Tormented Souls is worth playing if you want a deliberate throwback to fixed-camera survival horror, with puzzle-led exploration, limited resources and a story pieced together from the setting and its documents. It is a poor fit if you expect free-camera action or a fast, modern shooter. It is a single-player title developed by Dual Effect and published by PQube, which lists 27 July 2021 as its release date on its official game page.
What kind of horror game Tormented Souls is
The premise is simple. Caroline Walker goes looking for twin girls who have disappeared in an abandoned mansion. PQube describes the game as “A modern take on the fixed-perspective action-adventure game,” and that phrase explains most of how it plays.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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| 1 |
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Tormented Souls PS5 | $21.86 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Tormented Souls - PlayStation 5 | $27.40 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Tormented Souls PS4 (PS4) | $21.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Perp The Persistence Enhanced Amélioré(e) Anglais PlayStation 5 | $18.18 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Tormented Souls 2 GAME GUIDE: The Ultimate Official Game Guide – Complete Walkthrough, Secrets,... | $7.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Fixed perspectives
Instead of a camera that follows the character over the shoulder, the game places the camera at preset angles in each area. You cannot freely rotate the view to check a corner. The designers decide what you see and when, which lets them frame rooms for tension and reveal, and it means you read the screen for exits, hazards and objects rather than scanning the space yourself. Expect some frustration with angles that hide a path until you have stepped into the right frame.
Exploration and puzzles
Progress depends on working out how to get through locked spaces, rather than on reaching a marked objective. Most of the pacing comes from returning to earlier areas with new items and noticing what you previously skipped. If you enjoy slow, methodical problem solving, this is the core of the appeal; if you want to be moved along quickly, it will feel slow.
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- A return to classic survival horror - tormented Souls is a modern take on the fixed-perspective adventure
- scavenge essential resources and tools, Decipher clues from long-forgotten journals, and combine it all to solve fiendish puzzles
- dark forces and unspeakable horrors will do everything in their power to stop Caroline getting to the truth
- use anything and everything that you can find to fight back against the evils that wait in the darkness.
- nothing is as it seems at winterlake. And when you discover a shimmering mirror in a dark corner of the mansion, your understanding of reality will be challenged in a whole new way
Resource-aware combat
Combat is not the default answer to a threat. Ammunition and healing are scarce enough that avoiding a fight is often the sensible choice, and the game asks you to manage what you carry. That keeps encounters tense, but it also means that a player who wants to fight freely will find the design restrictive.
Story through setting and documents
The narrative is delivered mostly through the mansion itself and through documents you find, rather than through long cutscenes. Readers who like to assemble a story from scattered notes will get the most out of it. Those who want a clear, spoken plot may find the storytelling sparse.
Rank #2
- Something evil lurks at winterlake - while investigating the disappearance of Twin girls at winterlake - something terrible happens to caroline Walker.
- A return to classic survival horror - tormented Souls is a modern take on the fixed-perspective adventure
- Fiendish puzzles - scavenge essential resources and tools, decipher clues from long-forgotten Journal, and combine it all to solve fiendish puzzles and unravel the secrets of the mansion-turned-hospital.
- Deadly combat - dark forces and unspeakable horrors will do everything in their power to stop caroline getting to the truth. Use anything and everything that you can find to fight back against the evils that wait in the darkness.
- Can caroline Walker Escape with the truth? Will she Escape with her life?
Is it worth playing?
The answer depends on what you want from a horror game. The features that define Tormented Souls are also the ones that will divide players.
- Play it if you enjoy classic fixed-camera survival horror, slow puzzle progression, scarce resources and story found in documents and environment.
- Play it if you are a genre enthusiast who wants a retro-style experience rather than a modern production with a free camera.
- Skip it if fixed angles make you feel lost, or if you prefer free-camera action and fast combat.
- Skip it if you need a clearly spoken plot to stay engaged.
How the game has been received
Reception is best read as several separate signals rather than a single score, because each measures something different and changes over time.
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Rank #3
- A return to classic survival horror - tormented Souls is a modern take on the fixed-perspective adventure
- scavenge essential resources and tools, Decipher clues from long-forgotten journals, and combine it all to solve fiendish puzzles
- dark forces and unspeakable horrors will do everything in their power to stop Caroline getting to the truth
- use anything and everything that you can find to fight back against the evils that wait in the darkness.
- nothing is as it seems at winterlake. And when you discover a shimmering mirror in a dark corner of the mansion, your understanding of reality will be challenged in a whole new way
| Source | What it shows | What to keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Steam user reviews | When checked in 2026, the Steam listing showed 2,591 English reviews, 88% positive. | This is a user-review snapshot from one storefront. It is not a critic score, it covers Steam only, and the figures change as new reviews arrive. |
| Metacritic critic reviews | Critic coverage is listed separately by platform. | Aggregates shift as reviews are added, so read the review list for the platform you own rather than a single headline number. |
| Nintendo Life (Switch review) | Praises the game’s retro-horror appeal for genre enthusiasts and notes technical issues in cutscenes and animations. | This is one review of the Switch version. It does not establish how other versions perform. |
Platform and performance
The sources that cover the game do not offer a controlled comparison of performance across platforms. Judge the version you plan to buy by reviews of that specific version, and do not assume that a review of one platform describes the others.
Physical or digital
PQube’s official game page lists both digital and physical versions of the original Tormented Souls. Physical stock varies by region and retailer, and a copy you find today may not be available tomorrow, so confirm a current listing before buying.
Rank #4
- PS5 Features include raytracing modes and immersive haptic feedback for DualSense
- Use darkness and cover to avoid being overwhelmed by the ship's deadly new inhabitants
- Seek out the weapon fabricators to increase your firepower as you journey deeper, into the dark and terrifying depths, but beware ammo is limited
- Gather materials & schematics for weapon upgrades and suit customizations with buffs
- Harvest DNA material to improve health, toughness and defensive capabilities.Survive an ever changing labyrinth. Each and every expedition into The Persistence will be disorienting and different.Death is just the beginning. Fatal encounters will result in Zimri's consciousness being uploaded into a new cloned body, ready to try again, with any upgraded stats, suits & weapon schematics kept to aid the next attempt to save the ship
Be careful with series-level information. PQube’s announcement for the sequel, Tormented Souls 2, confirms a physical PS5 edition and a soundtrack available to purchase through Steam. Those statements concern the sequel. They do not establish a physical soundtrack or a physical edition of the original game.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which version should you get?
- Open PQube’s official game page for Tormented Souls and check which formats are offered for your platform.
- If you want a physical copy, look for a listing that is specifically for the original Tormented Souls and confirm it is sold in your region. Do not accept a listing for Tormented Souls 2 as a substitute.
- If no physical listing is available for your region, buy the digital version from the platform’s store, after checking that the platform is one the official page lists.
- Read reviews of the exact version you intend to buy, particularly if you are on a platform that the reviews you have read did not cover.
- If you are buying the sequel instead, treat it as a separate purchase with its own edition and availability.
Bottom line on the game itself
Tormented Souls is a deliberate, modern take on a classic format rather than a reinvention of it. If fixed angles, scarce resources and puzzle-led exploration sound appealing, it delivers the experience it promises. If they sound like obstacles, the reception and design make a clear case for looking elsewhere.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
