Chasm

When Shiren the Wanderer and Koppa took me on a journey to the Lair of the Golden Condor back in 2008, little did I know the lasting effect it would have. Since then, I've become a complete Roguelike nerd, geeking out at the mere mention of permadeath, procedurally generated dungeons and gold-plated +5 katanas. So, when I found out about Chasm - a Roguelike/platformer in early development from Discord Games - I couldn't help but sit up and take notice.

Taking its inspiration from classic Roguelikes and games such as Diablo and Castlevania, Chasm has its heart in the right place, while the crisp, pixelated visuals have already set my heart aflutter.

The plan is to release the game on Windows, Mac and Linux, with the possibility of a XBLIG release to follow. It's not going to be out in the wild anytime soon, but I plan on keeping my peepers on Chasm as it goes through development.

Visit the official Chasm site to check out the latest news about the game and you can show the game a little love over on Steam Greenlight.

Torchlight - PC

Torchlight has been consuming quite a lot of my time recently. It’s been out since last year on PC, but I find myself being drawn back to it time after time for some dungeon crawling action.

Runic Games are the team behind the mouse-driven Diablo clone, with players descending through randomly generated dungeons filled with monsters, traps and shiny loot.

There are three character classes to choose between - Destroyer (melee), Vanquisher (long-range combat), and Alchemist (magic based).

As you would expect from a game which draws its influence from Blizzard’s Diablo, loot drops are the major pull. Cash, scrolls, healing items, armour and weapons fall from downed foes, and collecting rare items is what drives the player ever deeper into Torchlight’s subterranean labyrinth.

It also helps that the visuals are excellent, with the game wearing its World of Warcraft influence proudly on its sleeve. Bold character design and a tremendous eye for detail make Torchlight a joy to look at, while the point and click interface is simple to use.

A nice selection of difficulty levels mean the game can be as challenging or as laid back as you want, although I would advise everyone to at least try the brutal hardcore mode just to see how crazy things get.

Even those who don’t own a powerful PC can enjoy Torchlight. A special Notebook Mode has been included, meaning anyone who wants to enjoy some quality gameplay can do so without splashing out on a high-end rig.

It’s a cracking game featuring some excellent ideas - sending your pet back to town to sell surplus items is a stroke of genius - and will keep you more than happy until Blizzard release Diablo III.

Torchlight is available via the Steam network for £14.99, or from the game’s official website: www.torchlightgame.com