Torment: Tides of Numenera goes live on Kickstarter

InXile's Torment: Tides of Numenera has just gone live on Kickstarter . Billed as a sort of thematic successor to the acclaimed Planescape: Torment, the team are looking to raise $900,000 to secure its future. It's been running less than an hour and backers have already pledged over $150,000 $185,000 $200,000 ... Yeah, it's going to be hard to get an exact figure while people excitedly throw handfuls of cash at their screen.

The Kickstarter page runs through the features inXile have planned for the game.

  • "Torment is a single-player, isometric role-playing game.
  • "You will play a single, specific character, though you will encounter optional NPC companions you may choose to include in your party.
  • "The story-driven game will have a rich dialogue system and approach similar to that of Planescape: Torment.
  • "The game will be developed in the Unity engine for PC (Windows), Mac, and Linux platforms.
  • "The game will be available in English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian, Spanish.
  • "The game will be distributed DRM-free. (You'll be able to get it from Steam, and other DRM-free download options will be made available.)"

But perhaps more than what the game will be, fans of old-school RPGs are going to be more interested in how the game continues in Planescape's immortal footsteps. InXile have you covered on that front, too.

  • "A Deep, Thematically Satisfying Story: The philosophical underpinnings of Torment drive the game, both mechanically and narratively. Your words, choices, and actions will be your primary weapons.
  • "A World Unlike Any Other. The game has a fantastic, original setting, with awe-inspiring painterly visuals, imaginative locations, truly offbeat items, and massive feats of magic. In Numenera, however, "magic" is actually something surprisingly different.
  • "A Rich, Personal Narrative. The story is thoughtful and character-driven—epic in feel but a deeply personal narrative, with nontraditional characters and companions who have their own motivations and desires that drive them throughout the game.
  • "Reactivity, Choice, and Real Consequences. The game emphasizes replayability and reactivity, and your choices will make a real difference. You can play the game with a different approach and discover entirely new pathways. Most important, we won't tell you how to play. The best ending is the one you choose, flowing naturally from your actions throughout the game."

As for the funding options, $20 gets you a digital copy of the game on its planned late-2014 release, with an escalating selection of available bonuses as per Kickstarter tradition.

Phil Savage
Editor-in-Chief

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.