Video Game Review - Tormented Souls

Rob reviews Tormented Souls on Xbox Series X...

 

Survival horrors have been on the gaming spectrum for quite a few years now. Whilst Capcom and Konami reign supreme with both Resident Evil and Silent Hill, many have attempted to take the top spot. The latest challengers are co- developers Duel Effect and Abstract Digital with their offering - Tormented Souls.

Much like other titles, the story of Tormented Souls starts under mysterious circumstances. Our protagonist, Caroline Walker is sent a letter that contains a photo of two twin girls and a cryptic message scrawled on the back. Clueless about what it means Caroline heads off to the secluded town of Winterlake. Arriving at the town's hospital - a converted mansion home - Caroline is soon knocked out by an unseen presence. The game begins as Caroline awakens naked within a bathtub with one of her eyes seemingly being amputated. It's from here that you'll assume control and head off into the dark, horror-filled halls and rooms. 

If anything Tormented Souls is very much like the original Resident Evil. It's full of cheesy dialogue and clichéd characters. Caroline Walker is on the surface a somewhat Jill Valentine/Aya Brea-like character just without the depth and charm. While the game does have a satisfying conclusion, Caroline's character isn't explored much further than to advance the here and now. What we do see of Caroline's personality is that while she's quite intelligent, she's also fairly arrogant and very easily manipulated. These things would normally make up quite an interesting protagonist, yet here these qualities run skin deep. 

Anyway, much like Silent Hill and Resident Evil, Tormented Souls features plenty of mind-bending puzzles to solve. These vary from scouring the dark hallways for items, to your classic "press everything until it's correct". Puzzles can be frustrating as you'll often run around previous rooms in the hope that you've missed something that'll let you continue further. Where some survival horrors give you some hand-holding, Tormented Souls doesn't offer any help. There's plenty of clues within the environment that'll help point you in the right direction or divulge the plot. But it's up to you to find them. And even once found you'll then have to work out what's important and what's not. You're never really given any clues. Where Resident Evil would steer you with bold font or out of place items, there's nothing like that here. Tormented Souls isn't a game that you can switch off from when you play - which is both a blessing and a curse. 

Away from the puzzles, Tormented Souls also has its fair share of enemies. These enemies are tough as (pardon the pun) nails, and take a lot of effort to defeat. Thankfully to aid in this Caroline has access to a nail gun - and later a shotgun. In true horror, fashion ammo is in very short supply and you'll often have to evade the enemies rather than fight them. If you do choose to fight, combat plays out akin to Resident Evil. You'll be rooted to the spot and will have to choose your shots wisely. The game does afford you an auto-aim, yet it'll take roughly 10 nails to defeat even the simplest enemy. To make it worse, some enemies can take out Caroline within one hit, which can see you crashing back to an earlier save - after visiting the main menu to load back in! 

What separates Tormented Souls from most of its competitors is that there's no auto-save feature. Saving the game requires the use of audio tape, which in itself is something you have to find - and comes in a finite supply. Having the game play this way is actually pretty great. With not having the cushion of a checkpoint behind you it really makes each confrontation really tense. It also means that you'll have to really slow down your pace and not rush into anything. 

With the slower pace you'll have plenty of times to admire the games many gorgeous visuals. The atmosphere building is fantastic and each location is packed with small details that builds the world around you. There's plenty of brilliant uses of light and shadow that gives an almost surrealism to the landscapes. The games also played with a static camera that gives off a claustrophobic feeling - much like the original Resident Evil titles. This means your never fully aware of what could be in front of you and also shows that the mechanic still works in modern times. Soundtrack is also great, and works with the visuals to really build the dread. 

Overall, Tormented Souls is a great slice of survival horror. Throughout you get a real impression that the developers have taken the best of the genre and added a spin to it. The game isn't a cake walk, but it's never made out to be. While some elements are a little unfair - such as the map system - and some puzzles - Tormented Souls rewards your tenacity with some classic survival horrors gameplay. With just a little more polish, and more character depth Tormented Souls would of been perfect, but even without its still a worthy addition to anyone's library. 

Rating: 8/10

Tormented Souls is available now and can be purchased via the Microsoft Store by clicking here.

A code was kindly provided for this review

Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev