Tormentum II

It's a positive review in advance, buuuuut... Every game from this dev has been incredible. From what I've seen in the demo, this one is on the same level. The art is gorgeous, the atmosphere is there, and the sound is on point. I'll update this review when I finish the game.

The first Tormentum is a flawed hidden gem. Decent puzzles, some kind of a story, gorgeous Geiger-inspired hand-drawn art, and lots of black metal vibes. The sequel is a double serving of the same minus the puzzles. There are puzzles but every single one is incredibly easy. So if you are getting this for some brain teasers, you've been warned. There are also a handful of binary choices in the story and multiple endings. I got a couple. Dug them! So, if you want to enjoy going around a strange world and dig on some great art, definitely give it a go. Worth the time! If puzzles are your jam, look elsewhere. As of writing this review the store page says Deck compatibility is Unknown. I can confirm it runs perfectly out of the box and I had zero issues.

I want to rate this game as [b]Neutral[/b], but unfortunately steam only allows me to do a thumbs up or down. It pains me a bit to give this a thumbs down given the many years the developer spent working on it, I don't think the game is bad at all, but it currently sits at 95% positive, which makes it seem like a masterpiece, which I do not agree with. Is this game for you? I think it really depends on what you want to get out of it. The game is very good in some aspects, and suffers in others. Good: - The art is great, you can really tell the effort that went into it. If you're not a fan of this type of art style, then it may not be for you, but I like it a lot personally. - The atmosphere/setting is great also. I love games that lets you explore strange new worlds, bonus points if it's dark and grim. This game delivers on that 100%. Okay: - The music is okay. It fits with the atmosphere for the most part, but it's also nothing special. I can't really remember any soundtrack from the game after finishing it, nothing really stood out. - The story itself is a bit weird. I am not sure I understand it fully. Not really a fan of how "convenient" everything feels. Instead of you exploring and doing stuff in the simulation, it's as if the simulation is just carefully guiding you to always go in the right direction, if that makes sense. Every item you need is just conveniently placed in a nearby room for no logical reason. On the plus side, I like that there are multiple endings and the choices make more sense than the first game. Bad: - The main character just doesn't shut up. Seriously, he doesn't have to comment every single thing that happens, I can see it with my own eyes. Show, don't tell! This became especially painful when replaying the game to get a different ending. Most time is just spent spamming the mouse button to skip dialogue. The game also likes to immediately have the main character tell you what needs to be done. The game is fairly easy, we don't need this. Something that could actually use more dialogue is when using an item incorrectly, because right now it's just a random generic response like "This won't work". My suggestion for future games is to reduce the total amount of dialogue, and put a large amount of the remaining dialogue as a response when the player clicks on something or uses an item incorrectly. - The gameplay itself is just not very good for a point and click game. Most of the gameplay feels like entering a new room, seeing a strangely shaped hole, going to the next room, finding an item with the same strange shape, placing the item in the hole, and unlocking a new room or item, and so on. There are of course a few exceptions. Given that most of the game takes place in a simulation, ordinary logic doesn't have to apply, which means that the puzzle design can be kind of lazy. I think a good puzzle involves having the player feeling smart for coming up with a logical way to progress. Having the player find the a hole that matches the shape of an item doesn't do that. The game also features plenty of "mini-games" (not sure what to call these), and they're fine, but very easy. - Personal preference of course, but I think the game is a bit too easy. It took me 5 hours to beat the game the first time, and 2.25 hours to beat the second time (spamming clicking past all dialogue and knowing exactly what to do). This means the majority of the 5 hours I spent was just reading dialogue, and not figuring out how to progress. So to summarize, I feel like this is primarily an artistic project and secondarily a game. I don't think the point and click gameplay works that well with the art and setting of the game. On the other hand, I don't really know what kind of gameplay could work better. The story is not strong enough as it is now for a visual novel type game. Perhaps a more non-linear and exploration focused point and click gameplay could work better? Should you buy this game? If you primarily want to experience a world inspired by HR Giger and Beksinski with some story and puzzle elements, then yes. If you primarly want a good and maybe challenging point-and-click puzzle game, then no.

Loved it! Tormentum is one of my favorite games and the long wait for the second game was definitely worth it. c: I'm usually not an achievement hunter but I'm planning to get them all, hehe. The game is also surprisingly long, especially since there are also multiple endings that you can get. I'm personally not a big fan of multiple endings but I'll make an exception when it comes to Tormentum, lol. The soundtrack is also great (the German metal song got me by surprise, hehe) and overall the game just looks gorgeous. ^_^

As a big fan of the first game, I kept hearing about a sequel and finally it has arrived and I really enjoyed it. The art and story style continue the excellence from the first and I enjoy the point & click gameplay. Very Excellent. Recommend.

Tormentum II is a stunning point-and-click psychological horror. Trapped in a rogue simulation of your own making, the Giger-inspired hand-drawn art is breathtaking. A dark, 10/10 masterpiece!

Une énorme déception après 8 ans d'attente... J'adore le premier Tormentum, je l'ai fait et refait un nombre incalculable de fois (je l'ai même refait juste avant de lancer cette suite). Mais là, je n'accroche pas du tout. Le gros problème ? Le jeu est devenu un roman à lire. Ça parle, ça parle, ça parle tout le temps, c'est extrêmement chiant. Là où le 1er était génial avec un côté minimaliste — très peu de dialogues, mais tout était clair et compréhensible —, ici c'est un mur de texte permanent au point qu'on a juste envie de tout skipper. Et le pire, c'est qu'avec le système de choix moraux et de fins multiples comme dans le premier, se dire qu'il faut se retape de tels pavés à chaque partie... non merci, la flemme. C'est vraiment dommage, ça faisait 8 ans que je l'attendais. La seule chose irréprochable, c'est la direction artistique : c'est toujours aussi sublime et magnifiquement sombre. Mais pour le reste, le plaisir de jeu n'est pas là.

It's pretty dark. And that's ok. I like where the darkness took me to a point. It's good game play. And I love the artwork.