Torment: Tides of Numenera

Torment: Tides of Numenera — a spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment. Because the developers didn’t have the license, the setting was changed, but the core philosophy remained: combat is secondary, while dialogue, choices and consequences are the real heart of the game. Just like its predecessor, the gameplay focuses much more on diplomacy, decision-making and exploring the protagonist’s identity than on fighting. The narrative is genuinely interesting, companions are well written, and the main character concept works very well. The early portion of the game especially shines — the atmosphere is fantastic and the primary antagonist creates real tension and mystery. Unfortunately, about halfway through the game it feels as if development was rushed. The structure becomes repetitive, the story loses some of its intrigue, and encounters with the antagonists feel less like meaningful confrontations and more like recurring annoyances. The ending in particular feels abrupt and leaves many unanswered questions — almost like reading a novel that suddenly skips a few chapters near the conclusion. Despite its flaws, it’s still worth playing, especially for players who value narrative RPGs. However, it’s definitely a title better picked up on sale rather than at full price. + strong narrative focus and meaningful choices + excellent atmosphere in the first half + well-written companions and protagonist + combat is optional and mechanically solid − pacing issues in the later chapters − story loses momentum halfway through − underwhelming and abrupt ending − not worth full price

literally just planescape torment but dumber and worse. there's spiritual sequels, and then there's this.

If you enjoyed the original Planescape, then you will like this one also. Sure it is abit different, but the plot is pretty good for a video game. A solid B I would grade it. Considering most games that claim their game is story rich, this one actually means it. The environments you travel to and thru are decent and varied. I am going give this a 2nd play through soon to see the other characters and find the things I missed this time. Its not a real long game, maybe 40 to 60 hours unless like me you stop to read everything. Some choices do have consequences end game so make your choices carefully.

It's not terrible, but I didn't bother to finish it. I'm an avid reader, but even I got sick of the walls of text. After a while I was just skimming them to find out what they wanted me to do, and then go do it. The battle system is decent, and it's good they're trying something new. But overall, it was a lot of "are you done talking and re-explaining my job, so I can do it?" feeling when talking to NPCs. Frankly, I couldn't even guess at the plot (apart from "Hero Saves Day"), and I got as far as the final act.

Tides of Numenera is primarily of interest to freaks like me who enjoy experiencing everything the cRPG genre has to offer. In this respect, it is on the good end of the scale, but nothing exceptional. The ways it tries to emulate Planescape Torment are annoying and cause the game to handicap its potential in ways that are heartbreaking to witness. Two examples out of many I can point out are Aadiriis and Sagus Cliffs. These are respectively mirrors to Ravel and Sigil. And while Sagus manages to come off quite well in this comparison, Aadiriis does not. She is a far less charismatic and engaging character. It might seem unfair to compare Torment to Torment. But in addition to taking on the name itself, the game also constantly calls attention to it, from similarities in plot to constant irritating references found throughout. Bronze spheres and Adahn namedrops are found throughout the game. In fact, I bet the game would be much more enjoyable to someone who hasn't played Planescape simply because they wouldn't spot all the references. The game willingly takes on the challenge of being a spiritual successor and falls short in this regard. The antagonists aren't as interesting. The player-character is created in a way that mirrors The Nameless One from Planescape, but in a way that makes it completely uninteresting to play as them. And lastly, the game isn't as funny or cohesive as Planescape. A minor point, I know, but everything counts. It is at least a lot less gross than Planescape. The reason I still recommend the game is that when it isn't trying to be Planescape, it's great. Fantastic most of the time. The game is wonderful when it focuses on this new world of Numenera. The setting is wondrous, with an almost infinite amount of strange things to uncover. You walk into a portal and suddenly find yourself in the middle of a battlefield where every person on every side is you. You find a blob creature of psychic matter that can manifest into the real world through your skull. A machine is using probability to turn a group of women into copies of its maker's dead daughter. This and so, so, so much more can be found in Numenera. The way the game engages with themes of agency and identity is mostly mediocre. But when the game gives me a box and lets me experience another person's life, and then promises that I get to do it again, I love it. I do. This theme of yearning to be different people, to experience different lives, to wear others' skin and watch wonders through their eyes, rings true to me. How wonderful it is to find a game that empathizes with me and my daydreaming. Unfortunately, the game is this good only a couple of times. The mechanics are essentially meaningless and superfluous, but that is doubly true for the other Torment. So that is at least consistent. The combat encounters found in this game are, for the most part, bland, and the crisis mechanic, where you talk and perform skill checks mid-combat, is underutilized. In short, this game is good, but not as good as what it compares itself to.

Complete, unbelievable borefest! Since I can only play late or at night, probably half of the hours I have in this "game" I spent sleeping. Like title suggest, this disgrace of a game will torment you mentally and physically and I can only imagine how many brain cells I lost trying to slog through this thing to the end. Countless nightmares and neck pain from all those nights sleeping on my keyboard. Be warned!

Before you're getting into this game, note that is nothing like the Planescape: Torment. This is a story-focussed game with a lot of reading and not a lot of combat. Almost all combat can be avoided through conversation checks. That being said, I do recommend the game to people who don't shy away from reading. The world, its atmosphere, and its characters are very creative, interesting, and beg to be explored!

I don't know what my brother was thinking -- A lad from a prominent house, out alone after dark in times like these... Well, I suppose you were too, but you're a stronger here, and didn't know how bad things have become. He had no such excuse. But he's family, so what can you do? If you don't protect your kin, then people will start thinking that you can't protect your investments either, and I can't have that... No doubt the gang will soon send word about a ransom, but I don't care to pay it.