Tormenture Review (PC) – Ambitious but Polarizing

The effects of video games on humans have been blown out of proportion several times. That is one of the many reasons people defenestrate real-world issues and call for a ban on video games. As someone who loves video games, I always know that I side with games, for gamers: end of story.

However, when you enter the world of Tormenture, you are a kid sitting in front of their curvy CRT telly with a home console and a rented video game cassette. You will feel something wrong while you crack away at your 8-bit video game but won’t figure it out. Neither did I.

That is because you didn’t notice that your character isn’t meant to be playing the titular title in the game’s world. It is supposed to uncover secrets. However, should you sign up for something that sounds as unsettling as that? Should you give the game a try? Is the creative idea behind Tormenture backed up with a solid execution by Croxel Studios? And most importantly, is it worth your precious time?

Tormenture releases on October 21 on Steam.

Finding Your Objective in Tormenture Is as Tough as a Soulslike No-Hit Run

When I booted up Tormenture, I was lost. Essentially, the game has two elements. Firstly, you will be put into the shoes of a kid who is playing the titular video game on his home console while sitting in his room. Now, as soon as you boot up your home console, the second element blends in seamlessly, making you feel like are playing on the console in the real world.

Saying that I had no clue what was going on would be a massive understatement. That is why I prefer to call Tormenture a ‘meta-game’. Despite the term ‘meta-game’ exciting you, all of it comes crashing down soon.

The game refuses to even recognize you as someone trying to make any progress, whatsoever. It won’t give you the basic controls of its retro video game element. You will either figure them out on your own or find a medium that lists out the controls. Either way, will feel that you are at a dead end.

At the time of writing this review, I have played Tormenture for 6 hours straight and I still don’t know the first thing about it. The game is either, built for an incredible niche audience consisting of high-performing individuals with tremendous patience, or the game screams poor design. Go figure!

I Was (And Am) Frustrated With Tormenture as It Only Does a Couple of Things Right

Make no mistake, it annoyed me that the game tries too hard to be an enigma but just comes across as a mess. You don’t randomly discover a secret or get your interest piqued by a detail. Instead, you are too busy figuring out whatever the heck is going on.

To give the game developers credit, there is some incredible detail being put into the game’s room. When you boot up the retro video game present in your room, the sound design is unsettling. Enough to send a chill down your spine. You know that you are not supposed to be here.

Unfortunately, that is where all of my appreciation for the game ends. After my six hours, I would not want to boot it up for another second. Solely because I have run out of patience and the game feels like a fever dream.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there might still be an audience for the game. But I can’t like something I don’t understand. The entire game seems unfinished. It isn’t clear what the game wants from you and it makes no effort to ensure that you continue playing it. There’s no hook and appeal to it.

Is Tormenture Good?

While I was torn initially, after my experience with the title. I cannot like something I cannot understand and I cannot recommend something I do not like. Pass on this one unless I cannot see anyone other than a very small set of people with either the patience of a monk or the deductive skills of Sherlock Holmes.

For me, it is a poorly designed video game. Now, I would be more than happy to be proven wrong because when I first looked at the game I genuinely wanted to love it. But currently, I don’t see a reason why you should bother with it.

If you are a horror video game enthusiast, which video game are you playing currently? And what is your pick for the best Indie Horror video game? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!