I played this game the old-school way: in the back of a car for a few hours, Switch 2 in hand, having an… awkward time. I felt like I was 10 again, playing a Game Boy and chasing patches of light just to see the screen. Except this time I’m 38, dodging the sun to avoid the reflections and not exactly enjoying myself. Which is a weird thing to say about a game I actually really like.
Tormented Souls 2 is unapologetically PS2-era survival horror, right down to its weird story, animation style, character designs (the main character has an eyepatch, for God’s sake), save system and countless little quirks.
I wasn’t sure I liked it at first. After dying for the third time without saving my progress, I nearly gave up. But Luke, our editor, assured me it was my kind of game, so I stuck with it. He was right.
Once I got home, I kept playing in handheld mode, but I also decided to try the Switch 2’s mouse controls. I flipped out the stand and played with the Joy-Con controllers in my hands, switching to the mouse when I opened the menus. It made navigating them so much easier, as I’d found the sticks a little floaty. What really surprised me was how insanely smooth and quick the transition from controller to mouse felt. I’ve only owned a Switch 2 for a couple of weeks, and this was my first chance to use its mouse controls, so that felt very cool.
The game itself is goofy. Not quite Deadly Premonition goofy, though it’s close. More Resident Evil 1 goofy, with silly dialogue, great atmospheric music and some cool camera angles as you move through the locations. Those angles can cause problems, though. I found myself bouncing back and forth between scenes when all I wanted to do was move forward. The game tries to help by giving you a few steps to adjust your stick position, but even after a few hours, it was still catching me out.
I didn’t try the classic tank controls, but they’re an option, and I recommend everyone try them at least once in their life. I had my fill in the ’90s, thanks.
Combat is iffy but competent. You can dodge while aiming, and there’s an auto-lock system to help you out, but the nail gun is weak. Even when you pick up shotgun “shells”, you only ever seem to get one at a time. Teeth-grindingly annoying, but all part of the fun.
The puzzles aren’t all that tricky, although I did spend 20 minutes or so wandering around the house, checking every room over and over. That one was on me. I’d found some stairs earlier, dismissed them and then simply never taken that left turn again until I stumbled back there by accident.
Enemy types? So far, I’ve met two: beige corpse man and beige spider corpse lady. Spider lady can get in the bin. She moves all weird and has killed me a few times by pinning me in a corner. One shotgun blast sorts her out, but she always turns up when you haven’t got one. I’m hoping for more enemy types, although from what I understand, it’s largely these guys and the bosses. Man, this game reminds me a lot of Alone in the Dark, and I adore that game. No joke.
Look, this game isn’t for everyone. But if you want something spooky that’ll make you jump (and, oh boy, it got me a few times), with gory imagery, gross religious zealot lore and a few reminders of when hardware limitations were part of the challenge, this is for you. I’m excited to finish it, and the Switch 2 version runs smooth as butter. A big recommendation from me.