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Pathologic HD


CarltonTroisi

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I'm a sucker for unique, macabre games (or uniquely macabre ;) and so this game fits the bill.

 

However, even on Day 1, I can barely understand most of what the game is talking about. It doesn't make sense!

 

The game also doesn't give many specifics on what to do, or how to proceed. If you don't figure it out before the day ends, you lose. It's not fair, man. I need guidance and the game just doesn't care. I need to be told what to do and where to find things, and yet, this game is like an iron curtain.

 

Maybe I'm just too much wimp? ^_^

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Play with the Bachelor. He's a character who's new to the City and therefore everything is explained to him more thoroughly. It's also much easier.

Haruspex is a character who is the son of one of the more important patriarch figures and therefore for him everything is assumed to be known.

 

I finished with Haruspex the first time but I still need to go through with Bachelor and Changeling and had no time. You get used to the hardship degree with other games I guess if you have the patience. Also I just liked the character.

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"I really perceive that vanity about which most men merely prate — the vanity of the human or temporal life. I live continually in a reverie of the future. I have no faith in human perfectibility. I think that human exertion will have no appreciable effect upon humanity. Man is now only more active — not more happy — nor more wise, than he was 6000 years ago. The result will never vary — and to suppose that it will, is to suppose that the foregone man has lived in vain — that the foregone time is but the rudiment of the future — that the myriads who have perished have not been upon equal footing with ourselves — nor are we with our posterity. I cannot agree to lose sight of man the individual, in man the mass."...

- 2 July 1844 letter to James Russell Lowell from Edgar Allan Poe.

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I was already playing with The Bachelor... the game is still hard for me, it's slow, it's hard to understand, it doesn't often tell you *clearly* what to do. I had to use the walkthrough and even watch a video to figure out what I was doing wrong in Day 1.

 

At least I'm not the only one, just looking around there are a lot of folks who had trouble figuring it out; a lot of players who gave up quickly.

 

Keep in mind though, I definitely don't hate the game, and I'm not giving up!

 

I think it's fascinating and possibly even genius, if you look past the rough edges.

 

It's just "over my head" a bit, given not just my ADD (trouble paying attention) but the mild autism for me, makes it hard to read between the lines, understand subtext, etc. This game is full of symbolic language and other things, that I can't process the meaning.

 

Autism interferes with language processing, you see.. it's a comprehension problem, among other things.

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Yeah dialogue is written in Pathologic in a way that normal people don't really talk. It's like reading some dramaturgy, but you might get used to it.

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"I really perceive that vanity about which most men merely prate — the vanity of the human or temporal life. I live continually in a reverie of the future. I have no faith in human perfectibility. I think that human exertion will have no appreciable effect upon humanity. Man is now only more active — not more happy — nor more wise, than he was 6000 years ago. The result will never vary — and to suppose that it will, is to suppose that the foregone man has lived in vain — that the foregone time is but the rudiment of the future — that the myriads who have perished have not been upon equal footing with ourselves — nor are we with our posterity. I cannot agree to lose sight of man the individual, in man the mass."...

- 2 July 1844 letter to James Russell Lowell from Edgar Allan Poe.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Was the game based on a stage play?

 

Not to my knowledge.

 

Speaking of Pathologic's story and setting, the game reminded me of the works of interwar author Július Barč-Ivan, a playwright from my country. He tended to write stories and plays focusing on rather existentialist themes, often set in a small town beset by an unusual situation (e.g. Neznámy or Koniec). As he's fairly obscure outside of our immediate region, I doubt the Pathologic devs were in any way influenced by his writing.

 

In terms of themes and story content, I wonder whether the Pathologic devs took some loose inspiration from Albert Camus' novel The Plague. Camus was an author that was all about stories of that nature, reflecting the popularity of existentialism at the time. The wartime and initial post-war malaise in French society often provoked contemplations on human nature, morality and survival, and it was a bit of an "in vogue" topic for authors and philosophers, for a number of years.

 

I own the original game (with a good, non-English translation), but I still haven't finished my playthrough. Not because I don't like it, on the contrary (I remember I played the hell out of the demo version back in 2009 or thereabouts). It's a fascinating survival horror game, but I just need to find the right time of year and frame of mind to play it. The atmosphere is awesome and mysterious, but also rather oppressive. I wanted to play through the whole thing this autumn, but was too busy with other stuff. And I'm not into playing thematically gloomy games around Christmas time. :D So maybe in February or thereabouts.

Edited by Petike the Taffer
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I was actually able to finish the game. Thankfully after getting a little help for Day 1, I was able to figure out the major game mechanics, and got through the rest of the game with minimal use of walkthrough. But it's a long slog for several reasons. Still, an amazing game, overall. Will give more impressions of it later on

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Not to my knowledge.

 

Speaking of Pathologic's story and setting, the game reminded me of the works of interwar author Július Barč-Ivan, a playwright from my country. He tended to write stories and plays focusing on rather existentialist, often set in a small town beset by an unusual situation (e.g. Neznámy or Koniec). As he's fairly obscure outside of our immediate region, I doubt the Pathologic devs were in any way influenced by his writing.

 

In terms of themes and story content, I wonder whether the Pathologic devs took some loose inspiration from Albert Camus' novel The Plague. Camus was an author that was all about stories of that nature, reflecting the popularity of existentialism at the time. The wartime and initial post-war malaise in French society often provoked contemplations on human nature, morality and survival, and it was a bit of an "in vogue" topic for authors and philosophers, for a number of years.

 

I own the original game (with a good, non-English translation), but I still haven't finished my playthrough. Not because I don't like it, on the contrary (I remember I played the hell out of the demo version back in 2009 or thereabouts). It's a fascinating survival horror game, but I just need to find the right time of year and frame of mind to play it. The atmosphere is awesome and mysterious, but also rather oppressive. I wanted to play through the whole thing this autumn, but was too busy with other stuff. And I'm not into playing thematically gloomy games around Christmas time. :D So maybe in February or thereabouts.

 

Similarities they may be.

 

The real inspiration was Strugatsy brothers - "Гадкие Лебеди" and "За миллиард лет до конца света". I don't know if there are any translations available.

J.G. Ballard's "High-Rise" too.

More info can be found from various interviews and on the kickstarter page too maybe.

Edited by Anderson
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"I really perceive that vanity about which most men merely prate — the vanity of the human or temporal life. I live continually in a reverie of the future. I have no faith in human perfectibility. I think that human exertion will have no appreciable effect upon humanity. Man is now only more active — not more happy — nor more wise, than he was 6000 years ago. The result will never vary — and to suppose that it will, is to suppose that the foregone man has lived in vain — that the foregone time is but the rudiment of the future — that the myriads who have perished have not been upon equal footing with ourselves — nor are we with our posterity. I cannot agree to lose sight of man the individual, in man the mass."...

- 2 July 1844 letter to James Russell Lowell from Edgar Allan Poe.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Pathologic is very badly designed to be clear with how to use mechanics, I understand using walkthrough on minimum but I suggest use map of the town with named districts - no idea how in English translation, but I've heard bad stuff about its quality, and the map really saved my ass with having idea where to actually go.

Probably there's a lot of features which are hidden, like I realized very late in game that the icons which pops out from time to time on left down corner of the screen informs the new letter came, and some other stuff happened.

The First day was created to be a tutorial about the town and game itself(especially on Bachelor route) but it doesn't end well, unclear messy.

 

By the way character speak I didn't had problem with understanding them and finding it more immersive with everything its stage play thing, at the same time I got more confused because sometimes translations offers two names for same place.

I've played only Bachelor route but I have in plans to make Haruspix route when I'll be after finals. Its a very stressful title for me but the story and universe are fascinating and I wanna get more from game, than whats Bachelor route offers.

 

From other stuff soundtrack is amazing, it match pretty well with game and its atmosphere, its chilly too

I wonder if it is also for someone who doesn't played the game.

Also for those who didn't played it yet and wonder, or for some reason cant play but want to know the game, there is great gameplay by Marshall Dyer (its Bachelor route)- he have calm voice and read all conversations.

 

I've heard the other game made by the studio The Void/Tension is also good survival horror with big touch to story, didn't played it yet.

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wycha, that's a good overview, should be helpful for first-time players.

 

Oh boy, great as Pathologic was... there's no chance I would play it again... it took way too much time to get anywhere, and basically most of the gameplay is walking from one side of the map to the other... no shortcuts, no fast travel. Having to spend hours straight to accomplish 1-2 things, because of slow walking speed and wonky game mechanics.. having to reload constantly, sometimes go back to earlier saves.. no thanks, not again.

 

But is one of a few games you could say is "truly unique" and the writing, while dense, is fantastic.

 

I'm interested to try the remake whenever that's released... apparently they fix the slowness with some kind of fast travel, along with many other improvements.

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For remake fast travel I'm skeptical, the slow walking and feeling helpless because time go and no progress so far its part of the charm. We are weak beings struggling with dealing with great unknown which is sand plague.

 

Quoting mariden on tumblr:

just imagine how many lives could be saved if only the player characters in pathologic rode bicycles

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For remake fast travel I'm skeptical, the slow walking and feeling helpless because time go and no progress so far its part of the charm. We are weak beings struggling with dealing with great unknown which is sand plague.

 

Quoting mariden on tumblr:

just imagine how many lives could be saved if only the player characters in pathologic rode bicycles

 

My idea is you could implement quick-travel while still running time off the clock. Same time spent in the game world, less time spent playing the game doing nothing. I suspect this is how it will work out in the remake.

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