Survival horrorHaunted houseHorror puzzleFixed camera horrorBody horrorHorror
Tormented Souls
Rate itFixed cameras, scarce ammo and an abandoned mansion-hospital at Winterlake.
- Platforms
- PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
- Stores
- Steam, GOG
- Price
- Paid
- Rated
- Very Positive on Steam (90% of 8,283 reviews); Metacritic 75 (PC); 4.5 of 5 on PlayStation Store (4,796 ratings); 4.1 of 5 on GOG (192 reviews)
- Length
- about 12 hours
- Players
- 1
- Controls
- Modern controls or optional tank controls, with fixed camera angles. A back dash dodges attacks. Full controller support on PC.
- Made by
- Dual Effect
- Released
- 2021
On GOG: one of the GOG horror games.
No. 28 of the horror games about human experiments · No. 27 of the hospital horror games · No. 5 of the time travel horror games · No. 6 of the mirror horror games
What frightens Caroline Walker wakes at night in a bathtub at Winterlake, naked and hooked to old medical equipment, and has to search an abandoned mansion used as a hospital for two missing girls, among malformed creatures, with little ammunition and limited saves.
Content: gore, violence, nudity (opening scene), mild language, jumpscares.
Tormented Souls is a survival horror game in the mould of the original Resident Evil and Alone in the Dark. Caroline Walker investigates the disappearance of twin girls at Winterlake, wakes up inside its abandoned mansion, once a hospital, and has to fight, solve puzzles and cross through mirrors into another time to find the truth.
About Tormented Souls
Tormented Souls is made by Dual Effect with Abstract Digital and published by PQube. It came out on PC and PlayStation 5 on 27 August 2021, on Xbox Series X|S on 7 September 2021, on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 25 February 2022, and on Nintendo Switch on 14 April 2022. A sequel, Tormented Souls 2, followed in 2025.
Caroline Walker goes to Winterlake looking into the disappearance of twin girls. Something happens to her there. She wakes in the dead of night in a bathtub, naked and hooked up to outdated medical equipment, inside an abandoned mansion that was used as a hospital. From there she has to find out what was done to her and what happened to the twins.
The game plays like the survival horror of the late 1990s on purpose. The camera follows Caroline from set angles in each room and cuts as she moves, with a short load between areas. Ammunition is scarce, and the inventory holds keys, tools and odd objects you combine to solve puzzles, with clues in old journals. Saving uses up a tape, and there are only so many, so every save is a choice. You can play with modern controls or switch to tank controls. Mirrors in the house open a path to an alternate reality and another place in time, and what Caroline does there changes what she finds in the present.
Caroline fights back with what she finds: a crowbar for close encounters, a nail gun for aimed shots, and a back dash to get out of the way. Much of the house is lit only by her lighter and by candles.
The horror is the house and what lives in it. The creatures were once people: elderly patients with their eyes replaced by tuning forks, members of an old sect rotting inside their protective suits, and others bolted into metal frames with blades for hands. There is blood and gore throughout, and the opening scene has nudity. It suits players who miss the first Resident Evil and want that style with modern graphics.
How to play Tormented Souls
- Explore Winterlake room by room, with the camera cutting between set angles as you move.
- Pick up everything you can; examine and combine items in the inventory to solve puzzles.
- Fight with the crowbar and nail gun, use the back dash to dodge, and avoid fights you do not need.
- Save in the save rooms, using one tape each time.
- Cross through mirrors into another time, and use what you change there to move forward.
Screenshots
Tips
- Tapes are limited; save after real progress, not after every room.
- Read the journals and notes closely; they hold the clues to many puzzles.
- Keep the lighter ready; much of the house is very dark.
- Save nails for creatures that block your path, and use the crowbar or the back dash on the rest.
Questions
How long is Tormented Souls?
The main story takes about 12 hours on a first play, according to Beatlog, and around 15 hours with extras.
Does Tormented Souls have auto saves?
No. You save in save rooms, and each save uses one of a limited number of tapes.
What platforms is Tormented Souls on?
Windows PC on Steam and GOG, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.
Does Tormented Souls have tank controls?
Yes, as an option. You can also play with modern controls.
Do I need to play Tormented Souls before Tormented Souls 2?
It is the first game and sets up Caroline's story, so it is the natural place to start.
Ratings and reviews
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