This week’s free games – or rather, game – on the Epic Games Store has been revealed. It’s Runic Games’ Torchlight 2, one of the more well-received action RPG looters in the past decade. To claim and keep it forever, you’ll need to an Epic Games account but you must do so by July 23rd.

Torchlight 2 is a big step-up from the original with more classes, larger areas, a more intricate end-game and more complex combat. The story focuses on a quest to defeat the Alchemist and takes players across a variety of locales, from jungles to deserts and caves. Along with a variety of loot to collect, players also have pets that can assist during combat and even sell off excess items back in town.

The Torchlight series has seen a resurgence with Echtra Games’ Torchlight 3 which recently launched in early access. It hasn’t been well-received but the development team is working hard on improvements. As for the Epic Games Store, next week’s free games are dungeon crawler Next Up Hero and adventure game Tacoma.

Microsoft has some fairly big releases lined up for Xbox Live Gold subscribers in August 2019. First up is The Coalition’s Gears of War 4, a solid third person cover shooter that continues the excellent original trilogy. It’s available to XBL Gold subscribers from August 1st to 31st.

Then there’s Turn 10 Studios’ Forza Motorsport 6, one of the best racing simulators ever made. This becomes available from August 16th to September 15th. Xbox 360 players get some rather good releases as well – Runic Games’ Torchlight (August 1st to 15th) and Konami’s Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (August 16th to 31st). Both titles are playable on the Xbox One as well, thanks to backwards compatibility.

Overall, that’s more than $94 in game value for all of these games. Giving away Gears of War 4 is actually a pretty smart strategy for Microsoft. The Coalition’s Gears 5 is out on September 10th, and this allows new players to catch up with the storyline before hopping in. We expect more details on the upcoming sequel’s Horde mode at Gamescom in August, so stay tuned.

Torchlight 2, the action-RPG sequel, is getting ported to consoles thanks to the talented people at Panic Button. They are also giving us a bit of a peek behind the curtain, so to speak, about the porting process (they’ve ported a lot of high profile titles, such as DOOM, to the Switch). Also, we may have gotten a hint at a Switch revision?

In an interview with Game Revolution, Dan Hernberg, Head of Production at the studio, talked about the porting process. He said the company has no issue being known for porting games, and in fact thinks it’s a great position to be in, as being known for a specialty means they are someone high profile developers can come to without a lot of need for directions or instruction.

“This is why people come to Panic Button; it’s our bread and butter,” he said. “What we try to do is take great games that other people have made and we try to honor those games and when we bring them console. We don’t just [do a one-to-one port].

“I think porting has a bad connotation. When we port a game, we try to think of what the people who made this game were trying to do. If Runic put this game on console today, what would they do and what would they add? [We do this] instead of just saying “Here’s a game, let’s just copy and paste it.” A lot more of our work is not just trying to get the game running but trying to get the game to feel like it was made for the consoles in today’s generation with achievements and friends and all those other things that you just don’t think about. A game like Torchlight 2 that is that old, none of those concepts exist in that game.”

It’s an interesting read for a section of game development we don’t hear from a lot, but Hernberg says something particularly interesting when asked about a Switch Pro, a long rumored revision of the system that will be more power-focused to contrast with the recently announced Switch Lite– or maybe I should say it’s what he doesn’t say when the interviewer asks him if it thinks it’d be cool if there was a Switch Pro.

“Um… no comment,” said Hernberg. “You’re welcome to speculate. I’ll just drink my coffee.”

Whether he’s taking the piss with us or not remains to be seen. Either way, Torchlight 2 is now available on PC, with a release coming for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Switch on September 3rd. The first game in the series is also available for free on PC on the Epic Games Store until July 18th.

Echtra Games may be developing Torchlight Frontiers, bringing the franchise into the free to play space. However, you can enjoy the first Torchlight by Runic Games for free via the Epic Games Store. You need to have an Epic Games account and download the launcher to claim it.

Torchlight is quite the outstanding action RPG, created by former Diablo developers and featuring some stellar combat. Players can also have different pets that will carry their gear and could be sent to town to sell it. The game will be free until July 18th.

On that day, Playdead’s Limbo will become the next free offering. A classic in its own right, Limbo is a monochromatic platformer starring a child traversing limbo in search of his sister. It will be available from July 18th to 25th. In the meantime, grab Torchlight while you can (and maybe check out its equally stellar sequel Torchlight 2 later).

Perfect World has announced that Hob, Runic Games’ action adventure mystery, will be releasing for Nintendo Switch. It will come to the platform on April 4th via the Nintendo eShop. Check out the announcement trailer below, complete with blurbs from different publications praising the game.

Hob: The Definitive Edition doesn’t seem to have much distinguishing it from the current versions on PC and PS4. Still, the narrative of a being named Hob traveling the world and trying to make sense of it all is still intriguing. Players will transform the landscape, unearthing new areas to explore while battling enemies in the process.

No, it’s not like Runic Games’ Torchlight series, but it’s still a very compelling adventure with an appealing aesthetic. Stay tuned for when Hob: The Definitive Edition is available on Switch. In the meantime, check out GamingBolt’s official interview with the development team on how the original vision for the game came together.

While Path of Exile is the more popular dungeon crawling loot-based action RPG, Torchlight 2 was pretty popular back in the day, too. And now, an entirely new audience gets to enjoy it, when it comes to consoles later this year.

Panic Button, the maestros behind impossible Switch ports such as the upcoming Wolfenstein: Youngblood, have announced in a press release that later this year, they will be bringing Torchlight 2 to Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One as well. The console version will have “enhancements”, though those specific enhancements are presently unknown. We can at least hope for a good control scheme for the game, something like how Diablo 3 works on consoles.

Torchlight 2 will have to contend against Diablo 3, which is available on all these consoles, as well as Path of Exile, available on Xbox One, and newly launched on PS4. Like I said though, Torchlight 2 is a pretty good game, so I do see it catching on.

Runic Games founding member Wonder Russell spoke to GamingBolt about the gameplay in Hob and what players could look forward to.

"Fans have pointed out that Hob has a Metroidvania-inspired feel; the way the world is gated has elements of classic exploration games we love, that also involve back-tracking through previously explored areas."

What inspired Hob’s mechanics and world? How did you go from a loot game like Torchlight to a more exploration based game?

Wonder Russell: Hob is a combination of all the games we love to play. We all enjoy playing puzzle-platformers that are a good balance of adventure and puzzles. We came up with a great story at the heart of Hob that is told through the action instead of dialogue, and it’s really exciting to develop. Besides that, we’ve been making the Torchlight franchise since 2008. That’s a long time to play in just one world, especially for a small team. Variety keeps us sharp as well as happy!

What are the various ways players can transform their arm in Hob?

Wonder Russell: The glove-arms in Hob pull double duty; they’re used for getting around the world as well as for combat. Every upgrade helps you unlock new playable areas and also defeat enemies in a smarter way than just dealing out melee damage while trying to stay alive.  They’re also very practical – without the glove, you wouldn’t be able to push or pull the building blocks of the world. So far we’ve shown off the magnet glove that can pull things to you, or pull you to an object much like a grappling hook. We’ve also shown how the glove can double as a shield in combat. We’ve got more coming… your character will have an arsenal of tools to engage with the world.

How do the transformations play into the world you can unlock and explore? Is there a Metroidvania style of progression there?

Wonder Russell: Fans have pointed out that Hob has a Metroidvania-inspired feel; the way the world is gated has elements of classic exploration games we love, that also involve back-tracking through previously explored areas. The world-shifting mechanic of Hob is intrinsic to the narrative. The more regions you can shift and unlock, the closer you get to the heart of the story.

"Whole areas are inaccessible until you master the puzzles that keep them out of reach. But even in our earliest builds there were small secret bonuses and areas that are harder to find."

What kind of story can we expect with Hob? Is there a definitive “end” to the tale being told or are things kept relatively open and ambiguous for the most part?

Wonder Russell: Exploration in the world of Hob is an open experience and deliberately ambiguous, but don’t be lulled into thinking that’s all there is; a strong narrative is at work behind the scenes, revealed bit by bit as you explore. Ultimately, you will learn the secret about why you are there.

Is there a way to completely “solve” this Rubik’s Cube of a world? Or will there be plenty of secrets for even the most hard-core players to find?

Wonder Russell: Solving the world is a must! Whole areas are inaccessible until you master the puzzles that keep them out of reach. But even in our earliest builds there were small secret bonuses and areas that are harder to find. We watched a ton of people miss them at PAX Prime, though sometimes we’d point out ‘Hey, see that vine? Try jumping to it!’ We like games that reward exploration, and that’s what we’re doing with Hob.

What kind of playtime can we expect for Hob?

Wonder Russell: Hard to say at this point since we’re still in development.

What are your thoughts on bringing Hob to the PlayStation 4 along with PC?

Wonder Russell: Very excited. Sony has been an amazing partner so far. We went to our first PSX (PlayStation Experience) and had a great time. The response from the fans was incredible.

Did you face any obstacles when developing for the PS4? What differences did you notice when developing for the consoles as opposed to the PC?

Wonder Russell: We have faced and continue to face constant challenges developing for two platforms at once. However, our programmers say developing for both has been a weird, fun sort of challenge!

"This project has been an incredible journey and we can’t wait to share Hob with the world."

Will Hob ever be coming to the Xbox One? Are there plans to expand to other platforms?

Wonder Russell: We don’t have plans for any platform beyond PC and PS4 right now, but that doesn’t mean we’re not open to eventually having plans.

Is the game going to run at 1080p and 60fps on the PS4?

Wonder Russell: It will run like silk and cream down a freshly iced luge.

What can you tell us about the engine used for Hob?

Wonder Russell: Since our inception, we have been using an open-source engine called Ogre. We’ve made a ton of changes over the years and it’s definitely a highly customized engine at this point.

Is there anything else you want to tell us about the game before we let you go?

Wonder Russell: We began Hob with the explicit goal of stepping out of our comfort zone to create a new and innovative experience like nothing else we’ve done before. A story without dialogue, tightly knit combat and progression that act as a challenging puzzle in itself, and what we’re most excited about: a world that dramatically transforms and changes based on your interactions. This project has been an incredible journey and we can’t wait to share Hob with the world.

Sony’s friendly stance towards indie game developers has been noted multiple times- even though Microsoft and Nintendo have both loosened restrictions for indie game development on their consoles, Sony still gets a lot more indie game love and attention, simply because of sheer inertia and momentum at this point.

Runic Games’ Hob is one such game. The game is coming to PC alongside the PlayStation 4, and a lot of this has to do with Sony’s exemplary support for the developers. Speaking to GamingBolt in an exclusive interview, Runic Games’ Wonder Russell talked about what it is like working with Sony.

“Sony has been an amazing partner so far,” Russell said. “We went to our first PSX and had a great time. The response from the fans was incredible.”

This kind of support ensures developers’ loyalty- as of right now, Hob is not planned for any other platform, though Russell did state the team would be open to other systems in the future.

“We don’t have plans for any platform beyond PC and PS4 right now, but that doesn’t mean we’re not open to eventually having plans!” he said.

Russell also discussed the challenges the team faced as they developed the game for PC and PS4 simultaneously, noting the difference in the hardware of the two systems.

“We have faced and continue to face constant challenges developing for two platforms at once. However, our programmers say developing for both has been a weird, fun sort of challenge!” However, in spite of this, the game is going to run on 1080p and 60fps, Russell said. “It will run like silk and cream down a freshly iced luge,” he joked.

Hob is going to release on PlayStation 4 and PC. Stay tuned for our full interview on the title with Runic Games.

Runic CEO Max Schaefer stated that, “We are overwhelmed by the reception for Torchlight II. To hit this milestone is a testament not only to our dedicated development team, but also to the greatest, most positive gaming community I’ve ever seen.”

Runic president Travis Baldree also stated that the Torchlight community played a big part in improving the game and staying active since the game’s launch. “It wouldn’t have been possible without you, and we’re humbled and grateful at your response.”

The original Torchlight managed to sell 1 million units but reached this target after 2 years. This means that the sequel has managed to sell twice as much in less than half the time. Check out our review of Torchlight 2 here to learn why it’s one of the best hack and slash, loot-collecting games you’ll ever play.

Runic Games just announced that its action RPG, Torchlight 2 has now sold over 1 million units since its release in September.

Having drawn so much comparison to Diablo 3 got Torchlight 2 a lot of attention. That and the extremely positive feedback of the game definitely must have helped with these strong sales.

When we reviewed Torchlight 2, we gave it a score of 9/10. We praised the game for the abundance of content it offered and its beautiful art design, but criticized the iffy netcode and the lacking technical visuals.

Our review says: “Runic Games haven’t tried to be over ambitious here, they’ve improved upon the original’s failings, and have crafted a fun game you and your friends can enjoy for a long time.”

You can read our full review through the link above. Stay tuned for more updates.