A Bewildering Descent into Medical Despair
There are so many games that are easy just to pick up and play; platformers for instance mostly see you moving from left to right, without fuss and bother.
On the other end of the scale, however, are games like the Pathologic series, which are sometimes hard to even define. Ice Pick Lodge released the first game in 2005. It was highly acclaimed back then and eventually received a sequel in Pathologic 2 just a few years ago. Pathologic 3 is, as the name suggests, the third entry in the series, and I am amazed by it, yet bewildered in equal measure.
I don’t think you have any need to have played the previous two games before starting this one. It is essentially a reimagining of one of the characters’ journeys from the original 2005 game. Set in a Russian town at the turn of the century, you play as Daniil Dankovsky, also known as the Bachelor, who is a scientist and researcher. His work on the nature of death and immortality has brought him to the town in search of a man who claims to be immortal. However, upon his arrival, a deadly plague sweeps through the community, leaving the Bachelor with only twelve days to save everyone.
The Weight of Choice:
This is a narrative-heavy game right from the beginning, feeling almost like one of those classic novels such as War and Peace. Now, over those twelve days, you simply will not have time to solve every crisis. I will be clear from the start: you will not be able to help everyone. You will talk to people, and there will be side quests and tasks to complete, but while some will live, others will inevitably die. It is a complex game – much like real life itself – full of grey areas that lurk in the moral in-between.
Decisions you make on day two might seem great on the surface, but they could have terrible consequences down the line on day eight. You are also a sort of time traveller, able to go back and repeat any day you like to correct the mistakes you made. But the butterfly effect can occur, and the stress of time travel on your protagonist’s mind can be deeply damaging. Overall, the narrative is incredibly strong, bleak, confusing, and deep. I enjoyed it immensely and felt completely entranced by this world at times, even though it frustrated me in equal measure.
Managing the Mind
If I remember correctly, there was a lot more focus on survival mechanics in the second game. While that game featured a more open world, Pathologic 3 is a much more focused and linear affair, to its credit. You have a meter that tracks apathy and mania. Apathy increases through conversations and by simply witnessing the horrors around you while trying to stop the plague. As the apathy meter fills, the Bachelor becomes slower in his movements until, if you are not careful, he will take his own life. I did warn you this wasn’t a cheery game.
Conversely, the mania meter will also increase. This seems good at first because your character moves around much faster, but your health bar will take a beating, forcing you to replenish it with rare health packs. And then, in the districts where you are trying to cure the plague, there is a ghostly woman who chases you around each day; you need to both avoid and somehow defeat her.
One of the most interesting tasks you undertake each day is trying to cure the infection by examining graphs and balancing the rate of infection against the town’s happiness and level of unrest. You do this by issuing decrees from the emergency centre, which you control. For instance, you might issue a command to train more orderlies or exchange fuel for medicine, decisions that will directly impact the standing of certain factions.
Another fascinating mechanic is examining and diagnosing patients by talking to them and noting their symptoms. This could lead to a vaccine at the end of the day, but beware: the plague constantly mutates, forcing you to adapt your tactics.
Capturing the Bleakness
I thoroughly enjoyed the game’s visuals, especially the character design and the close-ups of the patients and townspeople you meet. There are some amazing design choices that perfectly capture the atmosphere and sheer bleakness of the setting. The same can be said of the audio design, which, while exciting at times, filled me with a profound sense of despair, which is exactly what the game is likely going for.
A Highly Original Challenge for the Patient Player
Pathologic 3 is a complex, highly original game that will appeal to a specific audience, but I fear it will leave many others behind. It feels like one of those games you only truly start to ‘get’ when you are about halfway through, and I can completely understand people dropping off after the first few hours.
But for me, it was an experience full of mystery, despair, nearly impossible challenges, and a deeply engrossing narrative. And I loved it.
Important Links
Pathologic 3 Brings Plague, Time, And Impossible Choices To Xbox And PC – https://www.thexboxhub.com/pathologic-3-brings-plague-time-and-impossible-choices-to-xbox-and-pc/
Pathologic 3 Announced: A Haunting Return to the Plague-Stricken Town – https://www.thexboxhub.com/pathologic-3-announced-a-haunting-return-to-the-plague-stricken-town/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/pathologic-3/9P352L301527/0010
