Tormented Souls 2 – Review
Disclaimer: I received a free review key for Tormented Souls 2 from the publisher. This does not affect my opinions, all thoughts and impressions in this review are my own. The Chilean development team Dual Effect have a deep understanding of the survival horror genre. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they spent half their time developing Tormented Souls 2 and the other half reverse-engineering the code of classic survival horrors to understand what truly makes them work. It is easy to label Tormented Souls 2 as just another Residet Evil and Silent Hill like game, but it is far more than that. There have been plenty of excellent indie survival horror games these past couple of years – Heartworm, Post trauma, Hollowbody, Alisa, The Mute House, The Fear Business – the list goes on and on. While all of these titles are well worth checking out if you’re a fan of the genre, none of them quite capture the rich visual atmosphere and unforgiving gameplay of Resident Evil Remake and Resident Evil Zero quite like Tormented Souls 2. Playing Tormented Souls 2 feels like stepping into a world where Capcom never shifted the genre with Resident Evil 4, a world where the classic survival horror style that peaked with Resident Evil Zero continued to evolve instead of giving way to action horror. It’s a world in which fixed camera angles, tank controls, and carefully rationed resources never went out of fashion. Survival horror in this reality continued to refine its focus on rich atmosphere, sound design, puzzle-solving and a sense of vulnerability – instead of transforming into years of fast-paced action horror, quick-time events and mandatory enemies that drop resources. Dual Effect lean into that vision completely. The game invites you to slow down, to absorb every tiny detail and search every room for any scrap of ammo or health you can find. The environments feel like cut content from an unreleased Resident Evil spin-off, with just as much depth – if not more. They are so detailed that they make you want to take your time in every room, simply to soak in the atmosphere. Playing Tormented Souls 2 reminds me what made the genre special in the first place: the constant tension between curiosity and fear, the satisfaction of solving a puzzle, and the constant fear that an enemy might be just around the corner. Never compromise. Not even in the face of Armageddon It should go without saying, but everything has remained as it was in the original game. For many developers, there is a temptation to “fix” the biggest complaints users had with the first title. I am very happy to report that Dual Effect did not cave to this pressure, nor did they seek to cash in by appealing to a wider audience by making the game easier or more “user-friendly”. They set out to deliver a true survival horror experience, and they stayed the course. Health is a resourceAmmo is a resource Saving is a resource I can’t overstate how important it is that these mechanics remain untouched. The whole time I was playing, I found myself asking questions like: “Should I save now or wait a little longer? Could I run past these enemies and save these shotgun bullets for the boss? Should I heal now or wait for one more hit?” This kind of decision-making simply doesn’t occur in action-horror games like Dead Space or Resident Evil 4. and it creates a completely different experience – one I have been searching for since the original Tormented Souls. The combat is a puzzle In true survival horror games, you quickly begin to realize that the combat itself is a puzzle. For example, when I reached the first boss in the Convent (the game’s opening area), I only had two shotgun bullets, one healing item, and a few nails. I quickly realised that I did not possess the resources required to defeat the boss unless I used the hammer (which we can confirm – is possible!). This meant I had to load an older save and run past a bunch of enemies in order to solve the “puzzle” of reaching the boss with more health and ammo. Darkness / Lighter One of the most unique and important “enemies” in the series is darkness itself. If you stand too long in any shadowy areas, you will die instantly. The only way to counter this is by using a dimly lit lighter. But here’s the dilemma: when you’re holding the lighter, you can’t use your weapons or defend yourself in any way – all you can do is run. This leads to some of the most tense enemy encounters I’ve experienced in any horror game, where you have to run and find a candelabra offering small islands of safety to fight from. Survival horror has always been about playing as a vulnerable character who can barely defend themselves, and I can’t think of another series that commits to that vulnerability quite like Tormented Souls. Taking away your ability to fight in the darkness makes these games truly unique. Camera angles Can I just take a moment to appreciate the camera work in Tormented Souls 2? This kind of detail often goes underappreciated, but it deserves recognition. Take this example in the video below – the way the camera snakes through narrow corridors and then follows you seamlessly down the elevator feels almost like the developers are showing off. Achieving that sense of fluid motion and atmosphere takes real precision, and throughout the entire game the camerawork is consistently excellent. Problems / bugs For our review, myself and Pixel Crypt played an early build of the game, and it’s important that we remain fair by mentioning a few bugs we encountered. The tank controls occasionally stick when entering or exiting menus (although the modern controls are unaffected). We also experienced a few crashes, although it’s difficult to say whether these were caused by hardware issues or software bugs. In a
Tormented Souls 2 – All Puzzle Solutions
Tormented Souls 2 brings back classic survival horror puzzle-solving and along with it a lot of head-scratching moments. If you’ve found yourself stuck on one of the game’s many puzzles, this complete guide will help you through every step. Below you’ll find all puzzle solutions in Tormented Souls 2, including the required items, where to find them, and screenshots showing each puzzle. Need extra help or want to share your own discoveries? Join our Discord community, where players share hints, theories, and screenshots in real time.Also if you would like a video walkthrough that is time stamped for every puzzle please check our the series below. Flower lock Location: Convent – Infirmary Items needed: Christ book, Thumbtack Solution: Combine the thumb tack with the Christ bookNotes: The thumb tack can be found on the cork board, the Christ book is found next to the stretcher nearest the lock Lighter in corpse Location: Convent – Bell Tower (bottom) Items needed: Pliers Solution: Use the pliers on the cage of the corpse to obtain the lighterNotes: Pliers can be found in the Staff Room on F1 Elevator power Location: Convent – North CorridorItems needed: Test item1, test item 2 Solution: Find the power box opposite the door to the Lady Chapel Padlocked door to Courtyard Location: Convent – North Corridor Items needed: Hammer Solution: Interact with the padlock then use the hammer to break itNotes: The hammer is obtained from the Crematorium in the basement Bell Tower glass (Shotgun) Location: Convent – Bell Tower (top) Items needed: Hammer Solution: Hit the bells in order to smash the glass casing and allow the player to obtain the shotgun:3 (third largest)1 (largest)4 (smallest)2 (second largest)Notes: The hint is found by interacting with the plaque below the glass casing. The hammer is found in the crematorium Gallows Location: Convent – CourtyardItems needed: Pliers Solution: Use the lever next to the gallows to drop the torso down, then use the pliers to remove the saw bladeNotes: Pliers can be found in the Staff Room on F1 Frozen hand Location: Convent – KitchenItems needed: Saw blade – Saw handle Solution: Combine saw blade parts and use handsaw on the frozen handNotes: Saw blade can be found in the Courtyard, saw handle can be found in the refectory behind a hidden entrance – find it by moving the moveable shelves Melting the frozen hand Location: Convent – KitchenItems needed: Lighter Solution: Locate the cooker and open the oven door by selecting it, then use the lighter on the wood to start a fire. Place the frozen hand on top of the stove to melt it and release the Cryptex Cryptex Location: Convent – KitchenItems needed: Chess Paper Solution: Examine the back of the chess paper and locate the black lines. The lines show the movements of chess pieces on a board. Use these to turn each section of the cryptex to the corresponding chess piece i.e. L shape is a Castle, Y is a Rook etc.Notes: The chess paper is found in the Calefactory room. Solving the Cryptex gives the crown key for the locked door in the basement Crown lock Location: Convent – BasementItems needed: Crown key Solution: Obtained by completing the Cryptex. Unlocking the door leads to the Prison areas Prison cell power Location: Convent – PrisonItems needed: Pliers Solution: Use the pliers on the wire to open the fuse box then turn the dials so that they point to the symbols that fit inside the shape shown./ \ \ \ /Go through to the other room where the cells are found and use the lever on the platform to power them.Notes: The paper hint is found in one of the cells in the Prison Cursed book Location: Convent – PrisonItems needed: Christ book Solution: Swap the cursed book with the bible, then deliver the cursed book to Joseph in the Crematorium Museum door Location: Convent – MuseumItems needed: Museum Key Solution: Use the key on the three star bolts going from middle to right to left, then select the handle to slide it awayNotes: The museum key is obtained by delivering the cursed book to Joseph Telephone / Jade disc Location: Convent – LibraryItems needed: Old telephone dial – Yellow page Solution: Attach the dial to the telephone base in the library then enter the code 3890*. The jade disc will then be revealed behind a nearby paintingNotes: The solution can be found by flipping the yellow page paper and using the lines on both sides to create the numbers. The rotary dial is found in the basement, accessed via the torture museum. The yellow page is found in the last prison cell. Jade cross Location: Convent – Calefactory RoomItems needed: Cross Disk Solution: Combine the jade disc with the jade cross and use the buttons to spin the discs to create a closed circuit of lines and make a square. Press the arrows in the following order: RIGHT-DOWN-LEFT-RIGHT-RIGHTUse this on the Chapter House door to unlock it.Notes: The jade cross can be found in the lower area of the museum behind the stairs. Obtain from the jade disc from the library by completing the phone puzzle. Padlocked door in Torture Chamber Location: Convent – Torture MuseumItems needed: Hammer Solution: Interact with the padlock then use the hammer to break it Teleport mirror Location: Convent – Torture MuseumItems needed: Lighter – Hammer Solution: Use the hammer to break the padlock, then use the lighter to light candles around the mirror: bottom left, top left, middle 2 right, bottom rightX0000 X0 XX XNotes: The hint for the mirror can be found in the museum – there is a portrait of a woman looking into a mirror that shows the order in which the candles should be lit Torture Chamber stretcher Location: Convent – Torture Museum (Other side) Solution: Use the lighter to light candles on the mirror to go through to the ‘hell world’. Locate the stretcher and use the turn handle to rip open
