Torchlight Frontiers Is A Step Removed From The Typical "Dark, Gothic, Violent, And Sometimes Disturbing" ARPG

You don't typically find gaming news on the Unreal Engine website, but that's what we have today, with an interview with the dev team at Echtra Games, which is hard at work on Torchlight Frontiers.

If you've been following the game, it covers many of the topics you're already familiar with, like the concept of Frontiers, class design, and the basic difference between making a single/co-op game and an MMO. Unsurprisingly, there are also a few questions about Unreal Engine 4, where the Echtra team waxes eloquently on its utility and how it's managed to keep the programming team small, thanks to "the technologies that UE4 already has and continues to add."

One notable thing that Torchlight Frontiers is doing that's different from most other ARPGs -- notably games like Path of Exile and the Diablo series -- is its art direction. Notably, Torchlight Frontiers is brighter and more vibrant than those other games (Whimsyshire excluded). Many of the developers came to Torchlight Frontiers straight off creating Diablo 3 and "wanted to differentiate ourselves" from the "dark, gothic, violent, and sometimes disturbing atmosphere" of that and similar games.

Naturally, UE4 helped with that, as well, and using it is "one decision we’ve made that I don’t think a single person on our development team regrets." Except Steve in Accounts Receivable, probably. Dammit, Steve, get with the program.

You can read the full interview on the Unreal Engine site.