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Halls of Torment: Prelude

93%Game Brain Score
graphics, gameplay
story, grinding
93% User Score Based on 823 reviews

Platforms

PCPCSDSteam DeckWinWindowsLinLinux
Buy NowGet on Steam

About

Halls of Torment PRELUDE is a casual roguelite action RPG with a pre-rendered retro look reminiscent of RPGs from the late 90s. Choose one of three hero characters and descend into the deadly Halls of Torment. Fight unholy horrors from beyond and survive wave after wave of enemies until you face one of the tormented Lords. Strengthen your hero with character traits, abilities, and items. Create a …

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Halls of Torment: Prelude screenshot
Halls of Torment: Prelude screenshot
Halls of Torment: Prelude screenshot

93%
Audience ScoreBased on 823 reviews
graphics37 positive mentions
grinding19 negative mentions
  • The game offers a fun and addictive gameplay loop that combines elements of Diablo and Vampire Survivors, providing a nostalgic experience.
  • The graphics and atmosphere are reminiscent of classic 90s RPGs, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the game.
  • The demo provides a substantial amount of content, allowing players to explore various mechanics and upgrades before committing to the full game.
  • The game suffers from stability issues, with frequent crashes reported, particularly on certain platforms like the Steam Deck.
  • Some players find the gameplay to be slow and grindy, with upgrades feeling minimal and not impactful enough to enhance the experience.
  • There are concerns about balancing, with certain classes and abilities feeling underpowered compared to others, leading to frustration during gameplay.
  • graphics
    100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are heavily inspired by the classic Diablo aesthetic, evoking a strong sense of nostalgia for 90s isometric RPGs. While many players appreciate the retro art style and atmospheric visuals, some note that the graphics can appear low-resolution and occasionally confusing during gameplay. Overall, the aesthetic is well-received, with a blend of gritty charm and satisfying sound design, though opinions vary on its execution and impact on gameplay enjoyment.

    • “The graphics accurately recreate the retro look of the 1990s isometric RPGs that were popular at the time, to the point where the game looks a little low-res and you can make out the polygonal shapes.”
    • “With its impressive combination of Diablo 2-style graphics and a bullet hell survival game, this rogue-like masterpiece is guaranteed to keep you engaged and entertained for hours on end.”
    • “The graphics are reminiscent of the classic Diablo 2, with dark, foreboding dungeons and beautifully designed enemies that really bring the game to life.”
    • “The graphics of this game are still bad in absolute terms.”
    • “Graphically messy, no creativity in the power-ups, boring maps, and above all just tedious instead of a tactical power fantasy.”
    • “It's a worse, simple clone of vampire survivors blended with a plain/basic diablo aesthetic.”
  • gameplay
    85 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is a blend of addictive mechanics reminiscent of "Vampire Survivors" and classic "Diablo" aesthetics, offering both simplicity and depth through unique upgrades and quests. While many players find the core loop engaging and satisfying, some criticize the lack of novelty in upgrades and certain boss mechanics that can detract from the experience. Overall, the game is praised for its nostalgic visuals and solid gameplay, though it may require further balancing and content to fully shine.

    • “With gameplay that's both simple and complex, exploring the numerous methods of eliminating entire armies is more fun than it has any right to be.”
    • “It has an addicting gameplay loop that makes you want to play just one more hour.”
    • “Although the gameplay is typical for the genre, its unique sub-systems make the journey enjoyable and I always found myself wanting to complete the next quest, get another piece of gear, and become stronger via the meta upgrades and equipment.”
    • “Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of that gameplay; this particular vampire survivor-inspired game leans much closer to a traditional RPG in terms of the earned upgrades within a run.”
    • “It looked cool, but overall it's just circle strafing a horde with no real tension to its gameplay.”
    • “You will never feel as if you have any upper hand at any point, so it takes away from the gameplay.”
  • story
    26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is largely criticized for being non-existent, with many players noting a lack of narrative depth or backstory, even in promotional materials. While the quest system provides a structure for progression and engagement, some quests can feel tedious, and the overall narrative experience is minimal, leaving players hoping for future updates that might enhance the RPG elements and storytelling. Despite these shortcomings, the game offers a nostalgic vibe reminiscent of classic titles like Diablo, with potential for growth in its narrative and character development.

    • “Heavy old-school Diablo vibes paired with a complex skill system and a deep quest system.”
    • “The quests that you get to do certain tasks make the experience more enjoyable.”
    • “I think Halls of Torment could actually become a great game if the devs go more in depth with the RPG elements and include stuff like dungeons, skill trees for characters, and possibly story progress.”
    • “The story is completely non-existent and there isn't anything in-game or even on the Steam store page, which is odd because sometimes developers at least put some sort of backstory in the description on the store page if there's nothing in the game.”
    • “It feels like a priced product and to not spoil anything, the full game also has a fantastic progression system, though some quests can be a chore to do and that applies to both the prelude and the priced product.”
    • “Promising start, I hope more story and characters get added using the old Diablo animations.”
  • atmosphere
    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its dark, eerie, and nostalgic qualities, reminiscent of classic titles like Diablo. Reviewers appreciate the combination of evocative art style, sound design, and gameplay that creates a tense and immersive experience. While some suggest improvements to map design, the overall ambiance is considered a significant strength, enhancing the enjoyment and replayability of the game.

    • “There is an underlying tenseness in its dark atmosphere which adds some kind of seriousness to the game; I just love it.”
    • “The dark and eerie atmosphere sets the mood perfectly, reminiscent of that one time you thought you heard a noise in your house but were too scared to investigate.”
    • “Fantastic aesthetic and atmosphere; I see a lot of potential in this.”
    • “While I do think that the design of the currently available maps could be more exciting and that the game's atmosphere could be improved by a lot, Halls of Torment Prelude is a nice addition to the libraries for not only fans of the Diablo franchise.”
    • “Yes, it is, but I can't help but feel that it adds nothing except Diablo 2 graphics and atmosphere.”
    • “The atmosphere and feel of the game is very nostalgic!”
  • grinding
    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and unengaging, with many players feeling that progress lacks excitement and clarity. While some appreciate the unique quest system that provides milestones and rewards, others find the overall experience repetitive and uninspired, leading to a sense of frustration rather than enjoyment. Despite some players enjoying the grind for its relaxing qualities, the general consensus leans towards it being a lackluster and overly grindy experience.

    • “There's nothing to feel particularly excited about and progress feels tedious and pointless, which does not help with the repetitive nature of the game.”
    • “While the pre-rendered, Diablo 1 style visuals are a nice throwback, this game fails to offer any sort of novelty or at least match the satisfying gameplay of Vampire Survivors - the skills here are uninspiring, the progress too, and killing stuff becomes tedious after a while.”
    • “There are certain pacing issues that I'd like to see resolved, like the suboptimal experience gain combined with the obnoxiously short pick-up distance that makes leveling extremely tedious as you herd the monsters around so you can position yourself closer to the gems.”
  • music
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its atmospheric dark fantasy compositions that enhance the gameplay experience, while others find it generic and forgettable. Many players appreciate the sound effects and voice acting, noting that the music evokes nostalgia reminiscent of classic titles like Diablo. Overall, the soundtrack contributes positively to the game's immersive atmosphere, despite some criticisms regarding its originality.

    • “They have a battle pass system that integrates perfectly with the smooth gameplay, reactive controls, and hypnotic musical score; this game could be a Diablo 4 killer.”
    • “Wonderful game that reminds me of Diablo in the inventory system, visuals, music, and gameplay.”
    • “Addicting, super fun, great visuals and soundtrack.”
    • “The soundtrack is composed of generic atmospheric dark fantasy songs.”
    • “The soundtrack is made up of dark fantasy songs that suit the area they play in but are otherwise forgettable; the sound effects are sonorous, and the voice acting for the one character is surprisingly good.”
    • “I do think Vampire Survivors has better music, but with that said, the gameplay is comparable.”
  • optimization
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with users reporting crashes, stuttering, and performance issues, particularly on older hardware and during intense gameplay moments. While some players have noted improvements over time, many are hopeful for future patches to enhance performance and address these concerns. Overall, the game's potential is recognized, but its current performance detracts from the experience.

    • “If performance in late-game improves and more content is added, it's going to be super-awesome.”
    • “One note: in the end-game shortly before 30 minutes, the performance sometimes goes a bit down, but I know that the devs are working on this, and I'm certain that with more patches at some point it will be fluent.”
    • “There are small gaps here and there - like linear mob spawns, some performance issues and ways to easily kill bosses.”
    • “Hopefully they do a performance patch, and when they do I will happily change my review. I think it's a really good game, but it doesn't matter how good it is if it runs badly.”
    • “When in fullscreen, there is significant stuttering on the character selection screen.”
  • replayability
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's replayability is seen as a mixed bag; while some players appreciate its solid mechanics and potential for variety with additional classes and environments, others feel it may be limited in scope. The challenging stages and engaging gameplay contribute positively to replay value, but there are concerns about its long-term appeal. Ultimately, it offers enjoyable experiences reminiscent of other successful titles, yet many hope for improvements in future updates.

    • “If you're a fan of the genre, then I recommend trying it out for yourself as it's a solid and short game by itself with a fair amount of replay value and a hint of nostalgia.”
    • “Another great feature of Halls of Torment is its replayability.”
    • “With its beautiful graphics, intense action, and endless replayability, it is a must-play for anyone looking for a thrilling gaming experience.”
    • “Fun game, but feels like it might be very limited from a replay value perspective.”
    • “Although I had fun playing it, it lacks replayability, but also has a lot of potential, so I hope the release is better.”
    • “More classes and more environments will for sure add enough variety to make the game more replayable.”
  • stability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, users report mixed experiences with stability; while some encountered minor bugs and crashes, others experienced smooth gameplay without any serious issues. The game is generally seen as a more stable and enjoyable alternative to Diablo IV.

    • “Still a bit buggy (2 crashes) but so much fun!”
    • “No crashes or glitches in my first 6 hours on the prelude.”
    • “No serious bugs or glitches.”
  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players appreciate the emotional depth of the game, highlighting it as a powerful experience that evokes a wide range of feelings, including despair, rather than simply providing easy victories.

    • “Who needs easy wins when you can have an emotional rollercoaster of despair?”
  • humor
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is characterized as straightforward yet effective, providing players with enjoyable comedic moments.

    • “Simple, but funny.”

Buy Halls of Torment: Prelude

11h Median play time
13h Average play time
10-21h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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