This game has done irreparable damage to my psyche, I can't, in good conscious, recommend it to anyone. Luckily for me, this game has also completely destroyed my moral compass, everyone should go play this game right now.

great game if youre autistic or possess any sort of unusual malady

Misery simulator.

Go into it as blind as possible. Save scum - the game doesn't hesitate to kick you in the teeth even once you get your footing. Honestly the game isn't nearly as jank or outdated as some reviews will claim it to be. Treat it like an older game (review your controls from the menu asap and don't expect a world class tutorial) and you're good to go.

You will come to view the devs as your friends that are also scumbags (but still your friends (but still scumbags))

This game hates me almost as much as I love it. My recommendation is to not use a walkthrough, do what you feel is right, and accept that you're not going to be able to do every single thing. Enjoy the experience

I hope Pathologic 3 will have an in-built dating simulator in which instead of curing the town you have to romance everyone, and if you fail they all die from the sand pest.

It hits my autism just right

when do i get to make out with the bachelor

For some reason, Pathologic has picked up a reputation as a “hostile” and polarizing game. The former is malarkey, but the latter is accurate. Yes, the game is not afraid to be mean, but it is overall more kind than cruel. Certain video essays from British YouTubers who were formerly blond and currently bald will exaggerate the threats the game throws at you, yet fail to properly convey that, despite how much stress it will put you through, the game is still designed to be played and beaten rather easily. It is a smart game because its survival horror has more bark than bite. You will often feel on the verge of failure and death yet you are ultimately likely to survive most encounters.

However, I still hold that Pathologic is polarizing. Not due to its hostility but rather due to the fact that what it is may not be for everyone, much in the same way any given game may not appeal to everyone. You would not play Doom (2016) if guns, demons, or comically excessive violence were not something you were interested in. Here are the elements in Pathologic that you must enjoy in order to enjoy the game:

• Walking and being alone with your thoughts
  
• Weighty dialogue that unabashedly aspires to discuss philosophical and/or spiritual ideas

Yes, it really is just those two elements. The gameplay loop basically boils down to just walking to a person, having an insane conversation, and then walking to the next person to have another insane conversation. The greatest complications come when sometimes you are not sure who the next person is that you must talk to for the next insane conversation. In these cases, you need to think or explore a little. Thus, if you can walk the walk and talk the talk, then you are going to overall enjoy and value this experience. Needless to say, if this does not sound interesting, then you should not play this.

So what makes the game good? Simply that the walking and talking is, in fact, incredible. Few games have left me as immersed in its world and as enthralled by its ideas as Pathologic. It is an incredibly beautiful and poetic game. It is one of the purest examples of what games can achieve and is in the company of other monumental titles like Shadow of the Colossus.

It frustrates me immensely that this game has the reputation of being so hostile that it turns off people who I think would enjoy it. If you have any interest in Pathologic already, then you are likely to fulfill the two prerequisites for enjoying this game. Give it a try; I think you will find much to like.

My period was late and within two hours of playing this game it started. Thank you Pathologic

Those who say this game is unfun are wrong. This is fun. For me and people who are built different. I'm on my 10th playthrough because I keep replaying all three routes with added rules to make things harder for myself. I love revisiting my silly little town with its silly little characters. I use the soundtrack as study BGM. This game changed my brain chemistry in so many different ways I cannot begin to list.

If you're a normal person you're probably better off playing Pathologic 2, but trust me when I say this is something special. You got to develop a taste for it, but once you do, it will hook you in harder than anything else.