Instead of creating a character, you're given control of the corpse-like Nameless One from the moment he awakens on a slab in the central plane of Sigil. From there, you have to discover your past, realizing along the way that you've lived thousands of lifetimes. In some ways, Torment runs in reverse. The guided tour I was given by project director Guido Henkel showed a game that looked quite unlike BG as well. Black Isle has tweaked many aspects of BioWare 's Infinity engine, removing the side-bars, text boxes, and bringing the camera much closer to the action.
Dialogue now appears directly above the characters' heads, as do the results of combat.
Menu functions are now accessed through a right-click on the mouse. All of this removes the clutter of the original's interface and results in a cleaner appearance that draws the eye towards what is happening on-screen. About the only bad thing I can say about Torment is the overly-optimistic shipping date. Henkel told me that Interplay is planning on a summer release, which seems wildly optimistic given that all sorts of work remains. Expect this one to slip until at least Christmas.