

If the goal was to create a macabre yet visually sumptuous game, the developers have succeeded wildly here. When combined with Beksinski's signature influences, such flourishes make for a daring combination of styles that surprised me greatly because it works so well. Egyptian themes and even the slightest hint of Art Nouveau make brief appearances at certain points along the way. This is certainly not another Dark Seed, even with Giger's influence, but that's not a bad thing by any means.

Giger's influence is less obvious at first glance, though certainly evident in several monsters – one of which is clearly an homage to the Necromorph – and a few room designs, though even the most Gigeresque works in the game are tinged with Beksinski's flowing, organic style. Beksinski's influence is actually the more obvious inspiration throughout Tormentum, such as when a face or nude female figure appears in the twisting forms of a wall or a massive cathedral whose ribbed, organic facade seems to grow out of the very ground beneath it. Both Giger and Beksinski are known for their unique macabre styles: Giger for bold and disturbing "biomechanical" art, featuring nightmarish integration of humanoid and animal forms with machines, and Beksinski for dreamlike works in which creatures and architecture seem to emerge from intricate, flowing structures that resemble bent twigs or bone.

Graphically, Tormentum's influences are worn proudly on its blood-soaked sleeves. Though easy puzzles, a lack of adequate characterization, and an absence of scares may drive some players away, those who simply want to gorge themselves on beautifully dark scenery will want to stick around for the few hours it takes to breeze through what the game has to offer. After a successful crowdfunding campaign, Polish indie OhNoo! Studio's horror-themed adventure Tormentum: Dark Sorrow presents a game inspired by Giger and Poland's own surrealist painter Zdzislaw Beksinski. Twenty years later, though the artist himself passed away in 2014, Giger’s legacy in the genre lives on. Giger made his debut in the video game world with the Dark Seed series, which featured his signature dark, morbid artwork and a terrifying story.
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Although most often associated with the movie Alien for his design work on the Necromorph monster, in the early 1990s Swiss surreal artist H.
