Pathologic 2

there three games that gave me that "this is Literature" vibes. planescape torment, disco elysium, and this

Fear & Hunger & Infection & Exhaustion. Absolutely brutal experience + beautiful world and story, I hope this game gets the recognition it deserves soon

I originally wanted to wait for the other two characters' campaigns to be released, before reviewing Pathologic 2. But since they're expanding those campaigns into full fledged, separate games, I might as well give my appreciation for this title. I love Pathologic Classic for everything it does good and got everything it does bad but I still love it. This is basically Pathologic Classic but the difficulty is actually fair (albeit maddening, if you're playing on the intended one!) instead of being artificial. No more knives hitting you in the face from a mile away the moment you step outside a building, no more hordes of rats, and... Oh! You can run??? Finally! Of course, this doesn't mean you shouldn't give classic a try, if you end up liking patho 2. I think managing to beat the game on imago changed me forever. But the classic has its own charm and a complete storyline. Here, we only get Artemy's POV. It is a fully fledged campaign tho. In the original, the Haruspex and changeling's camapigns felt rushed at times. Here, you can play only Haruspex, but you're gonna have a lot of fun doing it, even if you might still want to tear your hair off at times. But the type of frustration is different. This time, it really feels like a challenge, and overcoming it despite the constant ticking clock feels incredibly rewarding. Can't wait for Pathologic 3, but I'm glad they're going to different routes. I can always jump back on Artemy Burakh's fun steppe vacation if I feel like rummaging through trash and brewing potions. And I think I'll be doing that for more playthroughs still!

I must admit, when I first tried the original "Pathologic," it struck me as a strange indie project, and I quickly abandoned it. Later, after reading enthusiastic reviews, I promised myself I'd revisit it but never found the time. Now I've had the opportunity to play "Pathologic 2," which is presented as a full reimagining of one of the original game's three storylines. Having completed it fully, I'd eagerly dive into the remaining two-thirds if they become available. It's no big spoiler to reveal that the game unfolds in a remote steppe town gripped by a terrifying pandemic. The disease is unknown, spreads through airborne droplets, ravages the body swiftly, and proves fatal within a day. Although the town supposedly houses tens of thousands of residents, this is visually understated—just one of many gaming conventions. Among the population are dozens of significant characters with whom you interact extensively. The protagonist must constantly manage hunger, thirst, immunity, exhaustion, and health. The core gameplay revolves around survival amidst extreme resource scarcity, especially time. Time moves inexorably forward, compelling you to make painful decisions since completing everything you wish is physically impossible. The town itself is a maze that changes daily, with barricades and obstacles emerging regularly. Losing precious time by taking a wrong turn is frustrating, often prompting a reload, though saving is restricted to specific locations. The narrative spans eleven in-game days (excluding the twelfth day), and with each passing day, time moves faster! This relentless pace ensures you're never truly at ease. Interestingly, the game allows you to bypass plot tasks entirely—provided you have sufficient food and water, you could theoretically sleep through to the ending. This isn't an oversight but another intentional design choice, reminding players they aren't always the central hero capable of saving everyone. The game's atmosphere is intensely grim. Your character, a surgeon, must practically apply his skills—saving lives through operations, dissecting bodies to study the disease, or selling organs on the black market to afford basic sustenance. The agonizing infected are visually and audibly disturbing, and townsfolk gradually descend into madness, escalating from knife fights to burning people alive in desperate attempts to halt the epidemic. Additional immersive elements include crafting items, repairing mechanisms, sewing clothes, sharpening weapons, and brewing medicines. There's also a distinctive mini-game for diagnosing illnesses and prescribing treatments. Though depicted simplistically, these elements add artistic charm. However, not all mechanics were to my liking. Inventory management is particularly cumbersome. The game features nearly a hundred items, initially seeming like useless junk, yet each can become crucial for repairs or trading. The limited inventory size necessitates meticulous planning and creating stashes near save points to avoid unnecessary losses. Additionally, the artificial limitations on item durability are frustrating. Clothing logically offers disease protection, but it deteriorates far too rapidly, as does weaponry, breaking after a few uses. Combat is disappointing as well, particularly enemy AI. Bandits stubbornly continue to attack bare-handed despite being shot at with a shotgun, lacking any instinct for self-preservation. Story-wise, however, the game is genuinely captivating, blending detective elements with mysticism and surrealism. Merely surviving becomes secondary to understanding unfolding events, unraveling mysteries, and attempting to rescue beloved characters. Yet no one is safe: any narrative character can contract the disease, and medicines are scarce, particularly since the protagonist also requires treatment. The developers deliberately instill a sense of fatalism—for instance, achieving one specific accomplishment necessitates allowing a particularly cherished character to die. Game rules change daily. Neighborhoods become infected, risking contamination upon any contact; starvation drives locals to violence; barricades arise, water sources vanish, and shops close, replaced by illegal stalls. Prices and even currency fluctuate abruptly, rendering accumulated wealth worthless. Children, the primary source of medicine trades, eventually disappear from the streets. These perpetual changes maintain continuous engagement. Notably, the death mechanic uniquely complicates gameplay: each protagonist's demise applies various debuffs, making subsequent survival harder. After repeated deaths, the game offers a "deal with the devil" to remove all negative effects—at a significant and irreversible cost, even if you reload a save. My advice: avoid this deal until you've completed the game at least once. The standout feature remains the narrative itself. Explicit explanations are rare, and nearly every dialogue introduces new mysteries and enigmas. Its atmosphere somewhat evokes "Twin Peaks," rich in metaphors and allusions found in texts, imagery, and environment design. Unfortunately, there’s hardly time for contemplation due to the constant urgency. Occasionally, the protagonist's thoughts manifest as dialogues with shadowy versions of other characters. The developers also daringly break the fourth wall, portraying events alternately as dreams or theatrical performances, casting the player as an actor playing the protagonist. "Pathologic 2" is undoubtedly not for everyone. It's challenging, tense, and occasionally irritating, yet its profound intrigue and depth firmly hold your attention until the very end.

This game is so weird and cool and has left a lasting impression on me. It started slow and came off as pretentious on the surface which turned me away at first, but once the story gets going in earnest it becomes very engaging and immersive, and a lot of necessary questions get answered. I was addicted by the middle and very satisfied by the end. Now it lives rent free in my head and I'm hooked on the aesthetic. I think the dialogue could do with being slightly less flowery, and the intro slightly less slow, but they do give the game this uncanny and surreal feeling. It's like the whole thing is a dream, or you're playing The Truman Show. It was difficult for me to tell what was scripted and what was emergent or coincidence. The art, character design, models, UI, music, sound effects, and map design all are 10/10 for what they are. I am fascinated by a lot of the ideas in the lore too. The town is this perfect mix of cozy and nostalgic, while also being alien and horrifying. I also liked the animation and voice acting, despite both being very sparse. It can be frustratingly difficult at certain points, but it does throw in breathers every once in a while. After I finally finished the game it all felt worth it. If you hate missing things or being on time crunches this will be a very unpleasant experience.

An amazing and stressful roller coaster. Philosophical and confusing, different and weird. Very, very memorable. 10/10

When I tried to play this game a while back, I had a problem in the starting town where I couldn't raise my fists and had to watch as a man chased me and beat me to death. I didn't refund it at the time since everyone said that the devs were a poor indie studio in Russia that struggled with releasing a game of this scale. I was repeatedly assured they would eventually get around to bug fixing. So, I waited a year or so, and I tried to play it again after all this time. Lo and behold, the same error happened again, except this time there's a reminder on screen telling you how should use mouse1 and mouse2 as you frantically try clicking those very buttons, to no avail. While I normally would not hold a game's very annoying audience against it, this is one I have to call out. inb4 every fan of this game tells me that this bug I'm experiencing is actually secretly genius, subtle design to show the futility of fighting. Perhaps you could reword Hbomberguy's "games don't have to be fun" quote in a different way so you can act like you're smart for watching a youtube video.

Artemy Burakh literally made me a (transgender) man 7 years ago so happy pride month and belated happy 20th birthday to pathologic

interesting story smothered by boring and dumb kind of difficulty

If you haven't unlocked Imago, I don't want to hear it. I am gatekeeping. The game is about pushing through despite the horrors, the fatigue and the doubts. It shouldn't feel good, it should feel right.

A true masterpiece, its a must play for any gamer who wants to experience one of the most unique games ever made.

A fascinating game, thematic and unique. It's very disquieting and affecting, but not scary per se. It rewards humility and caution.

play if you want brutal survival in an intriguingly mysterious setting

In soviet russia, game beats you

I hate myself for playing this game, but can't stop.

10/10 would doctor again

what the fuck is this game dude

Gooooood Stuff

fantastic

Can i please have food

bought

dfghjufhyuihlarESGliuaESRTguilaergtuilhaterfgiulyerdfguilahdfguihladrglaEIURghuih awrt4ergauhiksfgfsgdliukhfdgzuiklhfds