Halls of Torment PC Preview

Halls of Torment title art with a fighter and archer standing in the middle of a room surrounded by skeletons and other baddies.

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Halls of Torment is a fantasy horde survival roguelite. It is developed and published by Chasing Carrots (Good Company, Pressure Overdrive). You can find it out now in Early Access on Steam.

Halls of Torment is Another Steam Deck Staple

I’ve never really been into horde survival games. I held out a long time before finally picking up Vampire Survivors when it suddenly became so popular. But once I did get around to it I could understand why. Halls of Torment is looking like it will be the same way. I’ve already added it to my list of games that will always be available on my Steam Deck. The list isn’t long yet, but any game that is as simple and entertaining to pick up for a quick session should be there. What’s on your list?

Gameplay

Halls of Torment is one of the latest horde survival roguelites to hit Steam. It joins the likes of the well-known Vampire Survivors, Soulstone Survivors, and Boneraiser Minions. (Yes that’s an actual game, go look it up.) It falls into the roguelite category because every run earns you some form of progression to carry on to the next run. Though things may feel overwhelming to start, after only a few runs and some blessings and gear upgrades, you’ll be taking on waves of enemies like there’s no tomorrow.

The player character stands in the middle of the screen surrounded by enemies all around while attacking with a flamethrower. Experience vials or gems are littered about the area to collect. The player's XP bar and health pool are on the left whereas the abilities and counters are on the right of the screen. — If my character wasn’t always at the center of the screen I’m sure I’d lose myself at times.

Much like similar games, Halls of Torment starts you off with only one hero to choose from. You earn additional heroes by simply playing the game and completing quests of specific criteria. Quests are also how you earn additional enhancements to abilities and items that can drop as well. Each run also earns you gold that can be put toward levelling up your blessings or buying items you have sent up to save from the halls.

The premise of the game overall is fairly simple – survive your chosen hall if you can. Each run in Halls of Torment has a 30 minute limit, so it is easy to pick up and play for a quick run or two. Though it doesn’t seem to have combining abilities as a feature such as in Vampire Survivors, deciding your upgrades and abilities as you progress can make or break a run just as easily. At the end of each run, you receive a rundown of all your stats from the run, including any achievements or quests completed.

The quest tablet for one of the halls is shown as stone-like squares across it. Each square that stands out from the background is a different quest. — Quests unlock items, abilities, characters and gold.

Graphics & Audio

I think the thing I love most about Halls of Torment is the nostalgic art style. Something about it just screams Diablo at me. It’s so fun to play a game that can be both retro and modern at the same time. And for what it is, the graphics fit perfectly. Honestly, I feel like it would be nearly unplayable if someone threw in higher-resolution graphics. I know my Steam Deck would be cooking for sure.

The audio in Halls of Torment is equally enjoyable. The tracks provide a great overall ambient tone for each hall. Makes me think of not only Diablo but games like Castlevania as well. Hearing all those baddies die is music to the ears too. I especially love the crumple of a skeleton or many at my feet.

Longevity

Though Halls of Torment is only in Early Access, there is quite a good amount of core content present. It may be simple on the surface, but the more you play the more you really get a feel of just how much depth is there. Chasing Carrots only plans to have the game in Early Access for a maximum of six months. So if you don’t get your hours in now don’t worry – there will be plenty more content to satiate your appetite for horde slaying to come. It honestly took me longer to write this review than I expected because I kept just wanting to play more instead of writing.

The game over screen with stats for the run are shown. These include gold earned, time survived as remaining time in the run, kills, achievements, etc. — The game over screen gives a nice summary of your run.

Final Thoughts

In summary, Halls of Torment is already shaping up to be a great game. If you enjoy horde survival games, especially those akin to Vampire Survivors, you have to check this one out. I’m definitely going to be racking up the hours in my free time.

If you enjoyed this review, be sure to check out my other reviews here.

Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.

About Author

Jordan Rooker

A gaming enthusiast from age 5, Jordan plays games of all sorts. Whether he’s deep into the latest MMO, grinding for gear in his favorite looter-shooter, or popping zombies in Call of Duty – you can guarantee he’s spending the little free time he has as a Technical Support Consultant to game. Join him in checking out some of the latest releases and upcoming games.

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