I might be on a sequel binge, so here we go with another one. Torchlight II is definitely more Torchlight. Unlike the last game, you don't spend any time in a place called Torchlight. However, some stuff happened there in the intro cinematic. It turns out that the Alchemist from the original game went rouge and started destroying everything, so off you go chasing him!

There are four classes to choose from (up from 3 in the original): berserker, embermage, engineer, and outlander. Berserkers are heavy melee fighters. Embermages do what the label says. Outlanders are ranged fighters. Engineers are tanks, but also generalists. There is a much wider range of pets to choose from than the original (which only had a dog and cat). Like the original, they can do a run back to town to sell your loot, but can also buy things like potions and scrolls. I'm not sure if any are functionally different from each other, but a panda is a capable fighter and can fend for itself. The only way your pet could be more useful is if it could pick things up automatically. Your character picks up gold automatically, and that helps bigly.

Unlike Torchlight (and Diablo), but like Diablo 2, there isn't a single dungeon that keeps going down. There are several hub camps/towns that you exit and explore around. As you are outdoors, there is a day and night cycle. When I was in the desert during the night, I thought I was running across snow, because moonlit sand looks like moonlit snow. There are many smaller dungeons scattered across the landscape. I get the feeling that these areas are procedurally generated from large handcrafted parts, as some features and floor designs tend to repeat, like the original.

There are new enemies. Some have shields or heavy armor that will block all hits until that's destroyed, then health can be hit. There are probably new weapon types, armors, and spells, but I didn't have the interest in investigating them. Especially not when I'm trying to clear loot out of my inventory when adventure beckons!

The graphics and sound seem ripped from the original. While they aren't groundbreaking, they are sufficient.

Torchlight II has a multiplayer mode, but I didn't play with anyone. If you would like more of that, there is a Torchlight MMO under development.

The bottom line: this is more Torchlight. If you liked/hated the original, I don't understand why this would be any different.