Torment: Tides of Numenera

I'm leaving a positive review because ultimately it is a Good Game. Not a great one, however. And I'm going to use this text box to complain about some of the things that bug me about it.
The writing is... "good". Competent. Workmanlike. Blessedly, mostly free of typos and stylistic solecisms. But it is *absolutely* missing that spark that makes Planescape: Torment such an evergreen classic. And there is SO MUCH of it, it really throws off the game's overall pacing, *as* a game. It's a cliché to say this about this game at this point, but it really is more like reading a doorstopper novel than playing a CRPG, in terms of what the vast majority of your time is spent on. I read doorstopper fantasy/SF novels all the time, and I found myself skimming dialogue because it's incredibly wordy and starts to blur together into sludge. It's a shame, because if you take any one dialogue in isolation, it'll have 3 or 4 incredibly cool ideas packed into it. But when you have to read 10, 20, 50 of those dialogues to get through a 2-hour gaming session, the brain fatigues.
It also doesn't help that you quickly notice a certain writerly rhythm from which the narrative voice never really deviates.
> "One sentence of dialogue. A second sentence of dialogue." She drags her hand through her hair. "Another sentence of dialogue." She spreads her hands. "Another sentence of dialogue. A wry quip." She grins.
This is how 95% of dialogues with NPCs are constructed. This basic pattern, over and over and over and over. It starts to feel very rote, very formulaic, like the vast amount of text in this game was assembled in a giant industrial Mad-Libs factory. It's "good writing" if you take any one of these dialogue snippets in isolation, but quickly becomes repetitive and grating.

This world is strange, beautiful, and incredibly talkative. I get the feeling even a random rock on the ground could tell me the secrets of life, the universe, and everything it's been through for the past 3000 years.

Dubious recommendation. The imagination and world-building are second-to-none; every character you talk to has an interesting story to tell. It's just a shame that talking to characters is pretty much the only thing there is to do.

I really wanted to enjoy the game. And I did when I played for the first time some years ago. Now I wanted to replay, but couldn't finish it for some reason. I started falling asleep trying to read all the dialogues. Maybe I'm just getting old.

Great RPG and the closest thing to Planescape:Torment you can find
True adventure with a captivating story, memorable characters, and an atmospheric soundtrack. The biggest selling point of Torment: ToN, though, is a truly unique, inimitable science fantasy world the devs managed to create for this game. It's interesting to talk to every character, explore every level, and finish every quest because you never know what you'll witness or find out—there are so many interesting ideas in this game it'll make your head spin.
The gameplay loop isn't that extraordinary but still pretty good due to the well-made leveling system with useful stats and skills. You'll constantly use them during journeys, dialogues and battles and find lots of different items you can utilize or sell. But keep in mind that as a true spiritual successor to Planescape, this game focuses on dialogues and storytelling rather than on combat and long travel sequences, so be prepared for A LOT of reading.
If you're tired of samey RPGs that don't offer anything new to the player and keep feeding you old concepts like orcs, elves, castles, brave knights, or sci-fi robots and spaceships, Tides of Numenera will become that very breath of fresh air you so desperately need.

I remember reading some writing advice once that said that strangeness was a currency you had to spend carefully; people needed some reality from which to base themselves, and to give the unreal content contrast and meaning.
Tides of Numenera took none of that advice. It was strangeness on the surface, and beneath the surface, and in its thoughts and prayers. It was a bit exhausting.
That said, I found it compelling enough to finish. I love the classic CRPG pre-rendered 2D backgrounds. The locations are stunning. The characters are strange and unique without being obstructive or obtuse; you can usually find common ground with them and progress without violence, which for me is the very centre of a true roleplaying experience.
The combat is quite dull, as other reviews have pointed out, but it really isn't the core of the game, and is infrequent enough not to get too boring.
This game is really for fans of Planescape: Torment. Fans of Pillars, Tyranny, and the Baldur's Gate games will find the maps and interfacing familiar and nostalgic, but it doesn't have any of the mechanical depth of those latter games.

Honestly, I prefer it to Planescape. Planescape has a unique edge, is very dreamlike and, to be clear, totally rules. But the world of Numenera speaks to me! I love mysterious tech, interdimensional beings, hive minds, etc, and this game has them in spades. The dialogue options are fascinating and extremely deep, the systems and characters are great, and yeah if you're looking for an introspective, strange RPG in a varied and distinctive world, look no further.