Thank You perelesoq for providing us with a review code! It’s nice to see war in media (or at least in video games) depicted in a different way outside of the over-the-top first/third-person shooter where the heroes come in guns blazing taking out the “dastardly villains” while horns blare in the background preaching about patriotism or whatever. Torn Away by Russian developer perelesoq uses World War II to tell a story from a different perspective than many are used to. In the 1940s as Nazi Germany sweeps through Europe, we witness the experiences of ten-year-old Asya in the USSR and the 900+ days of torment she experiences as WWII rages on. She misses her father greatly as he was drafted as a soldier, specifically as a fighter pilot. Asya’s mother is also stressed out from the events and takes her anger out on Asya emotionally. She can only confide in her three toys: Arkady a riding horse, Madame a doll, and Comrade Mitten a… mitten, but with eyes sewed on top. All three toys speak to her in their own way to help Asya get through this very troubled time. Arkady is very optimistic, as he always speaks positively to Asya and lifts up her spirits. Madame is considerably more rude to Asya but has her own way of caring for the girl. And last is Comrade Mitten who has a mix of both. He encourages Asya, but his main focus is on survival. He helps Asya the most when she experiences traumatic events. As the story is very grounded, you’re not actually supposed to believe that these three toys can speak, but they are more coping mechanisms for Asya as she doesn’t have many other people to rely on. In my eyes, Arkady represents the childlike innocence she once had and refuses to let go. Madame represents the fact that things have changed for the worse and she won’t have her old life back. Comrade Mitten represents the fact that she must grow up quickly to take on the incoming hardships or she will die. They all do a great job of representing Asya as a scared, yet extremely resilient young girl. Torn Away is a linear adventure game that combines many aspects of other genres. It has point-and-click elements, 2D sidescrolling elements, and even implements first-person elements at specific parts. Not only does it keep the gameplay from feeling too repetitive for the runtime, but it also serves a great narrative purpose. The point-and-click portions are the most laidback and innocent moments while the 2D sidescrollers tend to be the most intense as it either features Asya running away from the German soldiers or her experiencing a significant loss.

They’re all pretty straightforward and easy to understand. The point-and-click elements have some nice interactivity to them. In one moment when Asya fixes up Comrade Mitten, the game has you move your cursor in a way that it nearly feels like you’re stitching fabric together. The 2D segments have some platforming elements tied to them. While it does make sense that a ten-year-old will not be the best jumper, jumping still feels stiff and it can get particularly troublesome in the final area where the timing is strict. While failure only sets you back a few seconds (as the game isn’t meant to be “challenging” in that sense), it does manage to be a minor annoyance. The setting combines aspects of 2D drawn graphics and 3D models for objects and the environment. The result from perelesog came out nicely because they took extra care in making sure that the 3D graphics matched the art style of the 2D. The drawn characters remind me of a style commonly seen in children’s books but also uses shading techniques and some dull/washed-out colors to further set in the grim setting. The characters are surprisingly expressive. Torn Away also uses clever camera angles to immerse the player into making Asya feel small as she travels through the USSR and Germany. I like how the game looks as it takes you through snowy forests, labor camps, and bustling cities. The game also has a grainy filter over it, giving the visuals a historical look of sorts, like watching an old film on a VHS tape. I appreciate the fact that Torn Away shows both the good and bad from both sides of the war. Obviously, it does lean more in favor of the Russian people as the developers themselves are Russians, but it also doesn’t depict all of the Germans as Nazis that agreed with Hitler’s goal. It’s a very easy trap to fall into as many American media are guilty of. We get to see German people show kindness to Asya, as well as see Soviet soldiers act antagonistic toward her. It’s a nice change of pace from the norm. Both keyboard and controller support works, and with a simple press of either, Torn Away seamlessly switches between them. I have used both options and gamepads do feel fine. However, there are a few incorrect button prompts when using it. There is one section where Asya is being questioned and when using a keyboard, you either press the A or D key to choose an option. Using a controller prompts the A or B button, but you actually have to press left or right on the control stick to choose an option. I’m sure something like this will be fixed before anyone even reads this review, so I’m not too hard on it. Torn Away's sound direction is also pretty solid. It doesn’t rely on musical tracks often, instead heavily focusing on sound effects to set the mood. Sometimes, you’ll hear the creaking of wood when Asya walks through houses. Stray bullets and explosions can be heard from time to time. There’s also the muffled sound effects in the snow accompanied by the howling wind. Unlike many indie games, Torn Away is fully voiced in both Russian and English. My playthrough was played with the Russian dub as the developers made that the intended experience. I did play some portions in English after beating it and it’s definitely an acceptable dub. I still implore you to at least listen to the Russian dub unless you’re dyslexic or something. I don’t speak a lick of Russian but I can still tell it’s a good dub due to the tone and voice direction of the characters.

Now let's get into the morality of it all. As Torn Away depicts a more realistic view of war, it doesn’t shy away from the horrors of it, and Asya gets to directly experience it. She’ll eventually come across bodies of people hung from trees. She’ll have to walk through areas littered with bloody corpses after a bombing. Asya will even come across the remains of a mother holding what is left of a child. The imagery can be disturbing even though it isn’t graphically violent like the average Mature-rated game. Without getting into too many spoilers, Asya will be forced into a kill-or-be-killed situation. Language is kept to a minimum of sorts. While the only mild language uttered is “d*mn”, the Lord’s name is used in vain at least once. As I don’t know Russian, I am unaware of any swearing in said language—I can only go by what was translated and what was said in English. Sexual content is non-existent, thankfully, as it would be in very poor taste for the tone and narrative they are trying to set. Ethics can be a little confusing. Asya does come close to stealing food from others for her survival, but it never gets to that exact point because either mishaps prevent her from doing so, or she finds an alternative method. Although she did successfully break into a house, as stated previously, the situation ended up working in her favor. It only took me around four and a half hours to see the credits and obtain 30 out of the 35 achievements, yet Torn Away did leave a positive impression on me. It definitely hit me emotionally seeing Asya put through the ringer to obtain her happy ending. The grim realities of war are showcased well while maintaining a tone acceptable enough for its Teen rating. I didn’t go over a lot of aspects as Torn Away is so narratively driven so you’re better off experiencing those things on your own if you’re okay with seeing the horrors of war.