Pathologic 2

So, I hope the title is cryptic enough. I thought about writing a completely confusing review as a statement that not all of the things exist to be completely understood. But since I can't compete with Pathologic writing neither in skill nor in artfulness, I'll desist. If anything truthful can be said about this game, it is that you are going to be surprised. Your existing gaming experience could make it more of a bad surprise, but since you are here on GOG, you might be better prepared than others. My honest opinion is that this game is 4 out of 5. It really has some issues with keeping the player actually playing this game. It has one of the best stories ever told in the game industry, game mechanics are engaging and the town is mysterious. But somehow you are constantly being pushed away from the game by its depressing atmosphere, sometimes monotonous and repetitive (to a certain point) process and storyline conundrums. But because it is such a unique experience, I gave it 5 stars. For me, this game is of unique genre – time management game. Labyrinthine town layout with multiple dead ends, slow walking pace, complex item exchange system, survival mechanics even opening cupboards and filling empty bottles serve the purpose of reducing players time. Basically every and each mechanic in this game serves one purpose: to deprive player of valuable time. When you stop seeing multiple survival gauges pending your attention and instead start to see only one real meter behind it, which is time, after that the game becomes much more clear. Developers describe their game as decision making simulator. Even making the proper turn and not making it while traveling from A to B could be life-changing. The time pressure is there to make your decisions really matter. This is one of the few games, where you have to optimize your way of thinking, not your reflexes or tactics. You can’t loot your way to the win here or LMB spam all the enemies. Just cope as best as you can

This is what "games are art" movement should stand for. I'm that kind of person who never really finished Dark Souls because it was too hard but Pathologic 2 got me obsessed despite its brutal difficulty. I've beaten this game two times already. It made me reflect on so many things and question existance itself. The writing is tight, the art es amazing and the lore is incredibly deep. Please buy this game. It needs to continue. We can't let this gem die.

I just finished Pathologic 2 and I gotta say it's sick how bloody good it is. So for the good. Well the writing sucks you in, the atmosphere is suffocating, the music infects you and the design is perfect. It fixed a lot of problems with the original game though it only contains the route of one of the protagonists from the original(since the other two are going to be added later) and fleshes him plus the characters he's connected to way more. Really play the game for yourself but remember this is a fairly difficult game. Everything you do matters in this game if you stab some passerby you got every man in the area on your tail and the gossip of it ruining your reputation. If you buy a loaf of bread you might not be able to afford that gun that shady fellow by the lake is offering for a seemingly unfair price. If you sold those broken scissors you found you can trade them for those antibiotics from that little girl. If you stand around in the basement of your house for an hour you wasted a bloody hour. It's an experience BUT it's not for everyone like blade runner the game won't engage you. You and the game needs to have a formal meeting discussing your plans, find some time for each other and then maybe you might get engaged. So in conclusion. play it. Come on do it. DO IT. Come on be cool.

Pathologic 2 is a game that requires your patience and demands you weigh your options and consider what you can and cannot bring to fruition for doing so. If you can't balance this and try do everything you think is possible, you WILL suffer, and suffer you shall in a town that is already full of suffering. The atmosphere of this town really sets this into place, which almost feels inviting at first until you realize just how bad things are and how bad things become, in which it becomes downright intoxicating yet still so engaging that you can't stop playing because you want to see how it continues to unfold. Stellar art direction and an atmospheric soundtrack back this all up to keep you at the edge of your seat. You continue to get sucked in with the townsfolk who each have their own stories, relationships, and struggles. But as mentioned before, you have to value your time and plan things out. You won't be able to talk to everyone and do everything involving them without sacrificing precious time that you must value with care. Pathologic 2 can sometimes feel downright grueling in it's difficulty that in tandem with all this, requires you take the necessary precautions to help yourself. You need to manage your hunger, exhaustion, occasionally your thirst and especially your infection later on. I had to roll back time a few times because of how I mismanaged my days and resources, which hurt doubly so because every time you die, you take a penalty affects you across ALL your saves for that playthrough. While there are some performance issues and bugs that need to be ironed out (16GB of memory is heavily recommended), I can't recommend this game enough to anyone who wants an extremely-engaging and unsettling story to experience. Plus, there is more to come with the Bachelor and Changeling routes coming down the line. Finally, a few things: - Buy the BVLL - Don't throw away "broken" items - DO NOT TAKE THE DEAL. You will regret it.