Tormentum II. Difficulty: 4.5/10
~5h of horror-ish game about trying to escape from a terrifying virtual reality.
Okay, but where’s the rating? The problem is that I can’t, in good conscience, rate this game in the usual way without ignoring what this title is and what it’s trying to convey. That’s why I’ll review it from two perspectives, and it’ll be up to you to decide which one is more important to you.
Tormentum II is a game. 5.5/10.
- Aside from one or two, the puzzles are pretty standard. There’s nothing here that a seasoned p'n'c player hasn’t seen before. They aren’t particularly challenging either, and as the game progresses, there are fewer and fewer of them, and they get simpler and simpler. Until you reach the point where you just have to click your way through most of the puzzles without giving them much thought.
- The NPCs aren’t particularly helpful, and because of the flowery language they use, it’s hard to pick up on important information. There’s also no voice acting.
- After a while, the game “opens up” and you can travel between the islands. However, this is an illusion, there’s a specific sequence in which you must perform certain actions to unlock new areas.
- There are many endings that depend on the choices you make during the game. They aren’t tied to puzzles; the game directly presents you the options. The problem is that they occur at different stages of the game, and if you want to see other endings, you have to replay a significant portion of the game (which involves clicking through dozens of lines spoken by NPCs).
- The camera moves with the cursor, which is annoying but you can quickly get used to it.
Tormentum II is a work of art. 9/10.
- The developers make no secret of their inspiration from Giger and Bakśiński. Every screen is a work of art in its own right, and there are dozens of them. In each one, you’ll admire mysterious, grotesque, unsettling, and sometimes alluring scenes.
- Beyond the screens themselves, the game features sketches and standalone paintings for your viewing pleasure.
- The music is the kind you don’t really notice while playing. But if you start listening to it intentionally, you’ll realize how well it fits and complements the game’s atmosphere.
- In addition, the text in the game is often in the form of poetry. I’m probably in the minority of players who are able to read it in the original language. Even so, I’m no poetry expert, and I don’t think I’m qualified to judge its quality.
- Just like the written text, the dialogue is also “flowery” and gives each NPC a distinct personality.
- The different endings, aside from the obvious changes, also alter interpretations of what just happened and the nature of the reality depicted in the game. Perfect for people who like to debate and reach different conclusions together with others.
- That said, I would have liked to see a brightness setting in the game. Some parts of the game were so dark that it was hard for me to make out what I was actually looking at. This mainly made gameplay difficult for me when reading letters and notes written in dark ink on dark paper in dark rooms.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/931060/Tormentum_II/
~5h of horror-ish game about trying to escape from a terrifying virtual reality.
Okay, but where’s the rating? The problem is that I can’t, in good conscience, rate this game in the usual way without ignoring what this title is and what it’s trying to convey. That’s why I’ll review it from two perspectives, and it’ll be up to you to decide which one is more important to you.
Tormentum II is a game. 5.5/10.
- Aside from one or two, the puzzles are pretty standard. There’s nothing here that a seasoned p'n'c player hasn’t seen before. They aren’t particularly challenging either, and as the game progresses, there are fewer and fewer of them, and they get simpler and simpler. Until you reach the point where you just have to click your way through most of the puzzles without giving them much thought.
- The NPCs aren’t particularly helpful, and because of the flowery language they use, it’s hard to pick up on important information. There’s also no voice acting.
- After a while, the game “opens up” and you can travel between the islands. However, this is an illusion, there’s a specific sequence in which you must perform certain actions to unlock new areas.
- There are many endings that depend on the choices you make during the game. They aren’t tied to puzzles; the game directly presents you the options. The problem is that they occur at different stages of the game, and if you want to see other endings, you have to replay a significant portion of the game (which involves clicking through dozens of lines spoken by NPCs).
- The camera moves with the cursor, which is annoying but you can quickly get used to it.
Tormentum II is a work of art. 9/10.
- The developers make no secret of their inspiration from Giger and Bakśiński. Every screen is a work of art in its own right, and there are dozens of them. In each one, you’ll admire mysterious, grotesque, unsettling, and sometimes alluring scenes.
- Beyond the screens themselves, the game features sketches and standalone paintings for your viewing pleasure.
- The music is the kind you don’t really notice while playing. But if you start listening to it intentionally, you’ll realize how well it fits and complements the game’s atmosphere.
- In addition, the text in the game is often in the form of poetry. I’m probably in the minority of players who are able to read it in the original language. Even so, I’m no poetry expert, and I don’t think I’m qualified to judge its quality.
- Just like the written text, the dialogue is also “flowery” and gives each NPC a distinct personality.
- The different endings, aside from the obvious changes, also alter interpretations of what just happened and the nature of the reality depicted in the game. Perfect for people who like to debate and reach different conclusions together with others.
- That said, I would have liked to see a brightness setting in the game. Some parts of the game were so dark that it was hard for me to make out what I was actually looking at. This mainly made gameplay difficult for me when reading letters and notes written in dark ink on dark paper in dark rooms.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/931060/Tormentum_II/
Endacopia 7/10. Difficulty: 5.5/10.
~7h adventure game about a boy with amnesia trying to escape from home.
The main character, Mellow (short for marshmallow), lost his memory after being hit one too many times by Henry - a lizard-like monster with a rolling pin. Now he must find his way in a bizarre world full of strange people.
The game is clearly inspired by edutainment games in which the player can click on various elements of the environment to trigger funny little animations.
However, the game isn’t for children; it describes itself as a horror game. Yet the game is much more surreal than scary. If there’s any horror at all, it comes in the form of a general sense of “what the hell is going on?” and occasional jump scares.
The game is divided into three areas where you must find and defeat a boss. There’s also a house to which you’ll return after defeating the boss, and which will be seen from a different perspective each time you return to it. Each of the three main areas is a “standalone” location, and you don’t have to leave it to complete it; however, you have complete freedom to travel between them whenever you want.
The gameplay is a combination of puzzle solving and arcade-style mini games. They aren’t the hardest things in the world, but they’re by no means easy, and you may need to attempt them multiple times to finally complete them. They aren’t optional, so for those unused to this type of gameplay, it can be frustrating (especially during boss fights).
The graphics blend early 2000s 3D style with pixel art, stock footage-style images, and bitmaps.
There are three endings, two of which depend on a single choice made at the end of the game. The third ending, the one that explains what’s actually going on, is hidden behind an additional layer of puzzles that require traveling between areas to unlock. This can be frustrating, especially since there’s only one save slot and each ending requires starting over from the beginning.
The whole game is very creative and unique. It’s hard for me to categorize this game. The best I can do is compare it to a mix of Undertale, Putt Putt, Sanitarium, and Frog Fractions.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2684630/Endacopia/
~7h adventure game about a boy with amnesia trying to escape from home.
The main character, Mellow (short for marshmallow), lost his memory after being hit one too many times by Henry - a lizard-like monster with a rolling pin. Now he must find his way in a bizarre world full of strange people.
The game is clearly inspired by edutainment games in which the player can click on various elements of the environment to trigger funny little animations.
However, the game isn’t for children; it describes itself as a horror game. Yet the game is much more surreal than scary. If there’s any horror at all, it comes in the form of a general sense of “what the hell is going on?” and occasional jump scares.
The game is divided into three areas where you must find and defeat a boss. There’s also a house to which you’ll return after defeating the boss, and which will be seen from a different perspective each time you return to it. Each of the three main areas is a “standalone” location, and you don’t have to leave it to complete it; however, you have complete freedom to travel between them whenever you want.
The gameplay is a combination of puzzle solving and arcade-style mini games. They aren’t the hardest things in the world, but they’re by no means easy, and you may need to attempt them multiple times to finally complete them. They aren’t optional, so for those unused to this type of gameplay, it can be frustrating (especially during boss fights).
The graphics blend early 2000s 3D style with pixel art, stock footage-style images, and bitmaps.
There are three endings, two of which depend on a single choice made at the end of the game. The third ending, the one that explains what’s actually going on, is hidden behind an additional layer of puzzles that require traveling between areas to unlock. This can be frustrating, especially since there’s only one save slot and each ending requires starting over from the beginning.
The whole game is very creative and unique. It’s hard for me to categorize this game. The best I can do is compare it to a mix of Undertale, Putt Putt, Sanitarium, and Frog Fractions.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2684630/Endacopia/
This post was last modified: 08-16-2026, 09:08 AM by Joe.
(08-16-2026, 09:07 AM)Joe Wrote: The gameplay is a combination of puzzle solving and arcade-style mini games... They aren’t optional, so for those unused to this type of gameplay, it can be frustrating (especially during boss fights).
Does that mean that the review's statement
Quote:... apparently there are ways to skip every boss battle and finish the game through alternative puzzle solutions.
is not correct?
