Pathologic 2

Great game, but after a point it gets kinda difficult running around hungry, thirsty and exhausted to complete time sensitive tasks, only to then come back home and play this game

An engrossing, surreal exploration of a strange town in the Russian steppe that I absolutely had no fun playing. By design. Its constantly stressful, you're mostly just walking around expect when you have to engage is the awkward combat, and its so difficult that you'll often have to repeat sections of it to make progress. This is the intended experience and its great because it will actually instill in you empathy and understanding for the people that inhabit the town and what their own lives are like. That's kind of the magic here, there isn't really much "fun" about playing this game, but you still want to play it. The mysteries are so intriguing and the writing is so compelling that you'll want to push through. In a medium that usually measures value in fun per hour that's pretty significant I think.

Pathologic 2 is most emphatically not for everyone. It's (just like its predecessor) initially difficult to grasp or appreciate, both mechanically and narratively speaking. Most people understandably don't have the time or patience to experience what Pathologic 2 has to offer. And there's nothing wrong with that. It's not by any means a customary game in the sense that it can be easily categorized. If I were to describe Pathologic 2 to someone who has never played it, I would be inclined to call it a melancholy immersive sim with strong narrative elements, so strong in fact that the game's multifaceted narrative(s) (there are actually stories within stories contained within the nameless Town-on-the-Ghorkhon) rivals what is traditionally considered great literature.
On the surface Pathologic 2 is about a plague ravaging a town populated by eccentric characters. But the truth, which becomes more and more apparent as you "play" the game, is that Pathologic 2 is about everything and nothing all at once. It's so rich in symbolism that it's a miracle it was even conceived by a game studio. It's not a game you "beat" shortly before moving on. No, assuming it's done its intended magic, Pathologic 2 stays with you. You think about the Town-on-the-Ghorkhon and its inhabitants; you think about the significance of this or that event; you think about the elusive intentions of the talented developers. It invites you to travel down so many cerebral corridors that it's downright insane.
I could go on and on. But the fact is that Pathologic 2 is inexhaustible as a work of art. I don't know what else to say other than to openly declare how much I absolutely love this thing masquerading as a "game."
I hope you end up loving it too.

If the main character, the author, or the reader is suffering, then it’s Russian literature. If the author, the main character, and the reader are all suffering, then it’s a classic of Russian literature.
And Pathologic 2 is, as you guessed, a classic of Russian literature.

This is that kind of game that buries you alive, but you crawl your way back out with new eyes for the world. The world inside and outside of the game.

This game is an ADHD simulator and worst nightmare all in one. There's a million things you have to do, with very little way to know what to prioritize and constantly getting distracted by new quests or finding items in trash cans or delicious egg. The roads are as confusing to navigate as possible and by the time you realize you forgot something important you need to pick up, you're already like halfway across town. And the clock is constantly ticking and you always feel like you're too late for things as time literally gets faster every day. Still less stressful than my life without my meds tho so 10/10.

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