The Suffering

The Good
I have always loved TV shows and video games set inside a prison, and The Suffering is no exception. The game was the brainchild of designer Richard Rouse III who took elements from Devil May Cry, Resident Evil, and Half-Life to create an excellent story-driven, horror shooter packed with atmosphere.

The game is set in Abbott State Penitentiary where a death row inmate named Torque is imprisoned for murdering his ex-wife and children. He claims that he doesn't remember what happened due to blackouts he is having. Shortly after his arrival, an earthquake strikes Carnate Island, unleashing strange supernatural creatures that kill everything in their path, including guards and inmates. Torque must find a way to escape Abbott, while fighting for his survival and figuring out what really happened to his family.

The Suffering is comprised of about twenty levels, and most of them are quite long. Each level is spent exploring each of the locations, collecting weapons and items, and fighting the many creature along the ways. You start out with a shiv which is more effective against the first group of enemies you encountered, but as you progress through the game, you can pick up more powerful weapons such as dual revolvers, tommy guns, and shotguns; and can also add grenades to your supply.

Early in the game, you are given the ability to transform into a hideous beast - similar to what was given to Ethan Cole in Area-51 – and you are forced to make use of this ability early on in the game to proceed. It is activated when your “insanity meter” is full, and you do this by killing enough creatures. You have a limited amount of time before you have to change back into a human again. This monster ability is effective when you're facing swarms of creatures or when you are low on ammo. Having said that, Torque's monster transformation is impressive.

What's unique about the creatures Torque encounters is the way that they show various forms of execution. Slayers, for example, were all former victims of decapitation, while Mainliners died due to lethal injection. Mainliners suffered from lethal injections, while Marksman faced death by firing squad. Each of the creatures Torque faces are well designed and animated nicely, and their artificial intelligence is equally impressive. Mainliners lunge at you when Torque is at a certain distance and stab you with a syringe, while Marksman point their cannons at you and fire.

I like how the game uses a morality system, in which your decisions affect the game and determine which one of the three endings you will view; and you are given clues on which path you're going down. For instance, making bad choices will result in flashes where Carmen tells you off. Also, you eventually look inhuman, and the family photo Torque always carries around will get bloody.

Torque will also meet up with non-playable characters who will often tell him what he must do and how to go about doing it. How you treat these NPCs will also affect morality, resulting in different dialogue and whatnot. And as far as NPCs are concerned, you can go ahead and kill as many as you can, but then you won't be able to find out what you need to do.

I like exploring the locations the game has to offer, as fully exploring them gives you the opportunity to stock up on supplies. As you arrive in new locations and meet certain types of creatures for the first time, information is unlocked and stored in the “Archives”. This makes for interesting reading as it gives you an insight of the areas Torque visited and the creatures he encountered so far.

Most reviewers complain how dark the visuals are; but in my opinion, they blend well with the game's theme. The visuals can be so dark in fact that you have to use flashlights to see. There are flashes that happen occasionally during the game, and these flashes keep you on edge. The last horror game that I played was Alan Wake, and as I said in my review of that game, I kept looking back to see if there were any dangers behind me. Same with this one.

Most of the sound was brilliantly done by Erik Aho, who created instruments out of objects and used them for the areas depicted in the game. In the asylum, for instance, you hear screams and cries in the background, as well as the victrola coming from Dr. Killjoy's office. The battle music also blends in with a certain area, and is also unique to whatever boss you are fighting.

The puzzles in The Suffering range from easy to very difficult, but most of them can be solved quite well if you know what you're doing. Some puzzles require you to explore your surroundings or going around and flipping switches. One puzzle is located mid-way in the game where every projector in the asylum to unlock the gates so that you can make your way to Dr. Killjoy. However, some of them are difficult to destroy and require you to get to a different area first. Some puzzles are even based on real-life scenarios, to the point where you could say “Why didn't I think of that earlier?”

Other neat features that I like are the ability to switch perspectives from third-person to first-person, and vice versa. This is especially useful for players who are uncomfortable using the default perspective, but having played Alan Wake I don't have a problem with third-person. Also, I like how Torque gets bloodied if he kills a creature at close range, and the way he slows down when he is low on health.

The Bad
At the beginning of each level, there are handwritten notes from Torque himself, which are interesting to read. Unfortunately for me, the game didn't give me a chance to read it as there was a two-second load. Midway could have asked the player to “press a key to continue”, similar to what happens in F.E.A.R., in case they have fast computers like mine.

The Bottom Line
The Suffering is an excellent game filled with atmosphere, great graphics and sound, and a riveting story that gets you hooked right from the start. The game offers many locations that are worth exploring, and the archives that detail both the location's history and the creatures that Torque will encounter make for interesting reading. The puzzles can be quite easy if you know what you are doing, and the game's morality system means that the game can be replayed again and gain, just to watch different endings and hear alternate dialogue. Two thumbs up, way up!