|
|
Genre: Adventure Developer & Publisher: Postmodern Adventures/enComplot Released: July 23, 2026 Requirements: OS: Windows 7 or higher Processor: Minimum, Core i3 2.0 Ghtz; Recommended, Core i5 2.5 Ghtz Memory: Minimum 4 GB RAM; Recommended, 8 GB RAM Graphics: Minimum, Intel HD graphics 520; Recommended, Dedicated GPU or Intel Iris/Intel UHD graphics Storage: 3 GB available space
|
|
|
By flotsam Tormentum II OhNoo Studio Hailing from a very small indie Polish studio, the first Tormentum was released way back in 2015. Inspired by the macabre art-stylings of Giger and Beksiński, it was a grim hit. For a long time we thought we would never see the stated follow up, and then suddenly here it was. It landed with high expectations, given what came before. After nearly 10 hours of playtime, it pretty much lived up to them. To paraphrase the makers, you play David, a man driven to build a simulated world. His nightly dreams are of a locked chest and a woman's voice calling to him. When elements of the dreamworld begin appearing in his waking life, he accepts and installs an anonymously offered co-processor. He wakes in chains in an island prison. The game is a third person point-and-click feast for the senses. Visually there are (apparently) 200 hand-drawn scenes, plus dedicated close-ups that bring the total to nearly 500 individual background images. Across the board they have that fluid biomechanical amalgam of flesh and machine present in Giger’s work, and the largely monochromatic tones mingled with the strategic use of colour help to produce a fascinating almost visceral landscape, compelling and repulsive in equal parts. Sound wise, there is no spoken word (but lots to say and to think), which I never mind as it means I can imbue the respective characters with whatever ‘voice’ seems appropriate. It does mean you read a lot, given how elaborate the story is, but it never became a chore. It’s a weird, fantastical piece of storytelling, a tad convoluted perhaps but a whole heap of grisly fun. In the absence of voices, a stunningly effective score leads the way. I am not usually a fan of the music in games, but here it does much of the heavy lifting. From orchestral through choral to metal, sometimes aggressive or sorrowful, other times soothing or grating, it both builds and elevates the mood. Add in the excellent sound effects and a suitably evocative atmosphere is created. While each scene moves slightly at the edges, by and large what you can see on screen is what there is, and rather than walking David about within a screen, you explore with your mouse to find hotspots. Much within each screen is static, but environmental effects (e.g., flickering candles, rain, water ripples etc.) are present in the vast majority, and in conjunction with the cutscenes that punctuate the events, the game world doesn’t feel remotely stagnant. You make choices as you go. It isn’t clear that any of them are correct, but it builds your version of David. Who David is might be different the next time through, and the game might play out differently in certain aspects. I egregiously and erroneously ground a potential companion into a bloody smear early on which didn’t sit well with me for the rest of the game. I look forward to seeing what might change if I make a different choice. Which you can do immediately should you want to, as the game allows you to back out of any decision point before committing, and also allows you to save at will to any number of save points. This means you can save right before making a decision and observe the immediate effects of each choice. The downstream impacts won’t of course be discernible, but this aspect is open to you should you wish to utilise it. And whether you do or not, who doesn’t like being able to save whenever and how often you want? Finding a hotspot with the curser (there is no capacity to reveal them) will generate one of several icons (look, talk, take) and you click to engage. A notepad sits bottom left which will automatically make a note of relevant information, as will a map once you acquire it and which will enable you to explore the broader world. Your inventory chest sits bottom right; click to reveal your found items, then click one to try and use it in the game world. Puzzling is a mix of finding and using items, and discerning and applying clues to straight out puzzles. It isn’t a hard game if you pay attention, and I was more likely to be delayed by not having found the necessary item/s (and you might have to explore well beyond the current location to do so) than by not being able to fathom a puzzle. Where to next might also be an issue, but the game tends to close off locations and paths when they are no longer needed which assists in that regard. I need to mention that there are a couple of puzzles near the end which involve doing things fast enough to generate the solution. In response to feedback, a recent patch has assisted in solving these puzzles (the keyboard becomes your friend) but you still have to manage to do the necessary things in a timely fashion. In my experience, it was certainly better after the patch, but I would never have included them given they are so different to everything that came before. A patch enabling you to skip them would be even better, but kudos to the makers to listening to players. All up, I had a ball with this tormented time. I played on: OS: Windows 11, 64 Bit Processor: Intel i7-9700K 3.7GHz RAM: Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR4 32GB Video card: AMD Radeon RX 580 8192MB
|
