Haunted video games aren’t exactly a fresh concept. Long before the famous “BEN Drowned” creepypasta about a cursed *Majora’s Mask* cartridge, there was the mysterious *Polybius*, an arcade machine supposedly connected to strange government agents. It’s always been a fun, eerie idea.

In 2016, *Pony Island* took this haunted-game concept to the next level by making it interactive. With a sense of humor, it blurred the line between the player and the character in the game. *Tormenture* follows in those footsteps, though it’s less about humor and more about delivering a straightforward creepy experience without too much focus on deeper, hidden meanings.

But just having a haunted game idea isn’t enough to make a game memorable. The developers at Croxel Studios knew this, and they’ve managed to elevate *Tormenture* beyond the cliché with clever puzzle designs that keep you hooked.

**Tormenture (PC)**

– **Developer**: Croxel Studios
– **Publisher**: Billete Cohete
– **Release Date**: October 21, 2024
– **Price**: $14.99

In *Tormenture*, you play as a child glued to their latest video game—literally. The game itself is called *Tormenture*, and it’s a tribute to Atari’s classic *Adventure*. It’s played on a fictional console called the Limbo 2800, which is essentially a knock-off of the Atari 2600. You’re stuck in your bedroom, unable to stand up or leave, only able to interact with the objects the game allows. While it might seem frustrating at first, there’s actually an in-game reason why you can’t move around, helping suspend disbelief.

The game thrives on retro nostalgia. From the fuzzy CRT TV with its old-school antennas to the *Guess Who?* board sitting nearby, it tries hard to capture the vibe of the ‘80s. Even your copy of *Tormenture* looks worn out like it was rented from an old video store (for $6.66—spooky). Your character also keeps notes in a notebook by hand, something we rarely see in modern games.

Most of the gameplay happens inside the in-game world of *Tormenture*. Puzzles from the game sometimes spill into the “real world” (the bedroom you’re stuck in), but for the most part, you’re solving old-school *Zelda*-style puzzles. The game is heavily inspired by *Adventure*, using similar mechanics. You can pick up items and drop them, but you can’t manually use them in complex ways. It even sticks to where your blocky character touches things, so sometimes you have to let go and re-adjust your angle to interact with objects correctly—just like in *Adventure*.

Despite the simple one-button control scheme, the game offers surprising depth. You never really feel like it’s held back by its simplicity. The main goal is to collect four relics from four dungeons, each guarded by a boss. Every dungeon introduces a unique item (like a torch or magnet), and puzzles are laid out in a screen-flipping style reminiscent of old Atari games. Combat is rare—you mostly just avoid enemies—and solving puzzles requires paying close attention to details.

One cool feature is how things from the game occasionally affect your real-world environment. For instance, at one point, you’ll need to blow on the cartridge and put it back in—a classic nod to old-school gaming struggles. Throughout the game, you’ll also pick up bits and pieces of a backstory surrounding the cursed cartridge itself.

There’s a decent balance between real-world puzzles and in-game challenges. Some of the real-world puzzles start off simple but grow more complex as you progress, keeping things interesting. You might even wonder what’s behind those locked drawers in your room—only to find out they come into play much later.

The puzzles hit that sweet spot between being challenging yet not too cryptic. A few might stump you for a bit, but they’re usually satisfying to solve. For most of the game, I felt like I was breezing through without too much trouble—until one moment where I got completely stuck. I thought I’d encountered a bug, but after reviewing my gameplay recordings, I realized I was just overthinking things. The solution was right in front of me the whole time!

Now, let’s talk about the final section of the game. Up until that point, things had been great. The four main dungeons were well-designed and enjoyable, but once I collected all the relics, things started to falter a bit. There were several bugs that forced me to reset my progress, and the last item I picked up was incredibly awkward to use. The final puzzles didn’t feel as clever as what came before.

And then there’s the final boss fight… oh boy. To avoid spoilers, I won’t go into details about what happens during the fight itself, but let’s just say it was frustrating. You can take three hits before getting sent back to your last checkpoint. The fight felt unnecessarily long, and some of the boss’s attacks were hard to read—especially when they moved off-screen. Every time I made a wrong guess on how to beat them, I had to start over from scratch. It became annoyingly repetitive, testing my patience more than my skills.

There are multiple endings depending on how many secrets you uncover before reaching the final boss. So if you want to see everything *Tormenture* has to offer, make sure you explore every nook and cranny before taking on the big bad.

Despite these gripes with the endgame, most of *Tormenture* is fantastic. It’s a love letter to early Atari consoles and their iconic games, wrapped up with some spooky vibes for good measure. While the last part might test your nerves (and your controller), everything leading up to it is smooth and enjoyable. If you’re looking for some retro-inspired horror with solid puzzle mechanics, *Tormenture* is worth checking out—but maybe prepare yourself for a little frustration near the end!