Tormented Souls (2021)

A modern survival horror made by people who not only know what survival horror is but understand it as well.

If you have played survival horror before than you’ll have a good idea of what’s in store with Tormented Souls. The gameplay is a mix of exploration, puzzles and combat with tank like controls, fixed camera angles, back tracking and limited resources. It does a pretty good job with movement and exploration. You’ll find yourself steadily unlocking your way further into the atmospheric mansion/hospital and learning the layout. But there are a couple of drawbacks. I didn’t like the map at all and did not find it good to use. There are also times when there is too much to keep track of, especially if you take breaks during your playthrough. Puzzles are mostly very good but at times they can be too obtuse and there is probably a few too many of them. Combat is solid and I liked the weapons but there is room for improvement here. There is just the right amount of resources to keep you playing carefully and considering your saves but inventory management wasn’t really here. Darkness is used very well as you need your lighter equipped to see in some places but then can’t have a weapon out. It’s a cool, well executed idea that is right at home in survival horror. The gameplay experience is absolutely more positive than negative and survival horror fans are in for a good time.

Visually this game is outstanding for a lower budget title. The environments and lighting is fantastic and the fixed but often tracking camera frames it all beautifully. The objects and menus are well done too, excluding the map. Sadly the characters and enemies are not on the same level. There is something off about them both technically and in style. It’s almost like they are from a slightly different game. They lack expression and personality too. It’s not really that much of an issue though and Tormented Souls still superbly delivers unsettling atmosphere, gore and body horror. The music and sound design is really damn good too. The only issue there is they didn’t know when to use restraint and have silence.

The story, lore and characters are not that great. It’s fine but forgettable and predictable. There wasn’t any hook or interesting background that pulled me in. It’s like a bunch of different horror ideas somewhat poorly put together. The dialogue isn’t written well and is poorly voice acted. And it’s not in that cheesy, camp and/or charming way you might expect from an older horror game. It is just subpar. It is certainly no disaster or deal breaker though and I still found some enjoyment in it.

The biggest issue I had with Tormented Souls was that I only did one play through. I planned on doing more and there are trophies that encourage you to. However once I finished it I wasn’t in the mood to do it again. I know this might sound vague or bit unhelpful but something put me off playing again. Maybe it’s the flow or pacing. Maybe it is a bit too long with a few too many puzzles. Maybe it was just my backlog staring at me. I don’t know exactly but I will try to revisit it again for sure.

Overall none of the flaws detracted too much from my experience and it was one of my favourite games to come out in 2021. Of course I am willing to be forgiving to as it is lower budget and one of my favourite genres. Tormented Souls is a fantastic survival horror by a clearly passionate team. It’s a must play for any survival horror fan and I would give it a good recommendation even if you’re not.

8.0/10

Boy howdy, did this game ever come out of friggin nowhere and knock my socks off. It was briefly shouted out my My Life In Gaming's year-end wrap up, and a few folks on their Discord absolutely sang its praises.

Tormented Souls is like a Resident Evil or Silent Hill game, if it were made in a universe where RE4 never happened and survival horror games stayed, well, horror games. Made by a small Chilean developer, Tormented Soul leans hard into the trappings of 90s survival horror - limited ammo and healing items, save ribbons, tank controls (optional, but appreciated), labyrinthine environments and obtuse puzzles. And unlike other games that aim for nostalgia, this one is actually good, and stands toe to toe with the best in the genre.

The problems with this game are few. I found health and ammo to be excessively scarce in some areas, but I still managed to beat the game with these items on hand. Some of the puzzles required walkthroughs to figure out, but the same was true when I played REmake and Silent Hill 2. I know these games like the back of my hand NOW, but I do remember fumbling in the dark when I first played these. The voice acting is also god-awful. Not in a "so bad it's good" way, more in a, "We found a few people who could do an American accent and had them do overly dramatic line reads" bad.

But overall, this game is an incredibly tense, engaging, and surprisingly innovative survival horror game that is absolutely worth your time. It rarely feels cheap, despite the small team and, presumably, small budget. It's got some stunning visuals and sound mechanics. Really, really hope to see more from this developer in future.

The first 10 minutes don't give a good impression at all. A not particularly inspiring plot and gratuitous camera shots of our naked, unconscious heroine in a tub (you can tell this game was almost entirely by men, as later seen in the credits) don't put the best foot forward. Beyond that, you'll find a more puzzle focused, old school resident evil game. And the puzzles are pretty good! They're often of the "put weird object A in object A shaped hole" variety, but a few of the puzzles are quite clever. It helps that the environment is very well made and genuinely scary.

If you're out of old school Resident Evil games (and maybe don't want to play Code Veronica), then I'd give this a go. Heck, if you played RE1 and that's it, this will be a nice time. Overall, pretty good job developers.

I fell in love with this game. When I was a teenager, I was obsessed with survival horror games like the first Resident Evil games, Silent Hill on PS1 and PS2, Fatal Frame, Forbidden Siren and every other game in the genre I could find.

I didn't realized I miss so much that style of horror games until I played Tormented Souls on my Switch and was invaded with nostalgia. The fixed camera angles, music, character animations, weird puzzles and cheesy voice acting was just how I remembered in the turn of the century. It's not original and the devs knew it. A rehash of gameplay tropes was what they promised and delivered.

And I loved it with passion, even with its multiple defects.

You can read my full review in spanish in Tribu Gamer. Why not GamerFocus? Because a colleague reviewed the PS5 version months ago (and didn't liked it as much as I did).

I also loved that this is a chilean game. ¡Latinoamérica presente!

Edit: I also made a guide for the puzzles solutions, how to get the different endings and the secret weapon.

Update: 3/4/26 Just did my 3rd replay as a sort of refreshment after being dissapointed with the second halves of BOTH Resident Evil 9 and Echoes of the Living. I have come to really appreciate survival horror games that are able to NOT completely fall apart in the second half - that’s becoming a rare commodity these days. I don’t know why, but basically every Resident Evil game suffers from at least a degree of drop in quality in the second half.

Not Tormented Souls - this game is outstanding from start to finish. It is one of my all time favorites in the genre for a few reasons - expert level puzzle-box level design (lots of backtracking and unlocking in one large contained area), amazing atmosphere that truly scares, and best of all - it takes its puzzles SERIOUSLY. All of these elements are often overlooked or afterthoughts, but when they’re honed in and refined and stick the landing from start to finish, you earn a place in my survival horror hall of fame.

The sequel was good, but I don’t think it’s as good as the first one. This is mostly because of the level design, which was much more spread out and loses its puzzle box style world design. Not much backtracking, unlocking previous areas, or solving previous puzzles - just a fairly linear and on the rails experience. Much like the second 2/3 of Echoes of the Living, unfortunately.

Amazing game - must play for all horror fans.

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Wow this really exceeded my expectations. It’s the only game that accurately scratches the RE1 remake itch. The puzzles are some of the best in the genre, the creatures are amazing, the pacing is top notch.

Only marks off are obviously it’s not entirely original, the ending boss was reallly not up to par, and theres a few bugs. But I loved it all the same, and super recommend for anyone that remotely likes classic survival horror.