REVIEWS

TORMENTED SOULS

While we can't complain about the variety that exists in Survival Horror in recent years, it's a fact that we've had few representatives of the genre that convey the overall feel of the first Resident Evil, Alone in the Dark and Silent Hill, or at least paying homage to those classic games. Tormented Souls tries to do that. Using familiar gameplay, creepy set pieces and fixed perspective, it offers a nostalgic journey that takes us back several years. The question is whether it can convince you that it's worth this trip into the past, as sometimes the line between nostalgia and regression is quite thin...

The introduction of the game takes us to the house of the protagonist, Caroline Walker, where she receives an envelope with an unknown sender and the address of the Wildberger Hospital, containing a photograph of two little girls. In it she sees a note that essentially tempts her to investigate the fate of the two children. Thus, with a mindset found in horror films that usually goes against common sense, she will travel to the abandoned hospital to get to the bottom of the story. If you lie down with dogs, you'll get up with fleas and it won't be long before the protagonist finds out there is truth to it. After being hit in the back while entering the building, she wakes up in a bathtub full of water, on respiratory support and an eye surgically removed. This is where our adventure actually begins.

An idyllic start...

Tormented Souls, following the tenets of the category, provides us with the necessary information both by examining the documents/diaries/ paper scraps we find, as well as through some cutscenes and dialogues with other characters, though more emphasis is clearly placed on the first method of storytelling. The script, although it gradually builds suspense, I wouldn't say it's anything off the top shelf and more importantly, something we haven't seen before. In fact, some old-timers will gradually notice similarities to a certain episode of Silent Hill. The presentation is decent and with a few exceptions, the events of the story become more cohesive as we progress. There is of course no lack of ( probably pretentious) cheesiness in some of the scenes, but they don't spoil the overall impression as long as we don't take them too seriously.

Of course, in a game that faithfully adheres to the tenets of the genre's forefathers, we didn't expect any different from having fixed (for the most part) camera angles and tank controls. These two elements, though anachronistic one would say, work perfectly in tandem. In fact, Tormented Souls depending on whether you play with a d-pad or stick, allows for classic-analog or digital-modern controls respectively. We'd expect the latter wouldn't translate to comfortable navigation under these camera angles, but as in the case of Song of Horror, the direction our character moves in is maintained for a few seconds after the camera shifts. It goes without saying that the first mode of control is also convenient with the keyboard.

The camera work never ceases to amaze and contributes to the staging aspect.

One element that is quite friendly to new players is the inventory management. This is because we can essentially pick up an infinite number of items without finding ourselves in the situation of making pointless trips for a key or some ammo that didn't fit in it. What is not so friendly though and should be mentioned is the start of Tormented Souls (the first 2 hours or so). Ammo is scarce (as well as the reels that save your progress) and enemies are usually in relatively narrow passages, so killing them is the only option. After that initial wall of difficulty, things become clearly easier, as both supplies are more plentiful and, to my surprise, the total number of enemies is considerably smaller than its influences (especially compared to Resident Evil). Finally, as far as Tormented Souls' creatures are concerned, they don't show much variety in terms of A.I. and attack patterns.

Perhaps this was an approach on the part of the developers so as not to discourage players who are not experienced with horror games. Either way, it reduces the tension of literally reaching a door after maneuvering between raging monstrosities. Of course, this doesn't diminish the suspense I felt at times when I was thrown at an enemy that was silently lurking in the dark or elaborately hidden by the camera. And speaking of darkness, in addition to the various creatures, you'll have to deal with that as well. You see, it's not just a means to scare you but a constant presence of danger since if you remain in it for a short period of time without any light source you will face the game over screen. Especially when you consider that along with the lighter (which you have for the majority of the game) you can't carry a weapon, then things in dark areas become particularly dreadful.

In some places there are candelabras that we can light so that there is enough illumination to be able to fight.

Tormented Souls undisputedly excels at level and puzzle design. The hospital grounds (which is in fact a mansion converted into a makeshift clinic, as mentioned in the notes we find) are large with multiple corridors and rooms forming a labyrinthine scenery. One can't help but admire how nicely connected the various areas are, with appropriately placed shortcuts that greatly improve the pace of exploration but also relieve the headache of having to go back through the peril we just escaped from. The map isn't as good as it should be though, since it doesn't show where we are and consequently isn't useful, at least until we learn to recognize locations by heart. As for the game's puzzles, they are of a very high quality level and are definitely among the best we've seen in the genre. They rank in the medium difficulty level, with some exceptions, and indicative of their quality is the fact that every point of interest in the environment and almost every object can be examined with the cursor-magnifying glass to reveal additional points of interaction. Several of the puzzles would easily find a place in a Silent Hill or even a traditional point 'n click adventure.

The vast majority of the puzzles are of logical design, but that doesn't mean that some of them won't challenge your wits.

For the most part, excellent work has also been done on the audiovisual part. The graphics utilize the Unity Engine and have a lot of detail, especially in the environments. Each area of the mansion has a convincing sense of abandonment and loneliness, and the lighting also contributes to the atmosphere to a large extent. The monster models are adequate but the same can't be said for the models of the friendly characters, which have a certain plasticity to them. This is made more pronounced by the lack of lip syncing and the performances are mediocre at best, probably something to be expected from the title's budget. The music on the other hand makes up for it completely in the sound department. These are some of the finest tracks we have listended in a game of this category, with piano driven melodies reminiscent of the one in the police station lobby of Resident Evil 2 playing in safe areas, while in areas where darkness is dominant, ambient/noise compositions that could have sprung out of a Silent Hill game weigh on our souls.

Some of the game's locations are truly imposing.

That's basically what Tormented Souls is all about. A very competent endeavour that carries the unadulterated experience offered by the first Alone in the Dark, Resident Evil and Silent Hill, improved in some areas and almost unchanged in others. It goes without saying that if you had significant exposure to those games, this is a purchase hands down. It's not a game for everyone but I'd recommend it to fans of Survival Horror in general, as long as they're armed with the patience to overcome the initial hurdle and provided they can get used to the clunky combat and the notion of not being offered any without guidance or assistance.

NOSTALGIA - 79%

79%

A promising start for the team from Chile and we are happy to see an endeavour with flair, despite some constraints. Boasting good puzzles and solid level design, Tormented Souls doesn't break new ground but it does well what it set out to do.

Παναγιώτης Μητράκης

As a kid of the 80's, he began his journey into gaming with coin-ops and the classic Game Boy. He found some respite with his beloved SNES and got into PC gaming in 1998, with landmark games like Half-Life and Baldur's Gate. He doesn't steer clear of (almost) any genre but has a predilection for RPGs and survival horror and tries to introduce others to Silent Hill, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and the creations of Looking Glass and Obsidian.

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