Today marks the official launch of Torchlight, a single-player action RPG that will ultimately be followed by a free-to-play MMO. Diablo fans may want to check out the game since development is headed by a team that previously worked on Diablo, Diablo II, Fate, and the unfinished Mythos.

The game costs $19.99 and is available for digital download via the official site, Perfect World, Steam and other sites. You can find a list of all the partners here. Also, the level editor should be available as a free download on the Torchlight site later this week.

For more on the game, check out our Torchlight preview from the Penny Arcade Expo.

Runic Games has announced that Torchlight will be available to download through Steam when the game launches on Oct. 27. This is good news for excited fans because Steam originally wasn't going to have access to Torchlight until 30 days after its release.

"It's important for us to make Torchlight as widely available as possible. Steam is an enormous outlet that many players use exclusively – we're big fans ourselves – so we are really happy that it will be on Steam starting day one," CEO Max Schaefer said. Torchlight will also be available for download on the game's official site on Oct. 27.

For more information on the game, check out our preview from the Penny Arcade Expo.

Hack-and-slashers rejoice:  Diablo 3 is still a long way off, but a little game called Torchlight might make you not even care.  Seattle-based Runic Games has produced one of the most fun and polished titles showcased at PAX '09.  Development is headed by none other than ex-Flagship Studios' Travis Baldree, Max Schaefer and Erich Schaefer – who've previously lent design credits to Diablo, Diablo 2, Fate, and the unfinished Mythos (an IP which is now owned by HanbitSoft).

The game is set in the town Torchlight, where enterprising miners have hit the strike of the arbitrary-game-related-time-unit.  The precious resource is called Ember, useful for its magic-y awesomeness, but could ultimately spell cataclysmic doom for the poor shack-dwelling harvesters who would seek to control it.  In fact, you'll find the ruins of plenty of other unfortunate civilizations buried in the mines as you boldly smite your way toward the end of the game.

Runic Games, a team largely made up of the guys who originally developed the critically acclaimed Free to Player MMORPG, Mythos, have announced that they will be releasing their latest MMO, Torchlight, on October 27th, 2009. The game will cost you $19.99, and you can check it out at this year's PAX convention.

If you weren't able to make it to PAX this year, but you still want to check out the game, you can toddle around Torchlight's website and read more about specific game mechanics here. As well, the team's latest feature has been a little blurb about Torchlight's various NPCs, which you can read here. All in all, it seems as though Torchlight will be another step forward for the 'Diablo' style of randomized dungeon MMORPG gaming. One thing, however, of particular interest this time around appears to be the team's intention to include a game editor with Torchlight that will allow players to create and design their own content. This might be interesting to check out in October!