Torment: Tides of Numenera
Torment: Tides of Numenera is the spiritual successor to the cult hit RPG Planescape Torment, and uses the fantasy role-playing setting of Numenera. It’s a game done in the classic Baldur’s Gate style, with the personal narrative acting as the main driving force. You play from the view of the Last Castoff, a human host that was inhabited by a powerful being, but has now been abandoned without any memory of prior events.
One of Torment’s most unique aspects is how it approaches morality, as it veers away from a traditional moral compass or slider. Instead, the game uses a “Tides” system, that represents the emotion or reaction that someone inspires in their peers. Instead of choosing a good or evil option, you respond with different Tides that are represented by different colors, each of which have a number of nuanced concepts attached to it, not just a basic description. This brings a different kind of depth to the game and its story, providing a nuanced tale about humanity, with plenty of fascinating characters to go along with it. The classic role-playing gameplay is sure to appeal to anyone that’s a fan of games like Baldur’s Gate or Pillars of Eternity as well. Torment: Tides of Numenera isn’t a light experience by any regard, but it’s one of the more unique titles that’s easy to pass up this year.
