Despite promises to maintain the spirit of the original, the free-to-play edition of the game is accompanied by aggressive monetization and technical issues.
Erabit Studios has released a free mobile version of Halls of Torment, inspired by Diablo and Vampire Survivors. The release took place on September 1, 2025, and sparked a wave of criticism: many players consider the new version a noticeable step back compared to the premium version from 2024.
The main complaints are related to the monetization system. Users note that obtaining content now requires spending significantly more than the paid edition cost. Reviews describe the new version as "disassembled into parts" for the sake of microtransactions, and the removal of key features draws unfavorable comparisons to the original.
A separate problem is technical errors. The game freezes on the loading screen, and optimization leaves much to be desired. There are reports of serious FPS drops and bugs that make the game difficult to play.
Among the positive changes are an updated interface, shorter game sessions (6–12 minutes), and a new challenge mode. However, according to some of the audience, the basic gameplay feels cut down and pushes players to make purchases in the built-in store.
The original Halls of Torment was released on Steam in 2023 and received a 95% rating based on over 28,000 positive reviews. The mobile release also started actively — over 100,000 downloads in the first 24 hours. For comparison, the premium version reached a similar figure in 11 months. However, a significant portion of the attention to the free-to-play edition turned out to be negative.
Studio Chasing Carrots, the creators of the original PC version, has not yet commented on the situation. It is unknown whether the mobile version passed their approval or whether only the publisher was involved in its release.
