Torn Away | Steam Deck Review

Any game that places you in the shoes of a child is bound to rip your heart out and stomp on it. It’s just a guarantee. Perelesoq accomplishes this feat with Torn Away, but they also shine a very important light on how traumatic events affect children. My heart ached during my entire playthrough, but I also found myself appreciating even the smallest moments of hope that shined through.

War Is Hell

You are Asya, a young girl who lives in Russia with her family. Her father has been sent to fight in World War II, and her mother struggles to care for Asya after he leaves. They’re soon captured by German forces and sent to work. After tragedy strikes, Asya has to traverse across Germany to try to reach Poland and safety. It’s not an easy trip, though. Asya has to hide from soldiers, escape from wolves, and find food and shelter along the way. Her only companion? A mitten she has lovingly named Comrade Mitten who gives her (and you) clues about where to go and what to do.

This journey not only takes a toll on Asya; it makes the player confront these horrors themselves. You see Asya go from being a naive yet hopeful child to one who is hardened by her experiences. I found myself yearning for Asya to find safety and stability, despite knowing the probable outcome of her journey. There are several moments where it seems like Asya may have finally found good fortune, only for it to be cruelly ripped away. Torn Away isn’t an easy game to navigate emotionally, but it’s all the better for it. It’s realistic and makes you look at what you don’t want to see or acknowledge.

Trials and Tribulations

There are several different gameplay styles utilized in Torn Away. One segment will see you stealthily evading the flashlights of soldiers; others will see you in an apartment looking for items to complete a chore list. I appreciated the switches in tone and mechanics, and it felt like a breath of fresh air at some points. This game doesn’t even stay in one certain point of view. Most of the game is a 2D side-scrolling affair, but it occasionally switches to first-person to highlight certain events.

I don’t have too many gripes about the gameplay, but I did find interacting with objects to be somewhat fiddly. It may be easier if you use a mouse and keyboard, but playing with the Steam Deck’s controls had me a tad frustrated. Movement with the thumbstick is pretty sensitive, and I often found myself having to try multiple times to complete an action. The cursor was constantly moving off the item I needed to interact with to progress. I also found myself dreading the stealth and platforming sections. They require pinpoint precision, and I was having to replay each of these segments multiple times. I’m not the best at these gameplay styles, though, and I don’t begrudge the game for my lack of skills.

Small Glimpses of Beauty

The graphics are absolutely stunning. Torn Away looks like a painting come to life, and I found myself staring at every small detail. The attention to even the smallest of details is astounding. The sound design is excellent, with each crunching footstep in the snow or the growl of a wolf setting me on edge.

I strongly recommend playing with the original Russian voice acting enabled if you don’t mind reading subtitles. The English dub isn’t bad by any means, but some of the tension and impact isn’t felt as strongly through the vocal work as it is in the Russian version. There are a plethora of other languages to choose from as well, if either English or Russian isn’t your preferred choice.

The Final Verdict

Torn Away is an incredibly emotional tale about a young girl’s journey to safety during World War II. It would take the hardest of hearts not to be moved by Asya’s story. It moves at a brisk pace during its four hour runtime, and the switches in gameplay styles and points of view are refreshing. The visuals and sound design are exceptional, especially the Russian voice acting. Interacting with objects can be a little too fiddly for the game’s good, but it didn’t deter me too much from wanting to embark on Asya’s trek for a better life. This game ripped my heart out, but I was happy to let it do so.

To hear me talk more about Torn Away, be sure to listen to the August 30, 2023 episode of The Gaming Outsider podcast around the 1:08:15 time stamp.

This review is based on a Steam copy of Torn Away provided by Keymailer for coverage purposes. It will be available on all consoles at a later date.