Tormented Souls 2 Review (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, & PC)

What makes a good horror game… for you? As unpopular as they are, some gamers still root for surprising jump scares you don’t see coming. Others can’t get enough of spooky environments and equally grotesque monsters chasing you down. You might then want a competent combat system to take on monsters, with a caveat of limited resources, for instance. Or a flimsy one, leaving you vulnerable at the most desperate times; your weapons barely having any impact on the most terrifying bosses. And it then makes sense to simply run for your life. Or at the very least, scavenge for more ammunition and upgrades and return in better shape and form.

All of these have been adapted and regurgitated in horror games of past decades, from the early rise of Resident Evil and Silent Hill-types to the modern takes via the Amnesia and Dead Space franchises. Every one of the ambitious takes on horror has amassed its niche audiences, with developers often jumping between the retro and modern time periods. For the Tormented Souls series, now at its sequel released on October 23, 2025, we’re dialing back time to the classical survival horrors of years past. The two entries in the series so far have been entirely faithful to horror games of the past, in storytelling and gameplay, so much so that they may or may not fall into your good graces.

Let’s find out where the recent game (and your interests) stand in our Tormented Souls 2 review below.

Seeking the Spiritual

If it’s your first time in the Tormented Souls world, you may struggle to get up to speed with the lore and story from the sequel. But it’s not necessary to head back to the first game to eventually get a handle on things. Returnees, on the other hand, will be pleased to quickly pick up where the first game left off. With Caroline Walker and her sister, Anna, narrowly escaping the torments of the Wilberger Hospital. Anna begins to draw terrifying monsters who come alive, triggering a search for salvation at a mysterious Convent in the town of Villa Hess. 

No sooner do the sisters arrive than they discover that the Convent is a home for a dangerous cult, who kidnap Anna in the hopes of using her powers for their benefit. This cues in Caroline’s navigating of the terrifying halls and walls of the strange and insane. And facing the pressure to find her sister before it’s too late. 

It’s not the most unconventional story in the horror genre. Nor will it blow your mind with its story arcs and ideas. But it sure does have its tantalizing surprises; twists and turns here and there that keep you glued to the screen through to the end. Some rituals you’ll struggle to stomach through, monsters that genuinely frighten you, among other horror genre tropes, as you discover more locations within the Convent and beyond.

Rolling in the Darkness

It’s the atmosphere and environment, though, that will most entertain. How eerily the rooms of the Convent look and feel as you nervously navigate its tight and dimly lit corridors. How the oppressive atmosphere hangs heavily on your throat, threatening to squeeze the life out of you. This is no happy place, certainly nothing joyful or easy here. Even allowing Caroline to linger in the dark too long will cause her to hyperventilate, draining the life literally and figuratively out of her lungs. 

Most of it has to do with the lighting and shadows that encroach on every room and pathway; your only source of light is a weak lighter you can use to light up scarce candles. With the dim lighting, you’re able to closely examine objects in the rooms you explore, looking for clues and items that might help you solve puzzles. You’re often paying close attention to every detail, which feels grand when the visual design is masterful enough to include the finest touches and polish. 

Only the characters can look a little muddy, their movements stiff. Caroline moves slowly and deliberately, hardly rationally in real life, which might get on your skin when you’re running away from a zombie. It’s all a part of the classical horror vibe, though; that awkward movement that adds to the tension of high-stakes enemy encounters. And for better or worse, Tormented Souls 2 maintains all of the tropes of survival horror of decades past, stuck by. 

Old is Gold

Take the gameplay, loyal to its inspirations. From limited resources to manual saving and fixed camera angles, all of the design choices of classic survival horrors return, with the purpose of amping the tension. Even tank controls are implemented here, which comes as no surprise given their implementation in the first game. As a result, your exploration and narrative moments are slowed down to fully absorb the eerie and dread hanging in the atmosphere. To take your time examining the rooms you’re in, even when, at any moment, a monster might sneak up on you. 

And it’s in those moments where the intensity reaches peak levels. When you aren’t in control of the camera, and are forced to remember where corridors lead. Camera shifts are incredibly cinematic as you scramble for the “up,” “down,” and “left” or “right” buttons to escape monsters. It can create frightening moments when monsters seem to catch up to you, only to have the camera angle shift to your advantage. But the opposite is also true, especially when you don’t have good mastery of the room’s layout. 

It’s in these moments that you’ll be forced to fight. True, you can avoid fighting most enemies. But they keep respawning, making your return to those rooms all the more difficult to get through. And hence, even with the camera shift putting you at a disadvantage, there’s no fully escaping combat. Fortunately, if you’re careful enough, you should spot weapons in the environment, from shotguns to nail guns. 

For Anna

Remember when I grouped horror games into those with effective combat and those that intentionally make you vulnerable? Tormented Souls 2 is the latter in every sense of the word. Firstly, your weapons, though packing a punch, have limited ammunition. You’ll often be caught in situations where you only have two bullets to take down a boss, which will most definitely leave you dangerously wounded or dead. And the weapons themselves have painful accuracy, resulting in wasting the already limited ammo. 

Tormented Souls 2 further has limited weapon types, and some aren’t nearly as effective. The hammer, for instance, mostly comes through as a “finisher” when you’ve stunned an enemy. Now, you could rely on melee, but that’s even worse for survival, with clumsy controls and dodges. It’s a matter of choice, though, I think, whether you delight in the peak tension of going up against terrifying monsters with little in your arsenal: a losing battle. And then narrowly surviving in time to scamper for the manual save. If you can believe it, there are steadfast gamers who much appreciate Tormented Souls 2 for all that it is, including the puzzles, which frustrate almost as much as they satisfy. 

Some truly creative and clever hand-crafted puzzles here that’ll have you taking a beat to rethink the clues and items on hand. Perhaps needing to backtrack through a recently unlocked “locked door” to discover a clue you might have missed. And it never feels repetitive when the environments are impressively immersive. Some puzzles will definitely tempt you to scream at the game. Most, though, are a pleasant change of pace as you anticipate the next monster attack via ambient noises and subtle footsteps.

Verdict

By this point, I’d say Tormented Souls 2 definitely has more working for it. While imperfect, and only if we’re nitpicking at its perfection, there are certainly fun and satisfying horror sequences for the genre’s truest fans. Those tense moments aren’t just when you encounter a monster, but throughout the game, frankly. When you’re exploring the world, looking for items and clues to solve puzzles, the tension never leaves you (and the room you’re in). 

At any moment, the ambient noises hinting at unseen danger will prove real and true. And you’ll have to make do with the limited resources and ammo you’ve collected thus far. Or make a run for it, remembering to go in the right direction, or the fixed camera angles will be the death of you. Tight corridors, dimly lit, and whose total darkness straight up kills you. Strange, ritualistic happenings in the eerie town of Villa Hess. Is it all for you? 

Tormented Souls 2 is very much a love letter to years gone but not lost. It’s faithful to genre tropes that, while some may consider outdated, still remain effective in inducing fear and anxiety throughout your playthrough. There may be some technical issues here and there, but in the end, I’m certain you’ll be in need of a third game.