Before I take you deeper into this dark and scary world, I must talk about the game's most interesting, most exciting, and most disturbing feature: its story.

Ties That Bind follows Torque through a series of hellish scenarios that will make you question if what you're seeing is real. Are the monsters real? Are the visions real, or are they hallucinations or premonitions? The first few stages are drenched in bloody sequences (in the literal sense of the word) and apparent flashbacks that confuse, amuse, and make it that much more important to defeat the monsters and find your way home. Or to wherever it is that Torque is going.

Torque is haunted by the death of his family. Again the player will question what's going on. Is he responsible? Did his bad judgment lead to their death? 

The story is developed through voices (that are in Torque's head?) and images that flash on the screen from time to time. It's very spooky. I wasn't jumping out of my seat too much (I think I've become immune), but I was disturbed in a way that I've never been before. There have been creepy games, and a couple that were downright disgusting, but Ties That Bind is done in such a way that you'll be bothered without being turned off.

Just to be safe the developers decided not to rely on the story to get you to finish the game. It's scary, and puts most survival/horror games to shame, but why stop there? You might as well form a combat system that mirrors BloodRayne but is faster, bloodier, and has a cooler arsenal. Shotguns, automatic weapons, grenade and rocket launchers – there's enough firepower in this game to start a war! If you're lucky it'll be enough to stop the mutated beasts that have taken over the city.

Torque's battle doesn't end on the streets. He's also fighting an internal rage that's dying to get out. His rage increases with every successful attack. Players have the option to make Torque evil and have him kill innocent humans. To me this goes against the way that he would really react in that situation (I see him as a good character who made very bad choices).

But he's supposed to have major mental issues, which is why he freaks out and grabs his head from time to time. It also explains what happens when the insanity meter is full – Torque transforms into a devil-like creature that kills with the snap of his finger. You may chop the enemies individually with his sword-like arms, or kill several at once by engulfing the area in flames. The flames retract almost immediately after the attack is launched. If enemies were hit your insanity meter will be replenished and you'll get to continue killing like a devil. 

First and third-person views improve the fight and give players two drastically different gameplay styles. Third-person is the standard view and that's normally what I'd stick with. During certain battles it is advantageous to switch to first-person view, either because it's easier to dodge and shoot, or because there's a wall that obstructs your view. First-person movement seems faster by default. That's just the way perception works. If you're crouching in front of a wall in third-person view, your crosshairs are likely to end up pointed at Torque. You can't accidentally shoot yourself, but if the crosshairs are on Torque, chances are the camera angle is preventing the enemy from being seen.

Ties That Bind's villains are not your everyday survival/horror targets. They look like one of two things: demons that were too gruesome for Silent Hill, or demons that were kicked out of hell because the devil couldn't stand them. I'm not sure which would be worse, and I doubt it matters. With multiple legs, heads, and swords coming out of the air arms (and other places), these guys mean business. Check out the slime some of these creatures emit, and the blood that gushes from their bodies as they're destroyed.

Unlike other survival/horror games blood doesn't stay in one place; it splatters all over Torque, staining his whole body with signs of death. Explosions are big and shake up the screen – not uncommon, but they look great. The periodic image flashes have original effects (black and white slow-motion; red and green filters, etc.) that intensify the gameplay.

The game doesn't seem too challenging at first with its shooter-heavy gameplay. That theory dies along with Torque when the first massive shootout begins. The number of demons that attack increases with each load screen (which there are a few too many of), and before you know it armed prison guards will enter the fray. Their thick shields will block the first few shots. Luckily not all guards carry a shield. But they will team up and they love to ambush. 

The Suffering: Ties That Bind is a stellar, highly original survival/horror game with long battles, creepy monsters, bothersome scenarios and a great story with A-list actors (including Michael Clarke Duncan).

Gameplay: 8.5
Just when you think it’s safe to walk the streets alone at night, the image of a murder scene flashes on the screen. Demons start to surface; escaped prison inmates get slaughtered. It isn’t too pretty of a picture until you acquire your first weapon. Then the fun begins. With first- and third-person views available, players can have the kind of gameplay experience they personally desire. Ties That Bind is exciting and gory regardless of the view you choose (check out the bloodstains in first-person view – amazing detail!).

Graphics: 8
Nightmare Creatures was the first game that came to mind, but BloodRayne would be a better comparison. Both BloodRayne and The Suffering have a thing for bloodstains. Gruesome elements like blood-soaked weapons (and clothes and skin – anything a dead creature’s fluids come in contact with) and mutated creatures will make most gamers cringe.

Sound: 8.9
This game wouldn’t have made it without great acting. No game’s story can influence gameplay, but it is a huge part of the Ties That Bind experience.  Surreal and Midway came through for us, hiring the multi-talented Michael Clarke Duncan to voice Blackmore. His performance is as good as any movie he’s done, proving that with the right actor(s) and the right audio directors, video games can tell a story that’s as good or better than movies and TV.

The music and sound effects are also worth noting. The standard music tracks are quiet and add a subtle eeriness to the game. Meanwhile, a sound effect as simple as a thumping machine is used to get the player’s heart pounding. Just as the battles heat up the soundtrack does a one-eighty and starts driving the game with a louder and more intense theme.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Like taking candy from a baby…if the baby had swords coming out of its arms and a thousand demons to protect it. The Suffering: Ties That Bind appears to be just another entertaining shooter. “I’ll beat this in no time,” you say to yourself 30 minutes in. Ninety minutes later you’re proven wrong. Ammo seems more significant, and you’re wishing there was a cheat code for unlimited health.

(For all I know there could be one, but I haven’t discovered it.)

Concept: 8
What a story! And what a unique way of telling it. Images are flashed and shown in slow motion to tell the dark story that Torque wishes he could forget. It’s a confusing, mind-bending experience that’ll have Hollywood thinking, “Now wait a minute, why didn’t we think of that!?” With a proposed movie based on The Suffering storyline, one lucky director could get the chance to take it one step further.

Overall: 8.5
Satisfying survival/horror gameplay with a first/third-person shooter twist. Ties That Bind has one of the most disturbing storylines I have ever seen in a game. It’s told very well, but if I were to watch Court TV before or after playing it, the game would probably give me nightmares. Some parts are a little too real. The demons could be viewed as a sign of guilt as if Torque is fighting the pain he feels inside. Tidbits of it reminded me of White Noise, which wasn’t very good but was pretty disturbing. I can’t think of too many games – especially an action game – that made me stop playing to contemplate the story.