Toren Reviews
Toren's weak central mechanics, repetitive action, and overall bugginess are mitigated somewhat by its engaging mood and direction.
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.
There's nothing majorly wrong with Toren. Although barren, its gameplay systems operate well enough, going hand-in-hand with developer Swordtales' minimalist approach. That said, mechanically, it fails to do anything that truly immerses players any more than the game's pretty visuals.
Toren is the first release from Swordtales, and I feel the game could have used a little bit more time to iron out any of the technical issues. There are optional important story sequences that are easy to miss, so you may want to fully explore regions. Randomly falling through the floor randomly, and being able to see through the character models at times is inexcusable, but the narrative of rebirth and completing one's destiny no matter the adversity is well put together.
Toren is a very cool concept that's held back by its rough presentation, especially on the PC platform. Truth be told though, I think developer Swordtales should keep making games and simply refine its touch, as the studio clearly has the knack for it.
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.
A beautiful and thought provoking exploration into so many different ideas on life, which can be completed in one joyous, yet bewildering, sitting.
I've been contemplating the best way to word this part of my review, and I just have to think being blunt and forward is the best way to go. This game is mediocre. It's a nice first try at a game, and the story of it is pretty great, but everything else falls so short I'm forced to simply say unless you're a big fan of indie games and you don't care about quality, don't bother playing this game.
Toren has great style and a compelling story to tell. Though it's dragged down by its gameplay, it's still far more than worth the asking price for the experience it offers.
Toren is a short but sweet game about growing up, climbing towers, and fighting dragons, all shrouded in symbolism and cosmic metaphors. While it has its flaws - including a noticeably limited playtime - it's an incredibly unique outing from Swordtales that's well worth playing.
Toren shoots for the moon but lands nowhere special.
'Toren's artistic approach is marred by finicky controls, a troublesome camera, and gameplay that feels more like small proofs of concept than a cohesive product.