Tormented Souls

Tormented Souls isn't trying to be a necessarily accessible horror game. It embraces the retro heroes of the genre, and throws challenging puzzles and combat at players. More than that, though, the game has a nasty, hard edge, and ends up sitting at the loud and extreme end of the horror genre. If you enjoy your cathartic horror experiences, however (as I do), then you'll love the gauntlet of pain and torn flesh that this one throws at you.

Tormented Souls is a great addition to your Halloween lineup by appealing to the new generation with good music and good graphics but catering to the older gamers with nostalgic gameplay, storyline and mechanics. It’s not perfect but it’s a good time.

Tormented Souls is a great tribute to the old school survival horror genre. The Chilean studio, Dual Effect Games, demonstrates great mastery and knowledge of the elements that made horror games great back in the day. Although graphically it is not very impressive and the presentation is kind of cheesy, the setting, the atmosphere and the monsters are so well designed that the resulting experience is particularly immersive. Tormented Souls strengths definitely outweigh its weaknesses. If you are looking for a typical horror experience from the late 90s and early 2000s, Tormented Souls is a must.

Tormented Souls is a melancholic love letter to the fans of classic survival horrors. You need to play it if the phrases “fixed camera angles”, “tank controls” and “backtracking” give you goosebumps. [11/2021, p.32]

Tormented Souls ticks all the right boxes in regards to old school survival horror. It’s paying respect to those that came before, but unfortunately also highlights the frustrations and nonsensical plot-driving puzzles that we’d left behind. Think less critically, however, and there’s a new experience in the genre. Survival horror is still surviving.

Tormented Souls is a survival horror in the style of classic Resident Evil and Silent Hill games, that manages to have an interesting plot and good puzzles, while giving you a very fun time.

There are too many aspects of Tormented Souls to appreciate for any fan of original survival horror titles to pass up.

Tormented Souls is an excellent love letter to survival horror games of old. With that comes limited saving, dodgy voice acting and clunky combat but that doesn't detract enough from the exploration and puzzle solving to sour the experience. Fans of the genre absolutely must give this a try.

Tormented Souls knows what it wants to be during each moment of gameplay, and that’s shown in its puzzles and deadly enemies. The developers prove they are fans of the genre as the game feels like it was created to even test their skills. The lack of direction works for what they are going for, but some elements just feel like they unnecessarily pad on the game’s runtime. Still, this game is gorgeous with genuine moments of survival horror. Caroline has what it takes to become a recognizable face in this beloved genre.

An homage to classic survival horror games, sometimes clunky, sometimes terrifying. But above all, with some of the best puzzles in last years.

Tormented Souls is a great nostalgia trip taking full advantage of updated graphics and controls to bring a tense, uncomfortable trip for all willing to risk it. Worth taking the time on by both fans of the genre and newcomers wondering what all the fuss is about. Turn those lights on full, open the curtains and prepare to have nightmares.

As an indie game Tormented Souls is never going to reach Bloodborne or Resident Evil level of polish but that’s ok. Despite its lower end graphics (compared to the latest titles on current generation, and even last generation consoles) it holds up. It holds up because it plays on that nostalgia for the survival horror games of old.

A very classic survival horror, tailor-made for the most nostalgic gamers, with a creepy and well-made atmosphere, but a far too clunky gameplay.

Tormented Souls is one of the best classic survival horror released in years, that unfortunately gets frustrating because of some design choices. If you miss that sort of game, make sure you play it.

Tormented Souls is a little rough around the edges and hits a few noticeable bumps, but by and large, this is a solid survival horror game that fans of the genre's classics are sure to enjoy.

The average gamer might want to think twice before picking Tormented Souls up, as mechanically it feels outdated and often rather unwelcoming. The lousy voice acting and unconvincing character models will provide further reason for them to throw in the towel early, too. However, if you’re a fan of old-fashioned survival horrors and find yourself yearning for one that offers a modern lick of paint and a new setting, there’s a very high chance you’ll absolutely love it. It’s not as good as the classics of the genre, but developers Dual Effect and Abstract Digital have delivered something that is hot on their heels.

I found Tormented Souls to be just intriguing enough to be worth checking out if you have the time. It's a lesson in where survival-horror games have come from and what stories can still be told within the genre. With a little more modernization within the combat and cleaner visuals, this probably could have been an underground classic.

Tormented Souls tries to capture the magic of the good, old Resident Evil titles. The game delivers a genuine scary atmosphere and decent storytelling, sometimes overwhelmed by poor graphics and some technical issues.

Under its broke survival horror airs, Tormented Souls is much more solid than it looks, not least thanks to its very controlled production and atmosphere. It is with great pleasure that we walk through the corridors of a very mysterious manor, until we find ourselves faced with puzzlingly difficult puzzles, further weighed down by a map that is sorely lacking in information. The thrill of discovery then turns into a frustrating stroll, especially during a second part which requires going through most of the rooms already visited. Other flaws (animations, inventory) add to the overall weight even more, without overwhelming it. So we end up with a nice tribute to Resident Evil and Silent Hill of the time, but not especially in the face of an unmissable survival horror. To try anyway.

Is it more difficult to play than it should be? Absolutely. Did the developers make it more annoying than the 20-year-old games which inspired it? Indeed. However, it still manages to be a charming experience for fans of this content because the care the developers put in is so patently obvious via fantastic locations, a solid story, and a final boss fight that doesn’t try the player’s patience. The developers clearly wanted to bring back retro survival horror in a way that people could enjoy, and while they don’t entirely succeed, it’s good more often than it isn’t — and that’s more than I can say about the glut of Resident Evil and Silent Hill clones out there.

Quotation forthcoming.

Tormented Souls creates an environment that's a blast to explore, and the puzzles it provides help to enhance the engagement the locations provide. However, too many shortcomings get in the way of what could be a solid nod to classics horror games. A handful of bad things can be ignored, but having voice work, enemy integrity, and an underdeveloped main character are too much to overlook. There's an appeal here, but it lacks refinement.

I wish Tormented Souls had a story to match the amazing visual work. I get imparting the tale via personal journals but pairing that with characters that pretty much ignore Caroline’s direct questions and statements regarding it is just sloppy and uninspired. This could have been a game that left me with my hairs standing on end and delicious goosebumps. Instead, when Caroline’s screams persisted through the continue screen and bled into my game it ate away my desire to pick the controller back up. Not enough morphine in the world to make me want to suffer through this again.