I have a feeling I’m not alone in saying this, but as a gamer, I often like to have a “standby” game despite however many other games I’m playing.  I might be twenty hours into the latest Persona, and at the same time slogging through mission six in whatever new military FPS is out, but I still like to have a game I can sit down and play for five, ten, fifteen or however many minutes I have available and not feel like I’m obliged to play for the long haul.

Sitting down to play an RPG these days is usually an investment of hours or play per session, and often times interrupting an FPS mid-level feels disruptive and breaks the action (if you are lucky enough to be able to save mid-mission at all).  So, in those times when you’ve got the gaming itch, but not a lot of free time, you need something to fill the gap. 

For many years, Civilization has filled that niche for me.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I most certainly can still play Civ for hours on end, but as a long-term, turn-based game, I know I can sit down and plug out a few turns and still move on to something else, be it running errands, sleeping, or the multitude of other non-game things that one encounters in life.  Of course, there is the ever-present danger that I’ll get sucked in for far longer than I was planning, but such are the risks with such choices.

While Civ is a good standby, many other games have filtered in and out of the Standby position over the years.  Puzzle Quest took over for a few months, followed by Peggle after that.

The main criteria to being a good Standby game is that it needs to be something you can pick up and put down at a moment’s notice, but are always able to return to exactly the point you left off.  This pretty much immediately disqualifies any games with arcane save or checkpoint systems, and anything where you are liable to stumble into a half-hour long, unskippable cutscene.  This is not to say that these games cannot be deep – I would challenge anyone to argue that Civ IV is not a deep game – but simply that they are more player-friendly in their time considerations.

Last week, I found a new Standby game that I think its going to occupy me for weeks to come: Torchlight.  Torchlight, currently available only on Steam, is an action-RPG from Runic Games.  In this instance, I use “action-RPG” as code for “Diablo clone;” and, yes, if you are familiar with Diablo, you will be quite familiar with Torchlight.

Players start the game by choosing one of three classes, either Destroyer, Vanquisher, or Alchemist.  These three fill out the classic trifecta of melee fighter, ranged fighter, and magic-user.  I’ll let you sort out which one is which on your own.

Arriving in the town of Torchlight, the player quickly becomes involved in a rescue mission into the old Ember mines, and subsequent mysteries arise from there to keep you moving deeper and deeper underground. Yes, there is a plot, but no, you probably won’t be paying much attention to it.  What you’ll really be paying attention to is loot.  Lots and lots of loot, occasionally of the phat variety.

Like all good dungeon hacks, Torchlight is about killing everything in your way, building up your stats and skill sets, and arming yourself with the best equipment you can find from your fallen foes.  And trust me, you’ll find plenty of equipment.  Regular enemies will spew out gold and simple weapons, but larger, more valuable enemies will literally erupt in showers of items and gold as they go down.  It is, to be honest, immensely satisfying.  The simple allure of loot collection is a powerful one to most gamers, and I must admit that I am not immune.

Perhaps Torchlight‘s most clever addition to the classic formula is its addition of a traveling companion for your character: a pet (either dog or cat).  While your pet is a useful combatant, it serves what I would judge almost an even more important purpose as a mobile vendor.  With limited inventory space and aforementioned piles of loot, you will often find your pack quickly filled to the brim.  In such instances, rather than waste time heading back to town, you can load up your faithful companion and send them off to sell your items for you.  While they are gone, you lose the benefit of having them in combat, but when they return, they bring a pile of money and empty inventory slots so you can continue on your merry way.

I have more to say about Torchlight, but I will hold off on that until I’ve completed it and can give a proper reaction.  In the meantime, though, I can say it fits all the criteria of a perfect Standby game, and demands only as much time of the player as you are willing to give.

Rest assured that I in no way view my Standby games as second-class; quite the opposite, in fact – I view them as reliable friends, ready to entertain on a moment’s notice. So, do the rest of you often find yourself with a Standby game on hand?  If so, what have you found that fits the bill?