Tormented Souls 2 Review: A More Fun And Improved Sequel

Tormented Souls 2 creators, Dual Effect, is a newly founded studio based in Chile, with the sole purpose of preserving the essence and mechanics of the old school retro era.

It is really great to see that people still care about preserving and using traditional mechanics in their games because they can never go out of fashion, and they are always enjoyable if executed correctly.

TL;DR

Tormented Souls 2 manages to deliver the same quality as the first one, only with more additions in the gameplay section, like more weapons and areas to explore. Unfortunately, it also brings some of the same mistakes caused by inexperience, such as pacing and resource management. My main complaint is that the story fails to deliver the mystery and intrigue of Tormented Souls 1, but it makes up for it with the world that they built.

Campaign – Confusing And Bland

After the events of Tormented Souls 1, Caroline Walker and her sister visit Villa Hess to find a refuge. Instead, her little sister falls victim to a twisted cult that needs her to be part of some weird ceremony. So once again, Caroline does whatever she has to do, such as confronting familiar terrors and creatures to save her little sister.

From the start of the campaign, you can easily understand that a sequel was not considered at the time, as Tormented Souls 2 is not built considering any of the endings of the previous game. Nonetheless, this is not the only flaw. The campaign seemed rushed and messy.

Tormented Souls 2 features two endings as well. The most common one is the bad ending, as the good ending requires one last hidden puzzle before the final boss to happen. This creates the same problem again, because if they develop a third game, which is teased inside Tormented Souls 2, they will again have to make one ending canon.

The plot of the game is very weak. It feels like a downgraded copy of the original game. From the poor introduction of the new characters to the “hundreds” of documents you need to read to try to understand what is happening, all of those create a bad flow, which is noticeable in Tormented Souls 2.

The characters that you meet in the game are numbered, so someone would think that they are designed and studied well, but that is not the case in Tormented Souls 2. Unfortunately, the characters are like soap opera actors, with almost no introduction, no reason to be in the story, and with the cheesiest lines. They are so bad that after a while, you look at it like a joke, so you cannot be mad at it.

Environments And Puzzles – Vast And Varied

Let’s move on and talk about the golden ticket of Tormented Souls 2, the world they built. Here is where you can see the improvement from the first title. The game is split into four big areas with smaller ones in between.

The world feels alive because of how interactive it is. Caroline interacts with the majority of objects, giving you her personal thoughts and information about the object you focused on, making it more interesting to explore your surroundings.

Each area is vastly different from the next. From the enemies to the colors and the tone, you feel different in each area and eager to explore every new door and hallway you come across. That, combined with the puzzles that are in the game, makes a great fusion that feels a lot like a Silent Hill or Resident Evil game.

Tormented Souls 2 would not be a good traditional survival horror without its challenging puzzles. Each area of the game is a big puzzle itself, with the primary goal being to escape from it by solving smaller puzzles that progress you through the area and the story.

The puzzles themselves unravel the plot more naturally, as you must explore the surrounding area to solve them. I personally enjoyed exploring and interacting with the areas more than watching cutscenes that were not as well-worked on as I expected.

As for the difficulty of the puzzles themselves, I am conflicted. Some of the puzzles were very interesting, well-thought-out, and required the player’s attention. But some other ones felt too gimmicky or too easy, with their sole purpose to make the game’s duration longer. Overall, I had a pleasant experience when it came to exploring, and none of the above left a negative effect at the end.

Gameplay – An Upgrade Over The Original

When it comes to gameplay, Tormented Souls 2 makes the first game look like a demo. Every aspect of the gameplay section surpasses the first game and feels like an evolution. It does not reinvent the wheel for sure, but it is very addictive for the player, as the ammunition is very limited and the only way to save ammo is to think creatively. Line enemies to spend fewer bullets, avoid them if you can, and prepare for the boss fights because they are brutal.

Extensive Arsenal

Caroline does not mess around this time. During the campaign of Tormented Souls 2, the player acquires more than 8 weapons in his possession, and believe me, you will need each one of them if you are thinking about finishing the game.

My favourite weapons to use were the hand cannon, a weapon you can only find by solving an optional riddle in the cemetery section, and the crossbow, made from a bicycle, that shoots toxic darts that incapacitate enemies.

Every weapon has its use in Tormented Souls 2. Every enemy type has a weakness against one of the weapons the player possesses, so it’s best to make sure you know which gun to use to reserve as much ammunition as possible, because it does not come easily either.

One complaint I have is that the melee weapons are a bit flawed. Although they are primarily used for breaking boxes or obstacles, they are also of great use when an enemy is stunned, but the dodge mechanic of the game feels a bit laggy, making it hard to hit and dodge, so prepare to use a lot of healing items.

Additionally, if you are patient enough to do side quests, then you will have the opportunity to upgrade your guns. Scattered throughout the game are extra puzzles, waiting to be solved, that offer attachments that you can install in your weaponry.

Clever Bossfights

Tormented Souls 2 has some simple but smart boss fights. Each boss is designed with a weakness. During the fight inside the arena, the player’s goal is to find that weak spot or gimmick and take advantage of it to beat it.

Although I personally think there are not enough boss fights, the ones that exist are varied and challenging, as it took me multiple runs to figure them out. Especially, Iron Maiden, the first boss you encounter in the game, has a very clever gimmick that requires both agility and swiftness.

Audio And Visuals – What You Would Expect From An Indie Title

The visuals of Tormented Souls 2 are not anything fancy, but what really creates an atmosphere is the lighting. In some areas of the game, I felt really creeped out when there were no lights whatsoever, and I was only counting on my lighter.

Without the ability to attack, as the game does not allow it when there is no light, Tormented Souls 2 can become a scary experience. The studio knows how to make its game look impressive at times, even without using the highest of textures.

As for the audio of the game, I would not say I am impressed. Sound effects are limited, and enemy sounds are repetitive as well. The sound of the guns is also very similar between them, and after a while, they all kind of blend in the player’s ear.

The soundtrack of Tormented Souls 2 lies at the same fate as the audio. Unfortunately, it is very bland and uninspiring, like the sound an empty hallway makes, which is a shame because other games of this genre in this sector are really trying to leave a mark.

Conclusion – Should You Try Tormented Souls 2?

Tormented Souls 2 may be longer and richer in some sectors than the previous chapter, but it does not feel like a sequel at heart. The plot of the game is basic, the characters are not developed correctly, and the whole setting feels recycled. As a survival horror entry in the game pool, it is another good game with amazing environments and puzzles, designed to hook players with the gameplay and the whole atmosphere.

I personally enjoyed my time in Tormented Souls 2. I will admit I was frustrated with the game’s difficulty at times and thought it was unfair. Still, I ended up having an unforgettable experience, wanting to continue and reach the end. So, if you are a fan of the genre, I seriously recommend it.

Big thanks to Enarxis for sponsoring our review!