Pathologic 2

Pathologic 2 is a harsh, unwelcoming experience that took a lot out of me, but everything in it, no matter how odd or seemingly inconsequential, is setup for an eventual payoff. Players capable of embracing its dour atmosphere will be rewarded with one of gaming’s greatest narrative accomplishments — it’s an epic-length refutation of the idea that gratification can only come through success, that stories need to be about heroes, that “fun” is the only metric by which a game’s quality can be measured. Pathologic 2 is a masterpiece not in spite of its shortcomings, but because of them. There is truly nothing else like it.

"Unbearable" is definitely one word for Pathologic 2, but that hides a few others: engulfing, ingenious, profound, invigorating. [Issue#341, p.106]

Overall, despite some smaller issues that are being patched out as we speak, Pathologic 2 retains the grim atmosphere of the original, putting meat on the bones of the storyline and characters, but leaving none for you. It’s a shame that the negative reviews put it at risk of obscurity, because it’s immeasurably engrossing and deserving of some serious play-time from those who like to enjoy the journey more than the end goal. You will starve, you will die, you will kill others and run away, you will feel deeply miserable and admit that all hope is gone – and at the end of it all, when you shut down your PC, a nice walk in the sun will seem all the more rewarding.

A very difficult game that can be frustrating at times, but ultimitely does keep you entertained. Worth adjusting the difficulty to make it more playable.

Thanks to its extraordinary aesthetic choices and its endless variety of roleplaying approaches, combined with the depth and exquisite wickedness of survival mechanics, Pathologic 2 is confirmed as an original, atypical, dreamlike, violent and masochistic experience.

Few games are as transportive as this, and fewer still will leave players so utterly convinced that they never want to see such a place for as long as they live.

Pathologic 2 is a surrealist drama wrapped in a survival game's tattered clothes. It's frustrating and haunting all at once. It's also one of the most atmospheric games ever made.

The gameplay of Pathologic 2 is very barebones in favor of a story pretty difficult to understand. It’s a very complex game, barely passable on the technical front, but with a great atmosphere.

Pathologic 2 is a punishing, twisted game that is burdened by some intentionally poor mechanics that, while interesting to analyse, detract from the game itself.

It’s mysterious, it’s bizarre, it’s tense. Atmosphere and storytelling elevate this plague adventure far above its peers, but its survival aspect is barely bearable and the combat just plain old sucks. Still, this is a special, unique game, if you can tolerate its quirkiness.

Pathologic 2 returns with its engaging and mysterious story, and makes progress in translation and menu design as well, but in technical terms the same old issues are obvious. Maybe these issues will be addressed in the future episodes, but since then, get ready to come across some weird ones, while enjoying its wonderful storytelling style.

Pathologic 2 is a visionary and narratively powerful video game, but at the same time is edgy and full of systems that do everything to frustrate the player.

Pathologic 2, just like its predecessor, has a ton of annoying routines which will easily scare away even the most patient players. Yet after getting through the game to the last bow I felt a sudden urge to return to this moody prairie town in the middle of nowhere.

A gruelling mystery game that smothers its big ideas with dour survival mechanics.

A weird and unique game that may be too confusing for most of the players but manages to be almost unique in its kind.

I thought I would enjoy Pathologic 2, but its needlessly mundane and cruel systems take too much away from its otherwise interesting and strange world.

Pathologic 2 is a weird and unique experience, besmeared by some optimization and balance issues. Its narrative, story, and atmosphere are suffocating under the weight of its mechanics and I'm pretty sure that heavy reliance on meta-gaming to avoid hitting a roadblock wasn't something its creators intended.

Like an experimental art house film re-shot to more fully realize its original creative vision using modern technology and techniques, Pathologic 2 brings the tense, enigmatic streets of Town-on-Gorkhon to life like the original never quite could. It iterates and adds on top of what once was to great effect in nearly all but one particularly baffling area, and any gamer with a penchant for single-player games with a strong narrative focus should play through Pathologic 2 at least once for the one-of-a-kind experience that only it provides.

Pathologic 2 is an exceptional and very bad game in equal parts, a title that for modern judgment can be considered only a mediocre game but, despite its numerous problems, deserves at least one chance to show what it can offer.

Pathologic 2 looks unlike anything on the market, and its genuinely surreal and emotionally twisted tale and graphics are at least unique, if not actually appealing. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but neither was Carmac McCarthy’s The Road. Miasma of poorly explained and confusing systems and unforgiving survival mechanics are more clearly a problem and they make Pathologic 2 nearly impossible to enjoy on any level, and certainly not fun.

Pathologic 2 is a narrative-driven thriller that doesn't really care if you have a good time or not. Prepare to be eternally hungry.

Pathologic 2 is an engaging and disquieting game, one that has the potential to be something really quite special. But its survival mechanics are unnecessarily suffocating and take much of the joy out of it. Until Pathologic 2 is cured of that particular problem, be prepared for an uneven slog.

Original Pathologic was way too early to the “sandbox survival” boom, now its years too late. As for story – it’s basically the same: rich in ideas and lore, but very poorly written. [Issue#239, p.60]

Pathologic 2 is the ultimate acquired taste - unforgiving, byzantine, and eye-opening.

Pathologic 2 is a game that will appeal to a very particular type of player, and be despised by everyone else. Those on the fence should scope out the game on either YouTube or Twitch to know what you are getting into.

Pathologic 2 is the product of a perverse design philosophy. It's alternately intriguing and off-putting; it draws you in with its eerie, dreamlike setting and cast of unnaturally eccentric characters, but then it pushes you away with its nagging, mundane demands. In the end, I was resigned to let failure take me.