ive been playing tormented souls. i got it as a gift and i definitely would gave lost interest if not for playing through it with my brother.
I'm a big fan of the puzzle/survival horror genre, so i have a lot of mixed feelings about this game!
The game looks quite appealing and the art direction of the environments are pleasant enough (especially the main hall!). I will note that while some of the static lighting looks really excellent, the real time shadows were extremely sharp which is noticeable as much of the game is spent illuminated by weaker light sources. i found that the character design (pictured above) was distracting and cluttered. The philosophy seemed to be to attach lots of interesting articles to the character to make her more identifiable (the red bows and double belts/satchels).
The game is obviously very inspired by the Silent Hill franchise (specifically 2), especially in the puzzle system. I will say that the density of puzzles in the game is significantly higher; I partly liked this because it gave the sense of overwhelming challenge when you first entered a new location, and partly disliked because the puzzles were noticeably simpler (likely due to the fact that there were so many!). the game introduces lots of mini-puzzles which need a specific cypher and key to solve which you don't acquire until mid-way, so i appreciated returning to locations in search of puzzles you've noted before but can finally solve-- super satisfying! However, i found the solutions of most of these puzzles to be very predictable, uninspired, and, alongside many of the locations visited, too derivative of its inspirations, chiefly SH2.
A positive note on the puzzles: i really liked how some of the solutions required you to interact with the world in a form other than a menu. For example, there is a certain segment in the game where you perform this esoteric ritual on a corpse which requires you to follow the procedures of in-game cultists in the physical game world, this was a super novel idea and well executed too! Unfortunately, The combat feels unbalanced and sacrificing rare health and and ammunition to defeat monsters only to uncover a lore entry doesn't spark joy, especially as most of the entries i find to be too bluntly written to be frightening or intriguing. I mean, the game is well made, especially for a lower budget title, and of course, the best parts of this game are when they follow through on the more novel of ideas (like physical interaction with puzzles) instead of retreading tired, overdone ones! Ultimately, it feels like this game is more held back by its influences than anything. i'm interested to see how the sequel they recently announced will turn out.
