Platforms
- PCMay 12, 20156.4playscore5.814 Critics6.51.03K Players
- PlayStation 4May 12, 20156.7playscore6.014 Critics7.52.10K Players
24 critic reviews · 0 community reviews across all platforms
Critic Reviews
- But unlike so many other games, it wasn't a letdown once I did. The final battle was overly repetitive and drawn-out, but the payoff was worthwhile: touching, tragic, and illuminating. And that made me sadder that the game itself wasn't better. Toren could have been a memorable interactive fable, but the frustrating camera and controls undermine the story, leaving it a good idea, but lacking as a whole experience.
Andy Chalk · May 28, 2015 Reviewed on PCRead full review - For now, Toren is suited for someone looking for a story-centric game for the weekend, a younger audience looking for an easier game, or anyone looking at getting into game design. This game is a great example of what you can hope to accomplish early on, and should act as a great portfolio piece for anyone involved. It’s worth the $11 though just barely, and will delight anyone looking for a great art style to enjoy as they sort of mindlessly solve simple problems.
Nicholas Plouffe · May 24, 2015 Reviewed on PCRead full review - Regardless of my complaints, Toren still successfully brings home an intriguing experience, rife with beauty and intrigue. Its technical merits or lack thereof may frustrate some, but I feel no worse for wear. If you’re looking for a short, colorful adventure to entertain you for a few hours, it’s hard to go wrong here. Just watch your step.
Gil Almogi · May 19, 2015 Reviewed on PCRead full review - There were so many times I really got into the scene and the puzzles, but every time there was something that took me right out of that great experience. The game is beautiful in many aspects, but with multiple glitches, slightly broken mechanics, short play time ,and performance issues, it is hard for me to say pick it up at full price. In fact, I would say give this game a shot once it goes on sale. Until then, hold off on this rather unique title.
Drew Leachman · May 18, 2015 Reviewed on PS4Read full review - Toren is very rough-around-the-edges, but there is some charm during the few hours it lasts. ...It’s a puzzler that takes full command of the world it constructs. ...Toren is short and simple, rarely stepping outside of any established template or setup, but during those few hours, there’s a touch of magic on display. Don’t expect anything mind-blowing with Toren; instead, just sit back and enjoy this flawed, but imaginative puzzle game.
Alex Carlson · May 18, 2015 Reviewed on PCRead full review - Toren felt like it was just trying to check things off of a “how to make a video game” checklist. Monsters? Check. Armor? Check. Jump button? Check. Scrolls? Check. A dragon? Check. Platforming? Check. Varied environments? Check. I could go on, but I’ll spare you. Each of these things were only half thought out and glued together haphazardly. No thought was given to creating an enjoyable experience that uses all elements of a video game to form something incredible.
Dyani Wood · May 15, 2015 Reviewed on PS4Read full review - Toren's cryptic storytelling and focus on signs, superstitions, ancient beliefs and systems is often close to being too self-indulgent, but its aforementioned style is enough to see it over the line. Should you persist to the end game, you'll find it's perhaps a perfect microcosm of the game itself: built on dissatisfying mechanics, repetitive action, and overall bugginess, mitigated somewhat by the ensuing imagery and sense of mood and atmosphere.
Steven Burns · May 14, 2015 Reviewed on PCRead full review - I enjoyed my time with Toren, despite a handful of frustrating sections. It is an example of art and poetry told as a video game. Yet, I can't say that I feel the need to repeat the climb, even with the hope of getting further insight into the story or the promise of somehow overcoming an ending that somehow manages to be both beautiful and gloomy at the same time. Toren is an experience that's worth at least one run. Then, it gets put up on a shelf like a nice book, where it ends up disappearing alongside the other novels.
Steven Wong · May 13, 2015 Reviewed on PC, PS4Read full review - Terrible textures aside, there's a beauty to Toren's art and audio direction that's worth beholding. The problem is that outside of these assets, Swordtales' two hour adventure falls short. A plethora of technical problems and uninteresting level design win out over the positive aspects, and this experience is below par as a consequence. Listen and look at it by all means – just try to avoid actually playing it.
Graham Banas · May 13, 2015 Reviewed on PS4Read full review - And yet Toren is not without its charms. In spite of some conspicuously low-quality models, it's a delightful thing to look at: its colors are vivid, its world is small but detailed, and it doesn't shy away from dramatic use of its camera and lighting effects. A couple of the dream sequences elicited quiet gasps as I proceeded through them, and even the credits are worth watching.
Janine Hawkins · May 12, 2015 Reviewed on PCRead full review
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Community Reviews
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About the game
Trailers & Screenshots:
You are Moonchild, destined to climb the tower on a hauntingly solitary journey to find your purpose. You must solve puzzles and face monsters as you struggle to climb to the top of this beautiful, yet treacherous environment, driven by the will to find your freedom.
Developer: Swordfish Studios