Grab your box of tissues Overclockers, you’re going to need them. This time we played the hard-hitting Torn Away developed by perelesoq.
Torn Away Story
Torn Away has you play as Aysa, a 10-year-old Russian girl, who is living through the horrors of World War 2. You will experience key events that Aysa had to endure in the four years the USSR was at war with Germany. You follow her from the opening days from where her father is called up leaving Aysa and her mother at home, through her journey back to her ancestral village in the wars closing days.
But, as I said, you’re going to need a box of tissues to get through this. Torn Away is not a long game, I managed to complete it in under four hours. In this time, you will be hit with repeated heartbreaks, as Aysa experiences a great many traumatic experiences. I won’t go into too much depth, as I believe this is a game you must experience yourself, to fully appreciate the horrors innocent people suffer during war. One early example I will share is Aysa’s home being bombed, from where she is then captured and taken to a German work camp.
Through all the difficulties Aysa must endure, she has her imaginary friend Comrade Mitten to help her through it. This is a patched mitten from her father, upon which Aysa sews a pair of button eyes. After which Aysa can then imagine this new friend to be a grizzled war veteran. Comrade Mitten won’t let Aysa give in to despair and is full of encouragement helping her to push on no matter what.
Gameplay
The majority of Torn Away is a 2D platformer, where you must travel through the wintery depths of eastern Germany as she attempts to return to her homeland. Within these sections, you perform standard platforming actions such as running, jumping, pushing obstacles, and crawling through tight spaces. Additionally, you can find short stealth sections during these levels, where you must duck between spots of cover when a guard isn’t looking.
In addition to the 2D platforming, there are moments of relative peace where you must help Aysa carry out tasks. In fact, this is the first type of gameplay that you will experience. At the start of the game, you help Aysa prepare for her mother’s birthday before she returns home, by making a present, putting on some music, and fixing up a mitten.
Lastly, there are some stages that take place in first person. During these moments, you must guide Aysa through a variety of situations. This can include walking through a raging blizzard looking for shelter, to following a Soviet plane that is flying overhead.
Our Thoughts
As I’ve said Torn Away is a heavy hitting game, which it needs to be. This makes it, at points, difficult to get through, but I think it is an important game to be played. It examines an aspect of WW2 that often gets overlooked, the impact on children.
I liken Torn Away to the deeply moving film The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, which examines the relationship between a young German boy and a Jewish child held in a concentration camp. Both shine a light on how we must do better to protect those who are truly innocent in a conflict. Something perelosoq brings up as soon as you start the game.
Torn Away is an impactful game which is easy to experience, for the most part, as there are a couple of jumps which require pixel perfect timing. It isn’t a long game, but it will stick with you for a long time.
How Can I Play Torn Away?
Torn Away is available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, as well as PlayStation 5. If you wish to play this haunting title, the recommended specs are:
| Component | Minimum Specs |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 7 (64-bit) |
| Processor | Intel Core2 Duo E6750 (2 2660) / AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 5000+ (2 2600) |
| Memory | 4GB |
| Graphics | GeForce GT 430 (1024MB) / Radeon HD 5570 (1024MB) |
| Storage | 5GB Available Space |
Our Recommended PCs to Play Torn Away
Torn Away is not a demanding game to play, but you’ll probably want to play something a little less emotionally intense, after you take a moment once you complete it. With the top-notch selection of gaming PCs from Overclockers UK, you can do both.
Refract Gaming Crimson
The Refract Gaming Crimson is the entry level system from Overclockers UK’s outstanding lineup of pre-built gaming PCs. With its powerful AMD Ryzen 5 5600G APU, coupled with 16GB of 3200MHz DDR4 memory, this is an ideal gaming computer for casual games, such as Fortnite, CS: GO, and Vaolrant. You will be able to enjoy these games at 1080p resolutions with smooth frame rates. What’s more, each Refract gaming PC is covered by our outstanding three-year parts and labour warranty, to give you peace of mind.
Medion Erazer Crawler E30
The Medion Erazer Crawler E30 is an outstanding gaming laptop for those who wish to get into the hobby. Boasting an Intel Core i5-12450H CPU, coupled with 16GB of 3200MHz DDR4 memory, and an NVIDIA RTX 3050 GPU, this laptop is ideal for playing a wide range of games, including titles such as Stardew Valley, Grand Theft Auto 5, and Warhammer 40K: Darktide. You will be able to enjoy pixel perfect gaming, thanks to the 15.6″ FHD screen, which boasts a 144Hz refresh rate.
OcUK Gaming Kinetic R7
The OcUK Gaming Kinetic R7 is a fantastic mid-range gaming PC. Our base model features an AMD Ryzen 5 7600 CPU, which can boost to an astounding 5.1GHz. This is coupled with 32GB of super-fast DDR5 dual-channel memory, alongside a powerful AMD Radeon RX 6500XT GPU. The OcUK Gaming Kinetic is an amazing choice for playing the latest games, such as Baldur’s Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077, and Hogwarts Legacy. Even better, you can customise this computer using our online configurator, or by giving us a call.
Are you Ready for Heartbreak?
Does the sound of this amazing game intrigue you? I hope so. If you do decide to pick it up, please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
PC specs are subject to change.
- 6 min read
Simon Procter
Author
Having been a gaming nut for longer than he cares to think, Simon landed his dream job over a year ago at Overclockers UK. Since then, he has written many product pages and category texts. He even gets released from the basement to write the odd cheeky blog post. When not working, you can often find him entrenched in World of Warcraft, visiting friends to have his butt whooped in a board game, or with his nose buried in a book.
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