Torment: Tides of Numenera is based in a fictional Earth. Set hundreds of years in the future, civilization has risen and fallen numerous times, leaving society on Earth in a medieval state.
Most knowledge of the past has withered away, leaving behind items and equipment from a more advanced time behind but without the know-how to effectively use them.
These objects are referred to as 'numenera'; objects of technological and scientific superiority. Many of these numenera are damaged beyond repair. A few, however, still function and are considered to have magical properties by Earth's remaining inhabitants.
Enter the game's protagonist, the 'Last Castoff', a female vessel for the consciousness of an ancient man who managed to achieve immortality by using others as vessels thanks to his ability to use these relics. Once he transfers his his consciousness, the host body acquires its own consciousness.
His actions attract the attention of the Angel of Entropy, who seeks him out in order to destroy him and the vessels he uses, including the Last Castoff. It is up to the player to explore the world in search of other Castoffs and their master.
With the ever-present threat of oblivion looming over you, you must find your sire before he - and you - are eradicated by the avenging Angel. You will find allies and enemies among the other castoffs, and inhabit their minds for a time through devices called “the Meres”, turning their lives to your advantage.
Your quest will take you to alternate dimensions and distant worlds under strange suns; particular Meres might afford you even more bizarre experiences, such as folding time itself. And you will build your very own legacy.
Torment is a very story-driven game with several key themes/concepts at the forefront. One of the main themes of the game is that of the significance of a single life in the grand scheme of things. The plight of the world in Numenera, degenerated culturally, and that of the game's protagonist, abandoned by her creator, will also be explored.
