| Tormented Souls | |
| Developer: | Dual Effect |
| Publisher: | PQube |
| Platforms: | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S |
| Released: | PlayStation 5, Windows 27 August 2021[1] Xbox Series X/S 7 September 2021[2] PlayStation 4, Xbox One 25 February 2022[3] Nintendo Switch 14 April 2022[4] |
| Genre: | Survival horror |
| Modes: | Single-player |
Tormented Souls is a 2021 survival horror video game developed by Dual Effect and published by PQube for the PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Windows. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions were cancelled in February 2021 but were eventually released in February 2022.[5] [6] A sequel, Tormented Souls 2, is set to be released in 2024.[7]
Tormented Souls is a third-person survival horror game in the style of the original Resident Evil with fixed camera angles and optional tank controls. The player explores an abandoned hospital and can interact with the environment and certain NPCs, solve puzzles, and use improvised weapons to combat monsters that inhabit the hospital.
The story begins in December 1994 with Caroline Walker, a Canadian woman, receiving a photograph in the mail of two twin girls, Anna and Emma, that prompts her to find out what is happening with them.[8] She tracks them down to the abandoned Wildberger Hospital in order to find answers, but is ambushed and knocked unconscious upon arrival. When she awakens, she discovers that her right eye has been surgically removed. With the aid of a priest, Caroline explores the hospital to discover who the twins are. During her investigation, she finds strange VHS tapes that allow her to travel into the past. In the past, she encounters Anna, who explains that she has been imprisoned by her grandfather.
Eventually, Caroline discovers her own childhood bedroom and remembers that she is Emma, rendered amnesiac fourteen years prior while escaping from the hospital, and vows to rescue Anna. In order to bypass a door that requires the biometrics of twins to open, she travels to the past to take her eye from her past self. On the other side of the door, Caroline confronts the priest, revealed to be her maternal grandfather Noah and the man responsible for events at the hospital. Noah has been attempting to sacrifice twins in order to resurrect a monstrous "savior"; he attempted to do the same to Anna and Emma in childhood, but their mother stopped him and escaped with Emma. Caroline also discovers that in the present day, Anna has been mutated into a horrific monster. Caroline pursues Noah to the "savior"'s chamber, where he offers his own blood up to resurrect it. Caroline kills the "savior" in combat.
The game's ending depends on Caroline's final interaction with the present Anna. If she ignores Anna, Anna ambushes her as she departs the hospital. If she discovers an antidote for Anna's mutation and mercy kills her, Caroline grieves her family before leaving. Alternately, Caroline can travel back to the past one last time and rescue the past Anna from her captivity. Caroline swears to explain everything to Anna one day and adopts her.
Tormented Souls received generally average reviews according to Metacritic for the PlayStation 5 version. PC Invasion said the game can be highly frustrating but is overall an enjoyable experience. IGN liked the atmosphere but called the gameplay clunky. Nintendo Life called it a second-rate survival horror game on the Switch. GamingBolt noted the game as "a solid survival horror game that fans of the genre's classics are sure to enjoy." Hardcore Gaming 101 called it an impressive achievement for an indie game.[9]