The horror genre has seen a boom in retro-inspired titles, with various indie survival-horror games having burst onto the scene over the past few years. The original Tormented Souls is among the best of these titles, mixing aspects of the original Resident Evil and Silent Hill games to satisfying effect. Tormented Souls 2, a direct sequel to the original, was announced in August 2023. While the past year has seen very few updates from the developer Dual Effect Games, last week saw the release of an extended gameplay trailer, giving fans their first true taste of the upcoming title. If this gameplay is anything to go by, fans can expect big things from Tormented Souls 2.
The original Tormented Souls follows Caroline Walker, who ventures to the Wildberger Hospital in search of missing twins, Anna and Emma. Set in 1994, the game begins with Caroline receiving a mysterious photograph of the twins in the mail, leading her to investigate. She is ambushed soon after her arrival, waking to discover her right eye missing. During her investigation, Caroline discovers VHS tapes, which allow her to venture into the past and meet one of the missing twins, Anna. However, that is just the tip of the iceberg, as Tormented Souls’ story unearths a variety of strange and shocking truths. Chief among these is the reveal that Caroline is the other missing twin, Emma, and that her grandfather sought to sacrifice the twins to resurrect an ancient monster. The game’s canon ending sees Caroline escape with a younger version of Anna in the present, leading to the events of Tormented Souls 2.
7 Beginner Tips For Tormented Souls
Tormented Souls is a trip down nostalgia lane for lovers of old-school survival horror. Here are a few things to know before starting.
Tormented Souls 2 Aims to Build on the Original's Best Elements
While the original Tormented Souls delivered much of the charm and challenge of a classic fixed-camera survival horror title, its sequel aims to refine and embolden the experience. Tormented Souls 2 is a direct sequel to the original, catching up with Caroline and Anna six months after their escape. When Anna falls ill, Caroline sets out to find a supernatural remedy. This search brings her to Puerto Miller, a remote Southern American town founded by an ancient tribe. However, she soon unearths a host of otherworldly horrors, leading to a harrowing fight for survival.
Tormented Souls 2 is set to build on Tormented Souls' best elements, delivering puzzle-based gameplay, retro-survival horror, and fixed camera angles. If the title’s recent gameplay reveal is anything to go by, puzzles will be much more complex than in Tormented Souls. Likewise, enemy appearances are getting a subtle change. The original title always telegraphed its enemies through a highly noticeable change in music, leaving some fans disappointed by the lack of surprise. Tormented Souls 2 appears to change both the distance and nature of this musical cue, making it more seamless with other ambiance and increasing the overall surprise factor of enemy engagement. Lastly, visuals are receiving a big upgrade, as the sequel swaps Unity for Unreal Engine 5.
Tormented Souls 2 Will Offer a Much Larger Experience
Tormented Souls 2 sees Caroline once again searching for her sister Anna, who was seemingly abducted while in Puerto Miller. However, the sequel sees Caroline tasked with searching a much larger area, with the original’s Wildberger Hospital replaced with an entire town. Along the way, she will encounter a variety of horrifying new enemies. To combat them, Tormented Souls 2 will once again allow fans to craft makeshift weapons, making resource management not only a means of recovering from enemy encounters, but a requirement for surviving them outright.
Tormented Souls 2 is set to deliver a far more extensive experience than the original Tormented Souls. Materials released by Dual Effect Games and publisher PQube reveal that the title will be three times longer than the original, offering fans a bolder and more complex retro-horror adventure. While the title’s gameplay reveal offered plenty for fans to look forward to, it's clear that Dual Effect is still putting the finishing touches on its visuals and mechanics. However, fans of the series can look forward to playing the finished product soon, as its gameplay reveal was accompanied by a confirmation that the next entry in the Tormented Souls series will be released in 2025.
Tormented Souls
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 74 /100 Critics Rec: 58%
- Released
- August 27, 2021
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mild Language, Partial Nudity
- Developer(s)
- Dual Effect Games
- Publisher(s)
- PQube
- Engine
- Unity
WHERE TO PLAY
Something Evil Lurks at Winterlake
While investigating the disappearance of twin girls at Winterlake, something terrible happens to Caroline Walker. Waking in the dead of night, naked and hooked up to some kind of outdated medical equipment in a bathtub, Caroline must fight for her life as she explores the halls of the abandoned mansion.
A Nod to the Classics
Tormented Souls draws inspiration from classic survival horror like From Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Alone in the Dark. A modern take on the fixed-perspective action-adventure game, Tormented Souls offers a modernised control scheme and dynamic camera combined with classic gameplay.
Deadly Combat
Dark forces and unspeakable horrors will do everything in their power to stop Caroline getting to the truth. Use anything and everything that you can find to fight back against evils lurking in the darkness.
Keep Your Wits About You
You'll need much more than a steady aim and sharp reflexes to make it out alive. Search the environment for anything you can use to your advantage. Combine items to solve twisted puzzles and use every resource available to explore the secrets of the mansion and its grounds.
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- Horror
- How Long To Beat
- 9 Hours
