Torin's Passage

I LOVE this game! It really is a hidden gem from Al Lowe, famed for his work on Leisure Suit Larry, with a charming cast of characters, chuckle-inducing humor, and animation that has stood the test of time. The setting and story are very much 'Disney-esque', as others have commented, and there is much to be enjoyed here for both adults and children. Some of the jokes may go over the heads of younger players - I know that I certainly didn't get some of these until just now. Similarly,while the puzzles are not frustratingly pedantic or nonsensical, like many other adventure games of the era, they may still prove too challenging for young children. While I finished this game as a child, I seem to recall it taking a good deal of trial and error. The game includes some attractive animation for the time, a colorful set of worlds to explore, and many unique, unforgettable characters. I even found that some of the characters I thought were annoying as a child, now seem cute, and I sincerely laughed at some of the corny jokes. I played this game in the 90s and when I saw that it was on GOG and I was overjoyed. Unfortunately, I've run into what I have to call a "near-game-breaking glitch". This may be more a problem with DOSBOX than GOG's port of this hidden classic, but I've found that the cursor tends to become completely stuck in the item menu. I have been (luckily) able to save using CTRL+S and enough finagling to make a new save file, but anyone playing this game should be aware of this potential game-breaker. Regardless,it's a low price for a nice port of a 20 year old game - how much can I complain? Thanks so much for adding this! ;)

I remember playing this game on Windows 95/98 back in the day when I was young and the computer was new. I was happy to pay full price for it on GOG to play it again. I recommend 100%. If it's on sale, don't even hesitate.

I had been dreaming and looking for this game for years, wistfully remembering the joyous hours playing this during my youth. After years of looking, I found it on GOG and I was so unbelievably thrilled. I tell anyone who'll listen to play this game. I wish this style of game were more popular. They're so hilarious. I still quote it fairly regularly. *Eye five...all right!*

I played this as a kid, right as it came out. I then forgot about it for years, although some cutscenes would play out in my memory and dreams from time to time and I could never quite place where those memories were from. One family gathering, I was mentioning the memories to my mother who remembered that it was a game I used to play, that I was obsessed with. However, neither of us could remember the name. After one, long, google rabbit hole later, we found Torin's Passage! We downloaded it! We played it together! Memories came flooding back! The fact that sites like this still has these original games, in all their glory, flaws and all, is such a hidden gem. In the eyes of today's gamer this may seem clunky, or bad graphics, but this game is the reason I love the genre of games that I do. The fact that I can go back and play a little piece of my childhood is just so amazing. It is fun, I personally love Boogle. I love the different worlds you get to explore.

For an Al Lowe title, "Torin's Passage" is unexpectedly wholesome, but also unexpectedly... unpolished? The game does not feel like a coherent experience, nor does it feel as complete and high quality as I would have expected. The game is split among five worlds that sprawl below Torin's own. As other reviewers have pointed out, there is a major contrast in length and difficulty between the first two worlds and the remaining three. The first two worlds very much so meet the expectations one would have for an adventure game, but the third is only puzzles. There is no freedom to move around in the environment, and interaction with the enviroment or other characters is limited. Subequent worlds find a better balance between puzzles and more classic adventure game mechanics, but the required actions and their sequences are not very challenging. While I found the characters to be generally likeable, the voice acting to be entertaining, and some of the dialogue delightful... this game just didn't pack much of a punch. I enjoyed playing it, but I would not have enjoyed the short and simple experience had I payed full price for this game. I would recommend this game to players who enjoy some challenging puzzles (I'm looking at you, musical notes puzzle), a straght forward fairy tale, and an enjoyable way to spend a lazy afternoon. For all others... pick this up when it's extremely cheap because there is some charm there, you just have to find it. Just a word of warning: that charm is not in the abrupt ending.