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 resource
Ammo 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 few cutscenes, my character model failed to load, which you can see in my playthrough footage. There’s also a puzzle around ten to twelve hours into the game that glitched, although the publisher has assured me this will be patched very soon.
None of these issues spoiled the experience, and I’m confident they’ll be fixed for release or shortly after, but it’s only fair to point them out.



Conclusion
Modern games are typically designed to make sure players never get too frustrated, lost, or close to quitting. Developers are scared to truly challenge their players, opting instead for instant gratification, rewarding feedback loops and constant pats on the back. Tormented Souls 2 remembers that fear is part of the experience, that tension, uncertainty and challenging mechanics make the game all that more satisfying and immersive. In a world where most games hand you power, Tormented Souls 2 takes it away.
If you’d rather see Tormented Souls 2 in action, watch the video version of this review above!






