Pathologic (2005)

Ice-Pick Lodge

PC (Microsoft Windows)

4.00 from 70 ratings

231 members have it in their collection · 11 playing now · 109 backlogged · 116 wish listed

Pathologic is a Russian survival-horror/RPG about a remote steppe town collapsing under a plague, with the story told through three playable outsiders: the Bachelor, the Haruspex, and the Changeling. Each route covers the same 12-day catastrophe from a different worldview, but rather than offering a clean mystery to unravel, the game forces you to survive inside a collapsing social order … Read more
Pathologic is a Russian survival-horror/RPG about a remote steppe town collapsing under a plague, with the story told through three playable outsiders: the Bachelor, the Haruspex, and the Changeling. Each route covers the same 12-day catastrophe from a different worldview, but rather than offering a clean mystery to unravel, the game forces you to survive inside a collapsing social order where resources are scarce, motives are unclear, and every explanation of the town feels partial or suspect. Read less
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Release dates

  • Jun 09, 2005 (Full Release) (Worldwide) PC (Microsoft Windows)
  • Aug 18, 2005 (Full Release) (Europe) PC (Microsoft Windows)
  • Apr 20, 2006 (Full Release) (Europe) PC (Microsoft Windows)
  • Mar 07, 2007 (Full Release) (Europe) PC (Microsoft Windows)

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Rating distribution

5 stars
27
4 stars
25
3 stars
11
2 stars
5
1 star
2
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Community All Reviews Statuses

Mazinkaiser

Review Mazinkaiser 5/5 · Sep 19, 2016

Pathologic - The Definition of Flawed Classic

Truly, nothing else can be as frustrating as being stuck in Pathologic, not knowing what to do, stuck with an obtuse line of NPCs who babble gibberish and forced to take desperate measures to stay alive amidst a growing plague and the player's own hunger.

Truly, nothing else can be as brilliant as being immersed in Pathologic, entranced by its …

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Truly, nothing else can be as frustrating as being stuck in Pathologic, not knowing what to do, stuck with an obtuse line of NPCs who babble gibberish and forced to take desperate measures to stay alive amidst a growing plague and the player's own hunger.

Truly, nothing else can be as brilliant as being immersed in Pathologic, entranced by its mystery and incredibly unique Russian mythology, treated to a cast of incredibly unique characters with their own aspirations and motives, and truly feeling the intensity of survival in a slowly decaying world.

Pathologic can be seen both ways, as faulty as it is fantastic and the best way to combine survival and adventure into a hazy, unnerving, mysterious whole.

Is it the most well-designed, fun, and paced survival game to date? Nope, but it sure laid the groundwork for many people looking to beat the odds and survive tough circumstances in games. Its visuals look dated but have their own rustic charm to it (definitely original) and the music gives a whole new meaning to unearthly.

Pathologic will stand the test of time, not for being some weird Russian game but for being some weird Russian game that immerses you in a brilliant little village of death and despair.

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