One of the best parts of any RPG is stepping into a character's shoes without knowing exactly where the story will go. Some games are better than others at surprising the player, whether with dramatic plot twists, unexpected dialog options, or an unusual setting.
Few games are better than Torment: Tides of Numenera when it comes to surprising players. From its story of an amnesiac, shapeshifting god to the seemingly endless turns that conversations can take, there's always another surprise to unpack. While this gives the game incredible replay value, it can also make the game hard for new players to jump into. Here are some essential tips for beginners venturing into Torment for the first time.
8 Embrace The Story
Torment: Tides of Numenera is all about the story, and that story is a strange one. Unlike most RPGs, the protagonist isn't a hero trying to save the kingdom, the world, or the universe. The player controls The Changing God, moving from one body to the next in an attempt to remember its true nature and that of the world. This premise is part of what makes the game stand out amongst so many other immersive RPGs.
Embracing the story means taking every opportunity to take to NPCs, including initiating new conversations with them after some time has passed or events have transpired. Exploration and interaction are crucial, and without them, the game loses much of what makes it great. The more the player engages with Torment's strange world, the better the gameplay experience will be.
7 Don't Save Scum
"Save scumming," the practice of reloading a save file to try again when something doesn't go the way the player wants, is a bad idea in Torment: Tides of Numenera. Very few events will actually lead to the end of the game. Events that go badly are more often than not incorporated into the ongoing story, changing the plot's trajectory instead of ending it.
There's nothing to stop the player from save scumming in order to achieve their vision of a perfect playthrough, but the story is much stronger and more immersive if things are simply allowed to play out for good or bad. If the player really wants perfect control over their fate they can save scum on a later playthrough. One's first time through the game should be as natural as possible because that's where the elegance and ingenuity of the story's branching plot can be seen.
6 Don't Overthink Builds
Character creation in Torment is straightforward, but the repercussions of the character's decisions early in the game will have a powerful ripple effect throughout the story. The game will suggest a build based on the player's early decisions, but the player isn't forced to abide by this suggestion. There's no need to pursue broken builds here.
Glaives are warriors, Nanos are mages, and the Jack is a jack-of-all-trades character who can fare well in a variety of situations. Regardless of one's build, the Anamnesis skill and Intellect are extremely helpful as they make it much easier for the character to recall memories. The player won't have too many chances to increase their stats, so it's important to spend points wisely.
5 Pay Attention To Companions
The Changing God isn't alone in Numenera. The player can recruit three companions at a time to join them on their adventure. The world of Torment is deep and complicated, so it's saying something that the companions are one of the most fascinating parts of it.
Callistege, Erritis, and the other recruitable companions all have fascinating stories and personalities that are far removed from predictable fantasy tropes, making talking to them and seeing their stories play out one of the best parts of the game overall. Who the player recruits is largely a matter of personal taste. The player should worry less about what abilities they bring to the table than what stories they do.
4 Pay Attention In Conversation
One of the greatest strengths of Torment: Tides of Numenera is its dialog system. Conversations are hugely varied, and much of the game's powerful storytelling occurs within these conversations. Indeed, many of the game's best moments, in general, occur during conversations, one of the best parts of this underrated RPG.
Talking to NPCs almost always leads to branching dialog options and skill checks, and it's here that the player not only gets to do some great roleplaying but really gets to make the most out of their character choices. The Nano class, for example, unlocks unique dialog options thanks to its ability to read minds. These conversations can be sprawling and even overwhelming at times, but the player should make the most of them.
3 Don't Expect Many Battles
Fantasy heroes can typically be found charging into battle with a sword in one hand and a shield or perhaps magic staff in the other, laying waste to hordes of giant spiders and lowly goblins as the character builds up enough strength to take on the big boss at the end.
Torment: Tides of Numenera isn't that type of game. In fact, Torment includes fewer battles than almost any other comparable RPG. This may be for the best since combat isn't the game's strongest component. Thankfully, the game includes copious options for solving problems without the need to draw swords. Navigating through thorny situations in Torment can even be more gratifying than in other RPGs since the player can't simply stab their way out.
2 Make An Effort
Torment is a strategic game, though not in a conventional way since combat tactics aren't important in the way that they are in most other RPGs. Instead, the game includes an Effort system, which lets party members draw from a pool of points every day to boost the effectiveness of an action, helping the player get through this long game more quickly.
Though the player can simply burn through these points as fast as possible, spending them at the first possible opportunity and then waiting for them to regenerate the next day, learning to spend them thoughtfully, waiting until they can make the most impact on the characters and the story, is a rich experience of its own.
1 Get Ready To Read
Cutscenes, in particular long and flashy ones, are a staple of the fantasy genre. For many games, cutscenes are where the bulk of the storytelling takes place, and the character's own actions and dialog have comparatively less weight than these scripted moments.
Torment: Tides of Numenera favors dialog over cutscenes, so much so that it is often more akin to a book than a movie. Simply put, the player needs to get ready for lots of reading. If the quality of the writing was poor, this feature could have killed the game. Thankfully, Torment is so well-written that it more than gets away with it. Between the main story and the numerous side quests, players will have read multiple games' worth of conversations and yet still might end up wishing there were even more of this epic tale to savor.
Torment: Tides Of Numenera is available for PC, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.