Tormented Souls 2 Walkthrough

I really enjoyed the previous Tormented Souls and I was initally hesistant towards playing the sequel due to the mixed things I was hearing about how it was buggy at launch and the difficulty on normal being out of wack. After playing the game now, I can say the game is generally improvement on the first game mainly becase it follows the logic of Resident Evil 2 which is one of my favorite game sequels of all time. Both tend to have higher count of enemies and the enemies in TS2 are faster and more aggressive too. I did wish I played the game on normal difficulty since the mixed things I often heard before playing made it sound like normal was busted. Easy mode is still enjoyable but it is one of those difficulties that just keeps showering you resources due to reasons I will mention later, it didn't really hinder my overall that much.

In essence TS2 is more of what you liked about the first game. It Resident Evil's level design and limited saves with Silent Hill's more grotesque imagery, unlimited inventory and more cryptic puzzles. There's also a dodge this time around but I didn't really use it as much as the game would want me to since I played on easy. The save rooms are back and the music here is even better than it was in the first game.

There's also ideas exclusive to Tormented Souls itself like how the darkness can kill the player character if exposed to it without a lighter for too long and the dual world to solve puzzles in the levels.

Despite the level designed being more segmented this time around, the "ah this will make sense later" level design from the first game is still present here.

For example, early on the in the game you have to go up on top of a bell tower but the stairway is blocked by two vases eventually you will find a weapon that allows you to destroy them and progress furthur to eventually get the shotgun.

The level design classic Resident Evil is still here where you have this one big puzzle to solve that is the overall objective you have to do in the level but there is a bunch of smaller tasks like solving "riddles" and inventory puzzles you have to do inbetween all that. This is all retained in TS2. There's memerable levels like the Chruch, Mall, Graveyard and my favorite: school.

I do wish the riddle puzzles had different difficulties for them like the Silent Hill games from 2 onwards did since I don't really care for them and it's easy for me to view them similarly to the Raiders of the Lost Ark scene where Indy shoots the swordsman. I do think having riddle difficulties would be a solid compromise.

Since the inventory is limitless like in SH, enemies are much more aggressive and often come in 3 now. Where in games like the original Silent Hill 2, it would be a miracle if they could even close the distance on you if you riddle them with 3 bullets. Here, it's more like the first Silent Hill will they move in fast and will land a few hits before they die.

However easy mode did give me too many resources so it does sap away a little bit of the tension but the aggressive behaviour and Caroline's movement and aiming being so stiff does help cancel it out. So it feels in line with combat of the first Silent Hill in a sense.

The bosses are also an improvment since they are more along the lines of puzzle bosses where you need to figure out how to damage and defeat them rather a raw game of mechanical skill. It's smart on the devs part since they know the limitations of the combat system.

There's also a good and bad ending to get but luckily the former isn't too hard or complicated to get since you can backtract to an early part of the game and get it.

If one criticism I can level towards the game is that the game does start to drag it's heels out towards the end with the Bunker level. Where once you get back to the chruch, you'd think it's just going to be a quick trek to the final boss but then there is an entire level before you can get there. You also can't beeline it either since you need to solve a puzzle in order to not get killed in a cutscene before the final battle can actually start. By this point I did wish the game would just wrap up already even if the homage to Silent Hill 3 was enjoyable to see.

Story was okay, nothing amazing but nothing horrible, it did a good job at establishing the next levels you are going to go for the game.

Overall, TS2 was a well made sequel despite all the seemingly lukewarm and apathetic reception I saw at around the time of release. If one thing to be warned the trophy for beating the final boss is bugged as of now and doesn't unlock after beating it so I really hope that gets fixed soon. TS2 is a worthy sequel to the first game much like Resident Evil 2 was to the first game.