Tormentum II Review

Have you ever had a dream that felt real, but wasn’t? I’m not talking about the figurative ones, like the American or British dream. I mean a literal dream where you closed your eyes, lived through weeks of another life, then woke up wondering what you were still doing in bed. If you have, you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, Tormentum II will let you experience what it’s like. Weird, grotesque, and mind-boggling, the game isn’t for everyone. But fans of the strange and anyone who likes a good brain teaser will be hard pressed to find a better title. 

Like any good psychological horror game, Tormentum II starts off almost normally. You play as David, a hacker in the not-so-distant dystopian future. Your first task is to get your in-game computer running, which involves finding a few items that are scattered in your apartment. You point and click your way around the flat, solve a handful of straightforward puzzles, and chat with a few unsettling characters. Doing so isn’t overly difficult, nor is it too easy. Instead, the game’s introduction lets you get a feel for how everything works.

That normalcy doesn’t last long. David almost dies about 30 minutes into Tormentum II’s runtime. When you wake up after the near-death experience, you’re back in your apartment. There’s weird goo everywhere, though, and a girl who looks like a Dark Souls extra chilling in the hallway. Your job quickly becomes figuring out how to get back to the cyberpunk future while trying to determine what’s real and what isn’t. That’s easier said than done, though.

Over the course of roughly five hours, you have to navigate a surreal world filled with everything from flesh-eating monsters to attractive women wearing clothes from The Odyssey. There are puzzles to solve, choices to make, and a nagging sense that something just isn’t right to contend with. All of that creates a unique experience that feels sublime. The writing, gameplay, and graphics here are all exquisite.

Tormentum II isn’t carried by a single standout feature. The game excels across the board. Take the title’s puzzles, for example. They’re almost always cryptic, and the game rarely offers you any hints. You don’t have to rely on Google to help you solve them, though, because most are clever twists on familiar ideas rather than entirely new concepts. Assuming you're familiar with the genre, you'll usually be able to piece together how the items in your inventory interact with the environment. It’s still satisfying to do that, though, because the result is consistently rewarding.

‍Tormentum II’s writing falls into the same category. The game’s themes have been done to death. That doesn’t mean they’re not important, though, or well done in this case. The characters, and the lines of dialogue they deliver, feel surprisingly believable despite the bizarre world around them. It’s easy to become emotionally invested in them, and incredibly difficult whenever you have to determine one of their fates.

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‍Tormentum II's only real stumbling block is one that's entirely intentional: its grotesque visuals and oppressive atmosphere won't be to everyone's taste. The overall experience exists in that same uncanny space as the real-world sections of The Matrix. If you’re a fan of that, or Lovecraftian monsters, you’ll absolutely love what’s on offer here. If you aren’t, though, Tormentum II may be a tough sell.

If judged by its own merits, Tormentum II isn’t just good. It’s easily one of the best puzzlers within its niche market. The game constantly makes you think, whether that’s through puzzles or its story. The soundtrack complements the experience beautifully, and you’ll never stop questioning what’s real. The catch is that you have to embrace the same mindset you do after waking up from a dream that feels real. If you are, though, you'll be rewarded with one of those rare games that stays with you long after the credits roll — and long after you've returned to reality.