Pathologic

Lol Rocky Horror Picture Show!

Friday night, got back a few hours ago from my mate JC, and we played the game Pathologic., a Russian award-winning game, that failed overseas because it's more of an experience than a game.

And I must warn you, both JC and I are unable to play this game alone, because it's so stressful, and just downright scary. The graphics are quite bad, though okay for a 2000 game. The translation is alright with a few blips here and there, but just the air around it is... well... creepy. The bad graphics add to the scariness. The game itself is punishingly realistic (no health boxes, as the days pass more of your friends die, and the multiple objectives make it hard for you to sort out your priorities).

The Executors are people dressed up as ravens. Who themselves are wearing long dark brown cloaks. And the beaks are long, and the eyes are slitty and orange. They are petrifying, and they nod at you sometimes. Everytime you see them, it means another one of your friends have died.

And I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of the epic that is Pathologic, and again, it's not much of a game, but a hell of an experience. If you can muster up the courage to bear the gruellingly slow pace of it all, and the bad graphics, and the sullen, depressing mood, then sure. Play it. When you're done, you will wonder what the hell you just saw unravel in front of your eyes, and if you had just wasted 40 hours of your life.

The answer is probably yes. But they were well wasted. Because this game is AN EXPERIENCE. Just, wow.

Read the article I linked to if you like. Read parts 2 and 3 if you must. But if you end up buying the game don't come crying to me when you don't know how to deal with what you've just seen. Because it's genius.

Genius.