Torment: Tides of Numenera Critic Reviews

Great RPG depends mainly on the conversations and colorful bizarre world into which it takes you …while it is not focused on combat and other traditional elements.

Torment is the purest expression of Infinity Engine RPGs we will ever see in the modern age.

Torment: Tides of Numenera is a modern take on classic computer RPGs that tells an engrossing and original story, meditating on complex themes of identity in a strange world that just begs to be explored. While the combat seems a bit forced and uninspired, it doesn’t detract too much from the rest of the experience, and as a result I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Time will tell if it hits the market with the impact that Planescape: Torment had. I would guess not, just due to the games industry being a different beast these days. But in quality of writing, and in its ability to make you care about characters and force you kicking and screaming to actually think about things like good and evil, and the value of life, Tides of Numenera is every bit on a par with its illustrious ancestor.

Torment: Tides of Numenera is an infinitely complex game which no review can truly capture. The sheer number of side quests, characters, dialogue choices and endings require that the game be played multiple times. Brian Fargo and his team have created an absolutely stunning experience—I just wish it was as technically sound on Xbox One as it is on Windows 10.

It took almost twenty years, but finally Planescape: Torment has a worthy successor. Torment: Tides of Numenera has a distinct and unique personality, thanks to a ruleset created by Monte Cook, the story written by the amazing trio McComb-Fargo-Avellone, and an incredible freedom to approach the game. If you have even a small amount of love for CRPGs, this is the game you don't want to miss this year.

Wonderful writing, deep quests, and the ability to truly shape your character make for a quality RPG.

It's Torment. It's back. If you have the courage and strength to face the mental pressure, as I do, the result is a memorable experience.

One of the best CRPGs of recent times, with a rich world to get lost in, and some great mechanics to keep you playing for hours.

Torment: Tides of Numenera is a role-playing game like very few others, giving players total freedom in how to approach any given situation, even allowing them to complete the game by avoiding most fights through this deep choices system. With excellent writing, lively and creative world, engaging story and characters, and solid mechanics, the role-playing game developed by inXile is a game that those who love immersing themselves completely in fictional worlds have to play at all costs.

Numenera ended when the credits rolled, but in my mind, the story is still going. That wouldn’t be possible without top-level writing and world-building – the kind that sucks me into its universe regardless of technical shortcomings. In other words, it’s the perfect follow-up to Planescape: Torment, as thought-provoking, mature and challenging as its predecessor. For those who like their sci-fi more than a little weird, I can’t recommend it enough.

With Pillars of Eternity, Torment: Tides of Numenera is the best isometric RPG of the new wave of the genre.

The '90s have nothing on this. Torment: Tides of Numenera might have been fuelled by nostalgia but outstrips its contemporary peers in reactivity, writing and invention.

30 hours of RPG gaming later and I don’t regret a moment of it, and I’m sure when I play it again I’ll create a totally different experience for myself. Torment has flaws but none that will stop me from considering it a great RPG.

The weight of expectation could have proven too much, but inXile has delivered a remarkable narrative experience which deserves to be savoured.

The new Torment exceeded my expectations. After finishing Tides of Numenera I felt great - it was a truly otherworldly adventure, surreal and crazy, with unique characters and choices. But there's nothing surprising about this; after all, the game depicts a future so distant you simply can't imagine it. Torment: Tides of Numenera follows up on the idea of a philosophical RPG with tons of high quality writing. Thank the gaming gods.

Torment: Tides of Numenera shows that, even after some controversial post-Kickstarter adjustments, the money and time that went into it has paid off. It’s an all-around great experience with minimal bugs and a rich story. The pieces under the hood flow seamlessly into play, and while I did run into some slowness, especially when entering new areas or navigating in-game menus, for the most part the game ran smooth.

TToN truly is a grand story: riveting discoveries and interactions drive the narrative forward while inviting you to dive head first into this very cerebral experience. The writing team, led by designers Adam Heine, Colin McComb, and George Ziets, show their chops throughout this engaging experience, as shown by the way everything comes together, like a rubik's cube of moral dilemmas. Discover the treasure of TToN, rich and rewarding for lovers of the RPG genre, new and old alike.

It’s a well-executed set-up with a wondrous payoff. Whereas the fun in a game like For Honor comes from physically learning how to play, the fun in Tides of Numenera comes from achieving encyclopedic knowledge of a whole new universe through truly meaningful choices.

Ultimately, Torment: ToN offers a very compelling balance between deep gameplay, accessibility, and character-driven story. While it may seem overwhelming at first to those unfamiliar with the genre, it nurtures a sense of exploration and quest. Failure in your quests is often just as interesting as success, and that the entire adventure is closer to twenty hours than forty makes it more reasonable that you’ll finish and replay it again.