Tormented Souls 2 Review — Sin & Sacrilege

I had a feeling I was going to like Tormented Souls 2 before I even got into it.

It wasn’t because of the prestige of the first game. To be totally honest with you, reader, I was unaware of the existence of the first title in this series as I went into the sequel. The only thing I had to see to convince me that this game was going to be good was the promo art of the protagonist, Caroline. I just know a good horror protagonist when I see one, and the developers having the ability to make a character like Caroline told me that Tormented Souls 2 was going to rock.

And rock it did. While there are elements of the gameplay I didn’t love, my criticisms in that area will be contentious at best with classic horror fans. As a piece of horror media in general, Tormented Souls 2 won me over with its gorgeous graphics and aesthetic, good writing, and understanding of classic horror elements that really made the game stand out while still feeling familiar in the best ways possible.

If you don’t care about the nuances of my opinion on what makes this game good and what holds it back, I can save you some time and tell you now that I overall recommend giving it a try, even if some design choices are going to be less fun for certain players.

Tormented Souls 2 follows our protagonist, Caroline, as she takes her sister to a health retreat deep in the mountains. Said “health retreat” turns out to be a fanatical convent of twisted nuns who claim ownership over the two sisters, quickly subduing Caroline and separating the two. As Caroline comes to, covered in puncture wounds in a shady infirmary, she quickly resolves to find her sister and get the hell out of there, even as the dead seem to be rising around her in twisted forms.

Something you will notice quickly about Tormented Souls 2 is that it is VERY inspired by the classics of horror gaming. In particular, the old-school Resident Evil games feel like a huge inspiration for Tormented Souls 2. The formula is not parodied but wholeheartedly executed by the developers, who handle it well. The game’s very DNA is that of classic horror, and every aspect of it reflects those classic inspirations perfectly, as if the game was lifted from a design doc used to create those games themselves. From the game’s linear yet undirected semi-open world to the pacing of the story and scares to the core gameplay mechanics, the developers clearly love classic horror gaming and understand it very well.

For some players, this is both the game’s gift and its curse. A particular struggle that comes with the formula Tormented Souls 2 is baked in are tank controls. I regret to inform you that, yes, tank controls are a part of Tormented Souls 2, and they’re really, really bad.

Not poorly executed—I’m sure the developers implemented them as well as anyone from the classic titles could have. As someone who really hates tank controls, however, they were a nightmare to play with, especially on keyboard. There were plenty of moments in the game where I bumped into a monster or ran into a shadowy area, got lost in the darkness, and was subsequently killed.

If the tank controls were implemented in a more modern way, like, say, allowing you to turn your character with the mouse, they would have felt much better. Unfortunately, this is not the case, so I really recommend you play the game with a controller.

Tormented Souls 2 is a game with a lot of puzzles, and I have to commend the developers for making these puzzles less than obvious to solve. This is the case to the point where you can actually find yourself a little confused as to how to proceed in some areas, as it isn’t immediately obvious which parts of your inventory can be used to interact with the environment or how. I won’t call this a flaw and will just give readers a heads-up: if you think you can do something, you probably can, so don’t make the mistake I made of “categorizing” certain parts of your inventory as “puzzle keys” or “not puzzle keys.” Even your weapons can be the solution to some tricky problems throughout.

Story-wise, I was a big fan of Tormented Souls 2 and the themes it chose to tackle in its narrative. I’ve already gushed about what a good horror protagonist I find Caroline to be, but other great characters are sprinkled throughout, and the story’s pacing keeps you guessing from one scare to the next.

I was particularly fond of the way the game handled religious horror, using the aesthetics of Catholicism incredibly well to create an eerie environment and a truly scary story without feeling like religion itself was a direct target of criticism or mockery by the narrative, something that can feel a little cliché if not done correctly.

Try Hard Guides was provided a Steam code for this PC review of Tormented Souls 2. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! Tormented Souls 2 is available on Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox.