In a surprise move over the weekend, Perfect World Entertainment has released developer Echtra Inc.'s Torchlight III out into the wild - with the game now available via Steam Early Access. As this is the transformed and previously free-to-play Torchlight Frontiers - now in proper sequel form - early response so far has been mixed.

Well, not so much mixed with reviews so far by the community falling under the 'Mostly Negative' banner. The biggest complaints seem to be based on the general lack of loot, the limited skill trees, and bland level design that many are comparing to mobile-style freemium experiences. As a fan of the Torchlight series, I'll be holding off judgement until playing it - but this unedited slice of gameplay from YouTuber 'Simple Combo' doesn't do much to excite.



And here's the official Early Access launch trailer.



Outside of the vibrant art-style, the return of pets, and being able to control a steampunk contraption as one of the classes.

In terms of content, Torchlight III is currently multiplayer-only, features four playable classes, the first two acts, and the creat-a-Fort feature. The developers are planning to release the entirety of the third and final act as part of the Early Access release period in addition to what it is calling "the endgame".

Also its worth noting that as an Early Access release we can and should expect the game to change and evolve over the coming months. Things like drop-rates and server instability and the depth of the skill trees - are all stuff that we can expect to evolve over time.