If you are new to Torment: Tides of Numenera, the combat system might surprise you. While it eventually becomes manageable as you master cyphers and esoteries, it represents a departure from more traditional, action-oriented RPGs.
Combat is framed around distinct, narrative-driven “Crises” where environmental interactions, stealth, and dialogue often take precedence over standard hack-and-slash fighting. It can feel clunky compared to other turn-based RPGs because characters move and attack slowly, actions lack physical punch, and the mechanics force players to constantly micro-manage three distinct stat pools just to boost hit percentages.
When you first start the game, you’re exposed to systems that seem unusual, especially when weighed against Dungeons and Dragons or other RPGs. The terminology and the whole world is alien. But it’s a consistent universe, one that is unflinching in its detail and story.
And then there’s the fact that it’s a fantastic game. It’s a game of immense choice, sprawling dialogue, and a vast array of science-fiction tropes.
Torment: Tides of Numenera explores advanced science-fiction tropes ranging from transhumanism, sentient artificial intelligence, and dimensional travel to biomechanical engineering and ancient cosmic phenomena. It centers on the concept of immortality achieved through synthetic body-hopping, investigating the psychological fallout of leaving behind a trail of abandoned, sentient clones.
And it’s almost purely text-based. There is very little spoken dialogue, so prepare yourself to read from beginning to end. Fortunately, it’s exceptionally well written. You may not always understand it, but your mind and heart will be titillated the entire time.
Torment: Tides of Numenera released in 2017 on Windows, Xbox One, PS4, Mac, and Linux. It has a 81 Metacritic score and a Mostly Positive user rating of 71% on Steam. And while it has similar mechanics to something like Disco Elysium, its developers, InXile Entertainment, created it as the spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment.
It definitely has a similar vibe and mechanics to both of those games, and while it’s vastly different in many ways, if you’re a fan of text-heavy games that payoff with choice and consequence, it’s a must-play RPG.
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