Pathologic 2

Simply the best gaming experience I've ever had. This has now surpassed even the Witcher 3 as my favourite game. How would I describe it to someone who has never played it? I think the person who said "It's like reading Russian literature but you ate half of the pages and the other half is trying to kill you." put it best.

Initially started playing this game again as a way to avoid doing my stressful real life responsibilities. Game stressed me out so much I've had to put it down and fulfill my responsibilities as a way to take a break from the game.

This game is like if Fyodor Dostoevsky, Anton Chekhov, and Franz Kafka came together, got drunk, learned Unity engine and decided to make a game together. It's uniquely surreal and literary but never in a heavy-handed or pretentious way. Every piece feels like its cut exactly as it should be and fitted together to form a cohesive and meaningful whole. This game might not be for everyone-- it's a game that certainly demands a lot from the player, it will have sections of grueling, unbelievable cruelty and difficulty-- but if you should choose to stick with it, it will reward you with something truly unique and special. I don't think I've played a game that I've thought about so much and so long after finishing it.
10/10 - one of the best games I've ever played

I love this game with all of my heart. I will sing its praises forevermore. Let me try to explain why.
This game is a game about failure. Failure of the characters, failure of the town, failure of you the player, it's about losing. But it is in losing that the game shows how strong you can be. How sturdy the floorboards of the theatre's stage is. How desperate the citizens of the town get when the food runs out. How desperate you get when there's no one left to help you.
It is a game about love. And death. And loss, and pain, and anger. Water, plus forward vector.

I am pretty much awed.
This is not what I expected.
I have never played any game like this before.
The whole thing is insanity, and everything I ever known about the video game industry tells me this game shouldn't exist.
It probably doesn't.

Every once in a while, you find through the medium of games some works that go beyond mere "games" and Pathologic 2 is definitely one of them. It is the type of interactive media that manages to bring forth the most beautiful concept of art, which is the capacity to evoke the most profound and primal emotions of the human psyche. All of this is achieved while building a whole living and breathing fictional universe through its attention to detail in the story, the universe, the characters, the mythology, the visuals, and the music. Here lies the beauty of Pathologic 2: its immersiveness and detailed universe, with a whole fictional culture, language and mythology of its own.
I won't delve deeply into the gameplay/survival mechanics and the lore of the game overall, since it's REALLY RECOMMENDED to dive into this game completely blind and on the Imago Difficulty (the intended difficulty) to truly feel what the game wants you to experience. However, it is easy to say that the game breaks many genre staples and is punitive, putting you in the most uncomfortable and anxiety-inducing situations. You will probably fail many times, and that's completely fine and entirely intended. Pathologic 2 is a game with a very direct and solid philosophy envisioned by the developers. In true Russian literature fashion, it's a game about the tragedy of life, accepting and overcoming death and suffering. It's a game where defeat and loss are inherent to its gameplay, wanting you to accept and overcome all the imperfections, mistakes, and sacrifices so you can still manage to survive the next day. The game lets you learn by experience that you are not the perfect hero; you CANNOT CONTROL EVERYTHING, you CANNOT SAVE EVERYONE, and you DON'T HAVE THE TIME to do everything. You will have to make choices and sacrifices that will affect important aspects of the whole game, such as characters and your own experience as the player. This philosophy permeates every aspect of the game. Pathologic 2 it's not a game you play, it's a game you go to war with.

This is the most intellectually stimulating game I have ever played.
It is gruelingly hard, it challenges you as a player and a person. It will shake you around and play with you like a chew toy time and time again until you sit back and truly start to grasp the larger picture of the narrative at play.
It took me 3 years and 4 playthroughs to finally reach one of the two main endings (on intended difficulty), and I've never felt so accomplished.
I have another 50+ hours on GoG, I bought the game twice over because I love it so much and the developers have created a true work of art.
If you enjoy a game that will challenge you at every turn, make you completely rethink the way you consume media, where the choices you make affect the lives (and deaths) of every character, then Pathologic 1 and 2 have a wretchedly wonderful journey in store for you.