Halls of Torment: Prelude

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Halls of Torment: Prelude is a single player casual role playing game. It was developed by Chasing Carrots and was released on March 9, 2023. It received very positive reviews from players.

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 …

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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92%

Audience ScoreBased on 849 reviews

graphics38 positive mentions

grinding19 negative mentions

The game combines the nostalgic aesthetics of Diablo with engaging gameplay mechanics, making it a fun experience.
The meta-progression system allows for meaningful upgrades and customization, enhancing replayability.
The variety of enemies and their unique attack patterns create a challenging and dynamic gameplay experience.

The game suffers from balance issues, with some characters and abilities feeling significantly weaker than others.
There are performance issues, particularly during intense gameplay moments, leading to crashes and lag.
The upgrades can feel underwhelming and lack the impactful changes that players expect from similar games.

graphics
105 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
61%
3%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their nostalgic homage to the classic Diablo aesthetic, featuring a gritty, retro style that evokes the 1990s isometric RPGs. While some players appreciate the low-resolution, pixelated visuals as a charming throwback, others note that the graphics can occasionally appear blurry or lack polish. Overall, the art style is considered a strong point, enhancing the game's atmosphere and appeal, particularly for fans of the genre.
- “The graphics, dialogue, and music are all very reminiscent of the pixelated realism of classic Diablo, and this game will make any fan of those games feel right at home.”
- “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 beautiful graphics, intense action, and endless replayability, it is a must-play for anyone looking for a thrilling gaming experience.”
- “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.”
- “Something is very wrong with this game if my rig can run Diablo III at max graphics but chokes on something that should be way less demanding.”
gameplay
91 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
56%
4%
The gameplay is characterized by a blend of addictive mechanics reminiscent of "Vampire Survivors" and classic "Diablo" aesthetics, offering a satisfying loop of progression and exploration. While many players appreciate the balance between challenge and empowerment, some criticize the simplicity of upgrades and certain mechanics that can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game is engaging and enjoyable, with a nostalgic feel that keeps players coming back for more.
- “There's layers of fun gameplay elements that make you want to unlock everything and keep playing.”
- “The gameplay is a rendition of vampire survivors with minimal twists, but it does a very good job at keeping the balance between making the player feel powerful and challenging them.”
- “It has an addicting gameplay loop that makes you want to play just one more hour.”
- “Halls of Torment is a lightweight retro (read: lazy pixel crap) contentless top-down shooter/brawler with thin and pointless RPG mechanics bolted on.”
- “You will never feel as if you have any upper hand at any point, so it takes away from the gameplay.”
- “It looked cool, but overall it's circle strafing a horde with no real tension to its gameplay.”
story
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
76%
12%
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth, with some players noting that it feels non-existent and is not adequately represented even in promotional materials. While the quest system provides a structure for progression and engagement, many quests can feel tedious, and the overall narrative experience is seen as minimal, leaving players hoping for more substantial story elements in future updates. Despite these shortcomings, the game offers a nostalgic vibe reminiscent of classic titles like Diablo, with potential for growth in its RPG elements.
- “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
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
48%
14%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its nostalgic and evocative qualities, reminiscent of classic titles like Diablo, with a dark and eerie tone that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the combination of graphical style, sound design, and gameplay elements that create a compelling and immersive environment. While some suggest areas for improvement, the overall sentiment is that the atmosphere significantly contributes to the game's enjoyment and replayability.
- “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.”
- “There is an underlying tenseness in its dark atmosphere which adds some kind of seriousness to the game, just love it.”
- “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!”
music
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
58%
16%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its atmospheric dark fantasy themes that complement the setting, reminiscent of classic titles like Diablo. While some find the soundtrack engaging and addictive, others describe it as generic and forgettable, noting that it enhances the overall experience but lacks standout tracks. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's ambiance, though opinions vary on its memorability and impact.
- “The graphics, dialogue, and music are all very reminiscent of the pixelated realism of classic Diablo, and this game will make any fan of those games feel right at home.”
- “Wonderful game that reminds me of Diablo in the inventory system, visuals, music, and gameplay.”
- “But what I like most about it is that it has big Diablo 1 vibes, not only in how it looks, but also the music and sound effects. This combo makes this game very pleasing to play and listen to, and with the atmosphere it gives combined with the gameplay itself, we have a quite fun game that makes you want to play more.”
- “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.”
- “Like aesthetic, more than vs. like music and fact that I don't f*** everyone.”
grinding
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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.”
monetization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy for "Halls of Torment" has been criticized as misleading, with users describing it as an advertisement rather than a full game. The game is essentially a paid demo that charges nearly $7, which many feel is an inappropriate way to market a product, detracting from genuine game developers and cluttering the gaming space with promotional content. Overall, the approach is seen as harmful to gamers who deserve authentic gaming experiences rather than advertisements disguised as games.
- “The purpose of this advertisement is to get you to shell out almost $7 to buy the full game, and I don't recommend you do.”
- “While it might seem like an innocuous mistake, publishing demos and advertisements as if they are full games is misleading and in some ways harmful.”
- “It's impossible for me to recommend this incorrectly published advertising spam to gamers; you deserve better than adverts.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
46%
36%
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with users reporting crashes, stuttering, and performance issues, particularly on older computers 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
22%
45%
33%
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. Players who enjoy the genre may find enough reasons to return, especially if future updates enhance the experience.
- “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.”
- “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
100%
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 viewed 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
100%
Players appreciate the emotional depth of the game, highlighting it as a compelling experience that offers a rollercoaster of feelings, including despair, rather than straightforward victories.
- “Who needs easy wins when you can have an emotional rollercoaster of despair?”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized as straightforward yet effective, providing players with amusing moments that enhance the overall experience.
- “Simple, but funny.”

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11h Median play time

13h Average play time

10-21h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Halls of Torment: Prelude is a casual role playing game.

Halls of Torment: Prelude is available on PC, Steam Deck, Windows and Linux.

On average players spend around 13 hours playing Halls of Torment: Prelude.

Halls of Torment: Prelude was released on March 9, 2023.

Halls of Torment: Prelude was developed by Chasing Carrots.

Halls of Torment: Prelude has received very positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its graphics but disliked it for its story.

Halls of Torment: Prelude is a single player game.

Similar games include Halls of Torment, Death Must Die, Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel, Conquest Dark, Tower of Babel: Survivors of Chaos and others.

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