TorqueL
=======
Isn't this a fun little game? It took me a while to come around to it,
but then I was hooked. I wanted to put together a quick FAQ that shows the
way through the various routes you can do in the game. There aren't that
many routes, so it will be a short FAQ. Hope it helps. Feel free to PM me
if you have any comments or feedback.
This is version 2.0 of this FAQ, very likely the final version.
v1.0: Initial version was submitted to GameFAQs on October 22nd, 2015.
v1.1: Added information about Route Unknown on November 9th, 2015.
v2.0: Formatting overhaul on August 15th, 2017.
About the game
--------------
> 2D Box Rolling & Extend Platformer "TorqueL".
A simple but not necessarily easy game. You roll around in a box, trying to
get to the exit of each level (_Chamber_). All four sides of the box can
extend, which allows your box to reach higher platforms, manoeuvre around
obstacles, launch into the air, or swing yourself around things.
Controls and general tips
-------------------------
- D-PAD or LEFT ANALOG: Roll the box
- SQUARE, TRIANGLE, CIRCLE, X: Extend sides of the box
The side extending buttons are colour coded to the colours of the buttons on
the Vita / PlayStation controller. (I've been playing this on my Vita.)
I think the PC controls are the arrow keys to roll, and WSAD to extend the
sides. In any case, the controls are simple. What's important is keeping
track of which sides of your box are facing which direction as you move
around the Chambers, and learning to make good use of the extension
mechanic.
You can, of course, extend more than one side of the box at a time. Extending
two opposite sides of the box could help you reach very high platforms...
+
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_
|_|
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+
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====================
..as shown in the (very terrible ASCII art!) example above. Extend the
bottom side of the box first, then the top side. Now you would hold RIGHT
direction and un-extend the bottom side of your box. Keep holding RIGHT and
your box will swing up and around in a counter-clockwise direction,
eventually landing on that higher platform. I find it more comfortable to
use two fingers (on my Vita) to extend two opposing sides of the box at
once. If I just use my thumb, I end up extending other sides that I didn't
want to extend. So I use my thumb for one button, and wrap my index finger
around to get the other button.
Making L shapes...
_
++++|_|
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====================
..is also an easy way to get onto platforms that are not quite so high.
Watch out for the red areas! They're pits of lava, or fire, or whatever else
you imagine them to be. In any case, they kill you - and that's not good.
When there are no low ceilings, there are different options for getting over
the red pits:
_
|_|
+
_ +
++++|_| +
===|~~|==============|~~|==========
|~~| |~~|
Extend your left side over the pit and then swing yourself across, extend
your bottom side and then simply "fall" across. If you're a bit more daring
then you could roll towards the pit and then extend the bottom side of your
box at just the right time to do a jump over the pit. Jumping is not as safe
and reliable - unless you're good at it. Fun though. :)
2) Flying, whee!!!
______________
/ \
3) Land / _ 1) While rolling, extend bottom side as
safely |_| the box is tilted forward slightly
=============|~~~~~|===================================================
When there are low ceilings you typically have to bring your box to a stop
a bit farther away from the edge of the red pit, extend your side such that
it can fall *into* lava pit so you can stand on that extended side over the
pit, and then let the box fall across to the other side. The first red pit
at the beginning of Chamber 12 is an example of this.
Another thing to watch out for in some Chambers are the blue anti-gravity
areas. You go upside down, and left and right are reversed. It can be
confusing at first, and it will probably cause you a few deaths. There are
Chambers, for example Chambers 8 and 9, that have these blue areas that can
send you flying to your death in red pits if you're not careful. Use your
ability to extend the sides of your box to keep safe.
I find the trickiest levels to be the ones with many "spin-y" platforms;
the platforms that can spin around in both clockwise and counter-
clockwise directions:
=======================
| P |
=======================
P = pivot
If you get too close to one end of the platform, it will start spinning in
that direction, and you might go sliding off of it (potentially to your
death!) We can also use these platforms to our advantage, however. When
you are resting on one of them, extend the side of your box that is in
contact with the platform, and it will launch you in the air. Time it right,
with just the right tilt on the platform, and you'll go flying pretty far!
Extending one side of your box can help to adjust the balance of the
platform. These platforms in Chamber 13 always mess me up!
Finally, keep in mind that this game has a sort of "panic button". If you
find yourself flying through the air, or falling down from a platform,
or whatever, and you don't know what you need to do next then just mash your
thumb down on SQUARE, TRIANGLE, CIRCLE, and X to extend all four sides at
once. You're bound to get at least one of those sides stuck on a platform or
a wall, and then you'll just be hanging there. From there you can decide
which side(s) to keep extended, and hopefully continue along safely.
Routes
------
Chambers 1 - 14 will always be the same. (Correct me if I'm wrong?) So just
zip through them. As you play them over and over again, you'll get good at
them. It's not until Chamber 15 that you have to start making decisions
about which exit to take, and those decisions will determine which Route you
complete the game with.
For example: Chamber 15 has two exits, one at the bottom left corner (easier
to get to) and one on a platform above it. If you follow the diagram below,
you'll see that once you choose the bottom exit in Chamber 15 then it is
only possible for you to complete Route "e" or "L".
Chamber 1 -> 2 -> ... -> 14 -
\
|
/
----------------------------
|
15T -> 17 --> 19 --> 20L -> 24T -> 33 --> 34 --> 44 --------> Route "T"
B R B
| | |
| | ---> 27 --> 30L -> 40 ---------> Route "o"
| | R
| | |
| | ----> 35 -> 43 ---> Route "r"
| |
| |
| ----> 21 --> 23 --> 39L -> 41 --------> Route "q"
| R
| |
| ----> 42 --------> Route "u"
|
|
----> 16 --> 18 --> 22L -> 36T -> 26 --> 28 --> 29 --> 45 -> Route "e"
R B
| |
----> 25 --> 31 --> 32 --> 37 --> 38 -> Route "L"
T = Top exit; B = Bottom exit; L = Left exit; R = Right exit
Note: Credit for this diagram goes to a YouTube user called numachin:
[numachin](
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNHbESKDFVGamx_S1u2RBKQ). I
saw it in one of their videos about TorqueL and thought it was a nice, simple
way to show the way through each of the routes. If you search YouTube for
TorqueL then you'll find that this user has videos of them playing through
each route in the game as well. Very helpful if you get stuck in one of the
Chambers. For the most part, though, I think you can get by with simple trial
and error. This game isn't puzzle-heavy. Chambers are fairly straight-
forward, so it's just a matter of getting used to the box expansion mechanic
and learning the different ways to use it in different situations. It doesn't
take much time to complete all seven Routes.
Route Unknown - and other achievements
--------------------------------------
Most of the achievements/trophies in this game are easy to acquire. Complete
each route, complete a route under different time limits (60, 30, and 10
minutes) or without dying. (Note: I got the 10M trophy on Route "q", though
I'm sure you could get it on any of them if you know the Chambers well
enough.) There is one trophy, however, that I haven't figured out how to
get yet: Route Unknown.
### Update
Many thanks to users Rudey24 and A1rPun, as they sent me information about
how to get the Route Unknown achievement. If you look at the trophy page for
Route Unknown on PSN Profiles, you'll see that A1rPun was the first person
to get the trophy. Congrats to them!
They've made a [YouTube video](
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-2k4P7G9Hs)
explaining how to find Route Unknown; it's all demonstrated in the video,
which is easier to understand than trying to describe it here. In short,
it requires pausing the game and selecting "Retry Chamber" immediately
after hitting one of the colourful end portals at the end of one of the
normal routes. The example in the video uses Chamber 43, the final
Chamber of Route 'r'. If you do it right - the timing is most important,
it seems - then you restart the Chamber you were in, but the end portal
will be black. Go into the black end portal, and then make your way through
a few more Chambers (46, 47, 48, 49, 50) to get the Route Unknown trophy.
The new Chambers are all pretty tricky, but the video shows how to beat
them in case you can't figure it out. Just watch the video and it should
all become clear.
