My good friend Robbie Allen reviewed this game on Steam called Toren.  It’s about a girl who must venture through a tower, and may be based on a Brazilian legend.  The game really captivated my friend, so be sure to read his review!

I’ve played a lot of video games in my lifetime, but there’s not a single one I can think of that matched the feeling I got from playing Toren. Toren is a very unique and imaginative game that hails from Brazil and it is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. This might sound cheesy, but I feel it’s not just a game, but an experience. One you really can’t get anywhere else, it’s hard to explain, but I’ll do my best.

I’m not sure if this game is based on a Brazilian legend or if it’s supposed to be metaphorical, either seems possible. You play as a young girl simply known as the Moonchild, who is trying to get to the top of a mythical tower. Along the way you talk to dead wise men, explore dream worlds, solve puzzles, and try to take out a powerful dragon that guards the tower. The most interesting factor in the game is when you are killed, you are reborn again. What’s interesting is this is often the way to solve many puzzles as the dragon will often turn your body into stone. Once reborn the statue of your previous death will be there still and you can use it to hide behind, reach places previously out of reach, or other imaginative uses of this device. It’s also worth mentioning that the tower is already filled with many of these statues, making it appear as if this is something that has happened many times before you.

The dream worlds you visit are also very interesting, as they are very surreal and beautiful to look at. The first one of these really impressed me, as it had my character underwater, and the visuals combined with the slight delay of the controls while in the sequence, actually made me feel like I was really underwater. It’s hard to explain, but it felt very immersive and it really impressed me. In fact all the visuals in the game are very pretty and they do a very good job of feeling very cinematic while still feeling like a very playable video game. It’s also worth mentioning that despite finishing this game I never felt like I 100% understood the story, but I also didn’t feel it mattered, because I was completely captivated from start to finish.

The only negative I can give Toren is that it is short and can be beaten in a few hours. There’s also a few times where I felt the camera was a little wonky, but never enough to be intrusive. Overall I’d say it’s well worth the money for the experience of playing Toren alone, but if the length really bothers you then you might want to wait for it to go on sale.

Kid Factor:

Kids will most likely find the game captivating despite not really understanding what’s going on. Though there is a lot of blood and some violence, so it might be best for older kids and teens to play this one.  –Robbie Allen

Tags: Reader Reviews!