About
The Suffering: Ties That Bind is a 2005 first- and third-person psychological survival-horror shooter, the sequel to 2004's The Suffering. Players return as Torque, confronting the violent demons of his past on the streets of Baltimore as the story bridges the events of the first game. Built with input from special-effects designer Stan Winston, it earned solid reviews for its grim atmosphere and creature design. The PC version became hard to find after later being delisted, leaving it out of print on storefronts.
Identity
Launch
- Binary
- TiesThatBind.exe
- Needs files
- none beyond the binary
Proton
- Version
- GE-Proton
- Winetricks
- d3dx9
- ProtonDB
- ProtonDB Pending not enough reports yet
⚙ Setup notes
Game: 2005 Surreal Software sequel (published by Midway/WB). DX9-era third/first-person action-horror.
DRM: GOG release was DRM-free (no StarForce activation), so it runs cleanly under Proton.
Proton: GE-Proton recommended, proton_experimental also works.
Fix: If you hit a 'DirectX 9.0c is not installed' error on launch, install the d3dx9 runtime via protontricks (winetricks d3dx9).
Controller: Native gamepad support exists (console-era port); if it misbehaves, set a Steam Input gamepad layout.
Display: Optional — a community AiO/widescreen patch fixes the 4:3 lock and FOV/HUD stretch for the Deck's 16:10 panel (config only — supply your own files).
ProtonDB: No ProtonDB rating exists — the game was never on Steam (GOG-only, no Steam appid), so there is no aggregated community tier. Treat compatibility as untested and run it via a non-Steam shortcut with a Proton tool.
The one thing to know
Supply your own copy: Never sold on Steam (was a GOG exclusive, delisted Sept 1 2024 at WB's request) — fully out of print. Configuration only, no links.
DRM: GOG build is DRM-free so it runs under Proton without StarForce trouble.
Fix: Watch for a 'DirectX 9.0c not installed' launch error → install d3dx9 via protontricks.
Controller: Native gamepad works; fall back to a Steam Input layout if needed.
Display: Game is 4:3-locked by default — a community widescreen patch corrects aspect/FOV for the Deck panel.
Install: Exe name TiesThatBind.exe is the GOG default (some builds use Suffering2.exe); verify in your copy.
ProtonDB: Not on Steam, so there is no ProtonDB tier — compatibility is untested community-wide. Add it as a non-Steam game and force a Proton/GE-Proton tool.
Community guides
Write-ups and threads from people who got this (or a similar) game running. deckport links to them — it doesn't reproduce them.
Get the artwork
deckport never hosts game images. Open this game on SteamGridDB, pick
the cover / hero / logo / icon you like, and drop them into the
game folder under .deckport-art/ before you push it to the
Deck. The importer files them under the right names automatically.
Run it on your Deck
Two files: the one-time importer (deckport.py) in your
Deck's home folder, and this game's install helper. Copy the game
into ~/Games and run the helper with Steam closed — it
writes the recipe (binary, launch options, Proton version)
and registers the shortcut with artwork.