The Suffering: Ties That Bind

The Suffering: Ties that Bind
The Suffering: Ties that Bind
	File:The Suffering Ties That Bind Boxart.jpg
Developer(s)	Surreal Software
Publisher(s)	Midway Games
Designer(s)	Richard Rouse III (Creative Director and Writer) Andre Maguire (Lead Designer) Todd Clineschmidt (Lead Systems Designer) Ben Coleman (Lead Level Designer)
Engine	RIOT Engine
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC
Release	Sony PlayStation 2/Microsoft Xbox:; September 26, 2005; October 28, 2005; PC:; October 2, 2005; October 28, 2005
Genre(s)	Third-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single player

The Suffering: Ties that Bind is a video game developed by Surreal Software and published by Midway Games, released in 2005 for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 game consoles as well as the PC. It is the sequel to The Suffering, and storywise picks up immediately after the ending of that game.

Players who have a game save of the different endings of the Suffering can decide with which morality to start with, starting with a different morality changes the dialogue and intro of the game.

Gameplay

The Suffering: Ties that Bind features a number of gameplay changes from the original The Suffering. The player can no longer carry around xombium bottles to refill their health whenever they need to, and instead must rely on stationary pickups located throughout the level. The player is also now limited to only carrying two weapons at a time. And Torque now has the ability to crouch.

Story

Torque (video game character) escapes Carnate Island, the site of his imprisonment, and attempts to return to his home city of Baltimore, only to be captured by a mysterious paramilitary organization known as the Foundation. The apparent leader of the Foundation is a woman named Jordan, who wants to study Torque and his connection to the malefactors. Torque manages to escape from his captors and is prompted by the ghost of his dead wife Carmen to return to his apartment and investigate the death of his family, where he learns that a powerful crime lord by the name of Blackmore (for whom Torque worked) is ultimately responsible for their deaths. Much to his shock, however, it seems that the horrible Malefactors that had brought Carnate to ruin followed him to the mainland to continue their spree of murder and chaos, feeding upon the dark and ancient history of the city to grow strong. Torque makes his way through the city under the questionable guidance of Dr. Killjoy, who wants to help Torque understand his mental state and his past.

At the very end of the game it is discovered that Blackmore is actually one of Torque's alternate personalities, which surfaced when he was a child living in an orphanage. There are three possible endings depending on the morality of the player at the end of the game: Torque is completely overcome by Blackmore, who takes total control of Torque's personality (Evil); Torque and Blackmore are unable to overpower each other and remain in their current state of opposition (Neutral); Torque eliminates Blackmore's presence from his mind (Good).

Almost viewing his 'better half' as a best friend more than anything, Blackmore acts willing to do almost anything to bring Torque over to his side; force him to understand and embrace the reasoning that so violently drives the crime lord.

The player's morality also affects certain sequences during gameplay and a level near the end of the game, where Dr. Killjoy, the slavehunter Copperfield, and the vile Creeper look back on Torque's actions. The player's morality also affects whether the player will fight Copperfield or The Creeper.

Characters

Carmen

Torque's deceased wife and the mother of his children Cory and Malcolm. Her apparition guides Torque throughout the game in an attempt to keep him on the right path. Depending on the whether the player has a saved game with a specific ending from the first game present, her death was either directly or indirectly Torque's fault. These outcomes will also affect her interaction with Torque, as she will scold him for performing evil acts and praise him for doing good.

Dr. Killjoy

The former operator of the Carnate Institute for the Alienated who has followed Torque to Baltimore. As a doctor he wants to help Torque understand his mind and ultimately cure him of his dementia. To this end he serves as something of a guide for Torque although his methods of guidance are questionable at best. According to him near the end of the game, he met Torque's mother once, although, this can be a hint that he and Torque share a deeper relationship that has yet to be explained.

Blackmore

A mysterious crimelord who lies at the center of Torque's struggles. He is inexplicably tied to every major event in Torque's life including his imprisonment and the deaths of his family. Later it is discovered that he is actually Torque's alter ego, who takes control of him every time he blacks out. Torque claimed during his court case that he blacked out during the deaths of his family, which is true or not depending on your morality at the end of the game.

Weapon: energy blasts from hands that can drain insanity, can transform into a beast, helicopter (Evil Torque story).

Kyle

A young drug addict who Torque must "help" by escorting him to an apartment complex to get his drugs. Due to his drug problem, he thinks Torque is his father, and relies on him for protection. After injecting himself, he finds his friend Freddy on the floor after he committed suicide with a shotgun, which he previously did not notice, despite the fact that he was right in front of the door. While escorting him, the player will find out that he accidentally shot, and probably killed his younger brother.

Jordan

The apparent leader of the Foundation who has dedicated her life to studying the malefactors. Torque's connection to the malefactors has made him a target of study for her and she spends much of the game in pursuit of him. She is a cold and calculating woman who will stop at nothing to achieve her goals. She will even go so far as to sacrifice her own men to fool Torque into thinking she is on his side. If the player completes the game with a good morality, they will fight her in a helicopter. When she exits, she then mans a turret, where she can then be defeated in a normal manner.

Weapon: M3A1, helicopter (Good & Neutral Torque story), machinegun.

Hejirah

A former neighbor of Torque's who meets up with him near his old apartment. Hejirah appears to be a militant Muslim member of a black nationalist group and is on his way to meet up with a group of his friends at a special place (a Christian Service named the 'mission') where they were supposed to meet once the city collapsed. He assists Torque on his path through the city until reaching the Canal Street Mission, where he is shocked to find that none of his friends have arrived. He decides to wait for them and parts ways with Torque.

Weapon: Sawed-off shotgun.

Miles

Torque's best friend and proprietor of "the Underground" a bar in the city. He is one of the only few people Torque talks to. He seems determined to find out the identity of Blackmore and bring him down. He was set up by Blackmore, along with Torque, and sent to Eastern Baltimore Correctional. After Torque's return to Baltimore he tries to meet up with Miles, claiming that he knows how to expose Blackmore. The two eventually meet again within Eastern Baltimore only to see Miles attacked by Copperfield. It later transpires Miles survived the attack, as he is met again inside the prison - however, Torque blacks out and is controlled by Blackmore, resulting in Miles' death.

Weapon: revolver (during Killjoy's diagnosis on Torque, it is swiched to a Colt 1911.)

Consuela

The wife of CO Ernesto from the first game. She survived the Carnate incident and was imprisoned by the Foundation. Torque finds her locked up in the docks and can choose to free her. If rescued, Consuela will become separated from Torque, later to be found along with the Creeper. The player can choose to leave her to die, or attack the Creeper and rescue her. Later Torque can help her get back to Carnate to find Ernesto. Consuela's recounting of local landmarks and urban legends makes up part of the game's Archive section.

Weapon: unarmed at first, quickly finds tommy gun.

Reilly

A Foundation soldier that realizes that the creatures will never stop appearing and has given up on his mission. On one of the chapters, he helps you find Blackmore. He has a thick Irish accent and carries a heavy machine gun. In the machine shop, following an ambush by a horde of Arsonists, he will be trapped behind fire - Torque can choose to save him by shooting fire extinguishers, or leave him to die. If rescued, he will part ways with Torque on the way to the elevator. If the game is started on evil morality, he can be seen with Jordan.

Weapon: M60.

Warden Elroy (A.K.A. Junior)

Son of Warden Elroy Senior, who died in a riot 30 years ago. He is physically weak, but is bold and strong within his heart. He has no idea of the crimes that Torque (or Blackmore) committed. Torque can either help him make a small army of survivors, or shoot him on sight as an evil act.

Weapon: revolver.

Police Officers

Various cops trying to survive in the Malefactor-infested streets of Baltimore. Torque first meets a pair of officers after two of their comrades are killed by a Triggerman. After Torque kills two Triggermen, the male officer opens a weapons trunk for Torque, letting him have a shotgun. Later, at Eastern, Torque meets up with Warden Elroy, and later, three more officers, who will be enemy or ally, depending if Elroy is with Torque. Only these cops know of Torque's stay at Eastern five years earlier. The last cop Torque meets is trapped behind a wall. Torque can free him by using his insanity to knock down a wall, or turn the crank handles against his wishes and killing him as an evil act.

Weapon: Colt 1911, revolver, shotgun, Tommygun.

Enemies

The monsters of The Suffering are now referred to as "Malefactors" by The Foundation, a secret organization dedicated to studying them. The Slayer, Mainliner, Burrower, and Marksman monsters from the original Suffering game return in this sequel, with new representations (and slightly different looks). The Slayers now represent mugging by knife-point; Mainliners represent drug addiction (due to the aggressive manner of administering their chemical concoctions, Jordan's Archive entry for Mainliners suggest they represent dealers rather than simple addicts); Burrowers represent deaths in construction accidents and the Marksmen represent those killed by a firing squad (when the military was called to settle a riot in Baltimore). New monsters are also introduced in this game, some of which are mentioned below.

Gorger

A humanoid beast with an unhingable jaw, spindly legs and a distended pot-belly. It represents those in Baltimore who have starved to death; unsurprisingly, it is still hungry, and will gladly try to eat Torque and any other creature in the area. It is revealed in a flashback and one of Consuela's Archive entries that a reverend ran a soup kitchen in Baltimore, which ran out of food during the Great Depression. Rather than let his people starve, he supplied them with the only meat available - human flesh. Ever since then the Gorger was a story that parents told to their children to explain when they couldn't provide enough food for them claiming The Gorger had eaten some of their food.

Arsonist

Arsonists appear to be two bodies melted together by heat and covered in fire, and represent deaths by arson or burning buildings. They can easily melt through structures such as metal bars, and unleash powerful blasts of flame that can set Torque on fire.. They have no weakness however a shotgun is a quick way to kill them.

Triggerman

This abomination is the incarnation of the gun violence that is all too common on the streets of Baltimore. It takes the form of a still-living corpse holding Skorpion machine pistols, lifted off the ground by four gigantic arachnoid legs. It appears that three of the limbs are holding shotguns as well, giving an attack powerful enough to knock Torque prone and leave him vulnerable to further attack. The Triggerman Captains carry M60's instead of shotguns. On closer inspection the Triggerman wears pants that are gray with blue stripes down the sides.

Mauler

The possible spirits of Copperfield's slave-hunting hounds. The Mauler looks like a red, hairless dog with black stripes lining it's back, and a human skull in place of a dog's head, with a knife attatched to the right side of the skull. They always come in packs and attack by biting or jumping and stabbing their prey.

Suppressor

This creature is an incarnation of the brutality inflicted upon the inmates in prisons. However, they are not the prisoners themselves. Instead, the guards are forced to live out the pain in the same way as the Festers from the previous game. The Suppressor has had its legs severed at the knees, though it is deceptively mobile for only being able to use its hands to move along. The entire face has been replaced with a single floodlight embedded into the skull, which provides the sole means of detecting Torque. Should Torque be caught in the light, the Suppressor will fire relentlessly with the four tommy guns embedded in its chest, and will not stop shooting until it either loses sight of Torque, kills him or is destroyed.

Isolationist

An Isolationist is a creature representing the agony of prisoners kept in solitary confinement. It appears as a large but obese humanoid on crutches, dragging its seemingly broken legs behind it. The Isolationist despises light and seeks to destroy it, ultimately drawing electricity into itself. This energy is released in the form of an electric current that extends in a radius around itself as well as a projectile launched from one of its crutches. Should you get too close to them, they swing their crutches left and right to bat you away. Additionally, they release cockroaches, called 'Wretches', from their stomachs to seek out and attack the player, much like the Festers from the previous game. The Isolationist also has a metal plate implanted in its skull, but that doesn't mean it can't be killed with a headshot.

The Horde

A representative of massive urban riots, The Horde is an immense worm capable of burrowing underground and leaving huge tunnels in its wake. Its body appears to be composed of a multitude of writhing animals held together. It appears a few times on the streets of Baltimore doing little more than frightening Torque and clearing paths for his progression. It also appears as a boss in the machine shop of the Eastern Baltimore Correctional Facility. The Horde makes one last appearance at the Garvey Home for Children, in which it serves to endlessly spawn malefactors from its mouth.

Copperfield

Copperfield is one of the major recurring evil characters in the game. Little information is given regarding his identity, but it is revealed at points in the game that he was a slave catcher from Baltimore's past and, according to him, may have chased Torque’s ancestors. At several points in the game he appears in order to attack other characters, targeting black characters specifically, whilst boasting about his prowess in hunting his 'quarry'. In the chapter "The Greatest Story Never Told", if the player has a morality status of good, they will fight Copperfield.

Copperfield is usually aided by Maulers, dog-like creatures with human skulls and protruding blades. They represent Copperfield’s bloodhounds, which he “trained” by depriving them of food –so they wouldn’t lose track of their victims- and allowing them to feast on the slaves.

When he is killed, his bloodhounds will turn against him and devour him.

The Creeper

The Creeper is another evil character who appears throughout the game. Reports from Consuela's Archive scrapbook and loading screens tell the story of a pimp named Luther Stickwell who started murdering prostitutes, before turning his attention to any female he came across, eventually killing between fifty and two hundred women and becoming the basis of an urban legend. At various points in the game the Creeper's quavering voice can be heard recounting his exploits, such as how he killed women in the sewers because he liked the damp conditions and elaborating on his misogynistic and violent attitudes against women. In the chapter "The Greatest Story Never Told", players with an evil morality status will fight the Creeper, who will explain "I took them (the prostitutes) to a warehouse and when the police got there the whole place was already burnt down." His appearance is of an overweight man, not fully bald, in a large trenchcoat and gloves. His face is oddly doll-like and the torsos of several scantily-clad women are hidden under his coat, connected to him by tentacles. After he is defeated, the women will turn their hooks against him, killing him with a smile on his face.

Captains

Throughout the course of the game, variations of some of the monsters will be encountered, which are stronger and can only be killed in insanity mode. These are the Slayer, Triggerman and Arsonist Captains. Slayer/Triggerman Captains can be identified by the fact that they appear to be covered in black metal armor and smoke. Arsonist captains are larger and have glowing blades attached to their spiderlike limbs. All Captains spawn normal enemies of their respective type, in order to allow the player to build up their Insanity Meter.

Foundation Soldiers

Torque also faces human opponents in the form of Foundation soldiers(replacing the C.O.'s from part 1), the members of Jordan's private army. Foundation soldiers are equipped with machine guns and body armor, and some also carry bulletproof riot shields. The human enemies are significantly stronger than many of the other enemies found in the game, as they use powerful weaponry, are often found in groups and tend to make use of cover. They are found using every weapon except the rocket launcher and shotgun, but will drop their weapon when defeated, allowing Torque to pick it up.

Weapon: Colt 1911, sawed- off shotgun, Skorpion, M3A1.

Inmates

In the beginning of the game, during the riot, some inmates will attack Torque using knives. An early situation involves a guard tied to a chair with several inmates exhorting the player to choose to execute him. However, after a few seconds, a Slayer Captain attacks the group regardless of the player's actions. Five years later, three inmates ally themselves with Torque out of respect.

Weapon: knife, Colt 1911, revolver, molotov cocktails, Tommygun, shotgun.

Morality

Unlike in the first Suffering, the player's choices determine the attacks Torque's monster form can use. As the morality status moves in either direction, Torque's monster form will gain new attacks depending on the direction. The game starts with Neutral morality, but the morality will change depending on the player's actions. Successfully protecting others and keeping them alive shifts the morality scale towards good. Killing non-combatants, animals and choosing to let innocents die earns evil morality. Neutrality is also an option, since it involves not getting directly involved with anyone and leaving them to their own fate (those who do not directly die by Torque's hands will not be counted against you).

When the game has been completed, the morality level will determine what ending is shown. It will also change Torque's appearance in the game. With a good alignment Torque remains clean and healthy looking. Neutral makes him look a little dirty, and an evil alignment causes his skin to become greyish and covered with open sores, while his eyes give a sinister glow.

When the game has been completed at least once, the player are given the option of replaying again and choosing the initial moral alignment at the beginning.

Good alignment

Torque is rescued from Carnate Island by a Coast Guard member, but when the two of them reach Baltimore they are intercepted by soldiers from the Foundation.

In this story branch, Torque's family has been killed by Blackmore's goons after Torque refused to continue working for Blackmore.

In the end, Torque will kill Blackmore and erase this personality from his mind. Carmen's ghost thanks Torque for walking the right path and will kiss Torque.

Neutral alignment

Torque, having knocked out the Coast Guard member sent to retrieve him, makes his way to Baltimore, but is intercepted by the Foundation.

In this story branch, Torque's older son Cory killed Torque's younger son Malcolm and then himself, under Blackmore's influence.

In the end, Blackmore reveals that Cory killed Malcolm then himself in revenge for Torque beating him all the time.

Evil alignment

Instead of trying to leave Carnate, Torque instead runs deeper into the island under the influence of his dementia. He blacks out, and (after being berated by Dr. Killjoy) wakes up to find himself being captured by Foundation soldiers exploring the island.

In this story branch, Torque murdered his family members with his own hands.

In the end, Blackmore's personality will dominate Torque's body. After this, it is revealed that Jordan and Blackmore have agreed upon a pact to destroy Torque's personality completely.

Monster form attack upgrades

Good morality

Level 1: Burrower Chains A number of chains whip out of Torque's back and lash out in front of him.

Level 2: Guns Several machine guns extend themselves from Torque's back and fire randomly as long as the attack button is held.

Level 3: Isiolationist Shockwave A powerful blast of electricity that damages all enemies in the area for as long as you hold down the special move button.

Level 4: Cataclysm The most powerful attack attainable, this will kill anything in range instantly.

Neutral morality

Ground Smash This is the basic, and also the neutral, attack. With this, Torque jumps up and pounds the floor with one claw, doing damage to any enemies within range and also stunning them.

Evil morality

Level 1: Slayer Blades A tight circle of blades that move outward, damaging anything they hit.

Level 2: Wretches Similar to an attack Isolationists use. A wave of wretches leap out of Torque's back and chase enemies, exploding on contact.

Level 3: Arsonist Blast Flames will damage all enemies in the area for as long as you hold down the special move button. A huge wall of fire will shoot from you and damage all nearby enemies once you release the button.

Level 4: Cataclysm The most powerful attack attainable, this will kill anything in range instantly.

Trivia

In the underground sewer system, Torque's son can be seen floating in the water. He says "We all float down here, daddy." This is a reference to Stephen King's It.

After Torque's son says the line from Stephen King's "It" novel, there is a telephone that you must pick up. The voice on the other side says "I am here for the sole purpose of your death. Look into my eyes and see the revelation of your demise. Feel the pain that stares at the center of your heart", which is a line out of the song "Gemini" by the metal band Slayer.

When picking up a phone in the game the player can hear Blackmore saying "I know the only thing I've ever loved was hate." This is a reference to "The Nameless," a song performed by the band Slipknot.

The warden that comes to your aid says "That was a vulgar display of power" in reference to a line from The Exorcist and an album title from metal band Pantera.

Upon picking up a phone in a line of three a female voice says "Your mother, your father, your brother and the thing under the covers. Your lover, the others, the leeches, and the serpents and the suckers" this is a reference to The Dillinger Escape Plan's "Pig Latin".

In the streets of Baltimore after escape the holding area with Jordan, you may notice a random pile of garbage. The garbage is actually copies of The Suffering, NARC (video game) and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. All of the above were published by Midway Games.

Various portraits seen throughout the game are of members of the development team.

When you come to the abandoned theater the movie posters show the beast that Torque turnes into and the posters are called The Beast In Me

At various points in the game, in shops & Miles' bar, there are numerous neon signs advertising an alcoholic beverage called "Dan Jackals", an obvious pun on Jack Daniels.

When you enter the theater, Dr. Killjoy says "Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul,But I do love thee! and when I love thee not, Chaos is come again." this is a line from William Shakespeare's famous play Othello.

During one level, there will be a toy store in the streets. If you were to look in the window of it, on the floor you'll see copies of the Mortal Kombat: Deception video game.

There were a number of cuts made to the game to achieve an ESRB rating of M in the US. These included the removal of the line "Blood makes the best lubricant", as originally said by the Creeper.

The game was the first Midway Entertainment title to be officially released in Russia. The Russian title literally translated is The Suffering: Bonds of Blood

Following Surreal tradition, it is possible to acquire a "Gonzo Gun" - a gun in the shape of a chicken which fires eggs - by entering a cheat code.

There are several easter eggs in the game. In one, a parody of the Kool-Aid man (Captain Carafe - a large carafe of Sangria) bursts through a wall. If killed, he provides the player with a swizzle-stick weapon (complete with olives). The drink is a reference to the development team's favorite bar - Bandoleone - which was outside the studios (and is also referenced in the game credits). Sangria was one of the drinks that the FX team would commonly order.

The marketing funds for the game were pulled at the last minute, and instead spent on the game LA Rush. The sales of the game suffered as a result.

The game was the last to be produced by Surreal using its RIOT Engine, a fully streaming game engine developed internally. Future titles will use the Unreal Engine.

Save games from the first Suffering title are recognized by the sequel, and will determine the initial story line that the player sees.

Credits

Project Director: Alan Patmore Producer: Noah Heller Technical Director: Stu Denman Lead Designer: Richard Rouse III Lead Artist: Beau Folsom Lead Gameplay Programmer: Eric Snyder Gameplay Programmer: Matt Edmonds Gameplay Programmer: Joseph Sola Gameplay Programmer: Jeff Fisher Gameplay Programmer: John Krajewski Lead Technology Programmer: Tom Vykruta Technology Programmer: Mike Cimprich Technology Programmer: Eric Anderson Lead Tools Programmer: Simon Cooke Tools Programmer: John Cuyle Tools Programmer: David Huseby Tools Programmer: Steven Stadnicki Localization: Bach Payson QA Lead: Darci Morales QA Engineers: Mark Shoemaker Brandon Clausing Adam Grainger John Hull (Note: This list is incomplete)

External links