Developed by perelesoq, ‘Torn Away’ is an interactive story set during World War 2, in 1944, and dedicated to all the children and civilians affected by the war. You play as Asya and she can not fight and does not want to, she just wants to go home. Combining the best elements of adventure games, this side-scroller has stealth mechanics and first-person cinematic cutscenes.

Together with the player, Asya will have to cross all of Germany and Poland to attempt to get back home to her family. Survive the woods, sneak past and hide from the soldiers with machine guns. Don’t forget the simple joys of childhood that await you at home. Even in a world at war, you will find support in others with similarly difficult fates.

Being a very short demo only lasting 40 minutes, you do get to experience some of what Torn Away has to offer with its full release which, unfortunately, doesn’t have a release date at this time. The demo includes 3 levels, starting off with a tutorial to show you the controls but oddly enough didn’t show all of them correctly, missing actions for the tutorial, like how to crouch and jump. As these are pretty standard controls for most it’s still nice to have them shown just in case.

Accompanied by a companion from your imagination telling you the story and helping you through the challenges ahead, it has a very heartwarming feeling about it. How the developer has taken this approach is very unique, and refreshing. Throughout the game, you’ll be challenged with stealth, hiding from enemy flashlights and patrols to run for your life when they find you. Along with a kind of click-and-point adventure style when completing puzzles and exploring. The combination of all this works so well with the setting and how the game plays.

A simple yet effective art style, at first, I didn’t think much of it being so minimal but after diving into the game it grew on me. It was so simple yet so effective with its darkish aura when navigating the woods and hiding from the enemy to a nice warm feeling when you light a fire in a cabin to keep yourself warm. Definitely look forward to seeing more of the world they have created and the way it changes throughout.

Similar to visuals, the sound design in this game is heartfelt. The crunching of the snow beneath your feet, the cawing of the crows, and the horrifying sounds of gunshots when the soldiers are chasing you. All these are combined with a changing soundtrack subtly playing in the background, changing depending on what’s happening around you, whether it’s a calm scenario or an intense moment.

I’m not sure how the development progress is going, but I do hope to see more of what this game has to offer, and wish there was more to the demo for me to experience. Definitely a good title for people that want a heartwarming story set during world war 2 to check out.

Written by: MrVibeAU