The most imaginative, unique, and SCARY storyline to come out in a long time.
The graphics, although nothing spectacular, are more than capable of presenting the grotesque visuals in eye-pleasing fashion. Game play mechanics are smooth and easy, and work as well as any third-person production on the market. Although the game is intended to be played in third-person perspective (in order to fully appreciate the eerie surroundings), the player has the option of switching to a first-person view on-the-fly for more accurate aiming, thus providing the best of both worlds. Sound is exceptional. The dramatic musical score during combat sequences, the muffled, almost inaudible screams and moans echoing thru the halls, the intimidating scrape of a Slayers' blade on concrete, all raise the anxiety level and help immerse the player in this deliciously dreadful world.
And then there's the imaginative monster design, creatures that embody some of the most horrific examples of man's inhumanity to man. The player will encounter manifestations of such acts as hangings, decapitations, firing squads, even being buried alive. Sweet! But it is the story that sets The Suffering apart from other games in this (or any) genre. Thru documents presented in the loading screens and options menu, as well as in-game cut scenes and hallucinations, the player will learn not only about the island's wretched history, but also what kind of man Torque has been. And by presenting various "angel-on-my-shoulder" or "devil-in-my-pocket" moral dilemmas, the developers have given the player the ability to choose what kind of man Torque will become.
The bottom line, although this may not be a game to everyone's taste, for the player looking for something a little different, The Suffering presents a breath of putridly fresh air.