Torment: Tides of Numenera trailer shows Earth one billion years from now

Gamescom wrapped up well over a week ago, so why are we just seeing the Torment: Tides of Numenera Gamescom trailer now? This, I cannot answer for you. I can say, however, that it looks really good. 

What I like most about the footage is that there's very little focus on combat, which is typically the central element of RPGs. In fact, it specifies that “combat is not the only option,” and while you're bound to get into a tussle or three, it's nice that it doesn't always have to be your Plan A.   

For me, that really hearkens back to how I approached Planescape: Torment, which was one of the first (and still only) fantasy RPGs in which I elected not to play as a meathead with a sword. The setting was so unusual that a completely different approach seemed called for, and it really worked out. Talking, instead of murdering, my way through the game was tremendously rewarding experience. 

We had a close look at Torment: Tides of Numenera earlier this year and while it was in a rough pre-release state, it was also very promising. “Every old-school Torment fan who worried that their favourite RPG might lose its sense of strange in the absence of the Planescape license can be reassured that this isn't the case,” we concluded. It's currently set to come out in early 2017.
 
 
 

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.