Pathologic 2

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.

So after only 8 hours in, which is not very much AT ALL, I can definitely warn you of several things. This game is meant to elicit many negative feelings, and that's kind of the point. This game makes you a sarcastic but skilled doctor who walks through a town enveloping in disease. Every conversation and task feels like a stressful, confusing, tiring chore. However, despite all of this, it presents itself in a very unique way. Games can definitely qualify as art, and this is one of the games that takes human suffering and turmoil, and artistically puts you in the eye of that tense and despair-drenched degradation. This game really is its own world, and it's a game that intends to make you feel just as drained as the very protagonist you play as.

If you play this:
Expect to walk long distances.
Expect to be confused by people's vocabulary.
Expect to feel out-of-the-loop.
Expect to feel stressed and bored.
Expect to feel like you have no chance to succeed.
Expect to feel like the game WANTS you to give up.

Expect all of these things, and yet admire this game's world and the way you traverse it.

I’ve got a lot of mixed feelings about this game. Every time I play it, I catch myself wondering, why the hell am I even playing this? And then it hits me that’s the point. The game fully commits to simulating dread, despair, and hopelessness.
I went in determined to save everyone, to have the most optimal playthrough possible. Instead, I kept failing, failing to save those around me, and failing to save myself. That cycle of failure isn’t just frustrating, it’s thematically intentional, and it forces you to reflect. There’s a surprising amount to take away from the experience it even made me question my own worldview, and it’s rare these days for a video game to push me that far.
As for the gameplay itself, it’s serviceable at best. The combat feels like Skyrim with an even worse stamina system, especially when you’re starving, thirsty, and some lunatic decides to test you. But despite all that, I keep coming back. I’m on my fourth playthrough now and still haven’t completed the game in the “traditional” sense.
The art direction is really good, and encapsulates the themes of the game. Whoever designed some of the building's though has got to have a history with psychedelics, cause they are crazy to say the least.
This game is absolutely for a niche audience. Honestly, I don’t think most people will enjoy it because it isn’t really designed to be enjoyed. It’s designed to be endured, to be experienced.