’t completely clear to me at this early stage, but I was able to get an idea of how the mysteries could unfold as I venture deeper.
From the first moments, Hob feels similar to the Legend of Zelda games. I slash at enemies with a sword and cut tall grass to yield health-restoring items. In combat, I can lock on to enemies or fight them free form. Once I’m engaged, my character attacks, blocks, and roll-dodges. Each rolldodge or block depletes a stamina bar that recharges over time. Even at this point in development, every sword slash and platform jump feels excellent.
The basic moveset suffices until I stumble upon a larger adversary with a much longer reach than mine. Thankfully, the protagonist also dons a magnet glove, which gives you an upper hand in battles such as this. Using the magnet glove, I target the tall enemy’s leg and rip off a piece of armor. This hobbles the mini-boss, and while he’s recovering I rush in to get a few slashes on him. I repeat the process for his other leg and soon he meets his demise.
In addition to evening the odds in battle, the magnet glove is immensely helpful in solving the many puzzles in the world. When I ran out of places to explore on the ground, I looked a bit higher and spotted a metallic point I could target, opening up new areas of the map. The glove also enables me to push large blocks around to unlock areas, similar to how Link solves problems in certain dungeons across the various Zelda games.
My demo ends with the main character apprehensively entering a small opening to a much larger cavern. As he peers around the corner, a giant creature reveals itself and the screen cuts to black. I don’t have any clue as to what that creature is or what its intentions are, but the tone of the reveal is ominous.
Runic Games certainly has a good track record so far, but Hob is a different experience than the studio has ever released. Leaving many of the elements of its traditional action/RPG formula behind, Runic is venturing out and exploring new development paths. If this early demo is any indication, the risks could pay off. I can’t wait to dive back into Hob and uncover the mysteries this world holds. Brian Shea