Torment: Tides of Numenera

Lore & Background

The game takes place one billion years in the future, where the rise and fall of countless civilizations have left Earth in a roughly medieval state. Humanity lives in simple settlements surrounded by technological relics of the past, known as the numenera, which are often mistaken for magic. The protagonist, the Last Castoff, is a human host abandoned by a powerful being called the Changing God, and begins the game without memory. The player can choose the protagonist's gender and develop skills and personality through interactions. Three base character classes—Glaive (warrior), Nano (wizard), and Jack (rogue)—can be customized with descriptors and foci. Instead of a traditional alignment system, the game uses Tides, which represent the reactions a person inspires in others; the composition of Tides determines the character's Legacy, affecting bonuses, powers, and special abilities.

Reader's Guide

Torment: Tides of Numenera is notable for its successful Kickstarter campaign, which set a record for the highest-funded video game on the platform at the time, raising over US$4 million against a US$900,000 goal. The game preserves and refines the character complexity and dialogue depth that were hallmarks of Planescape: Torment. Its narrative focuses on the Last Castoff's search for a way to defeat or escape the Sorrow, an entity that seeks to destroy the Changing God and his creations. The story explores the question 'What does one life matter?' through interactions with seven companions and the use of Meres—artifacts that allow the player to experience other worlds and dimensions. The game's development involved key figures from the original Planescape: Torment team, including Chris Avellone and Colin McComb, and composer Mark Morgan returned to create the soundtrack. The release date was initially set for December 2014 but was pushed back to February 2017.

Did You Know?

• Torment: Tides of Numenera set the record for highest-funded video game on Kickstarter with over US$4 million pledged.
• The game uses a 'Tides' system instead of a classic alignment system to represent a character's ethical and moral compass.
• The protagonist, the Last Castoff, is the final vessel for the consciousness of an ancient man known as the Changing God.
• The game's setting, the Ninth World, is one billion years in the future, with humanity living among relics of past civilizations.