As a fan of the survival genre I was drawn to Pathologic 2 first because reviewers reported it as a harsh, unforgiving experience, and secondly because I'd heard the frustration was only heightened because the narrative was so compelling. I'm used to survival games being a little more roguelike - the idea is you are going to learn how to survive through multiple attempts. I can understand that grinds with a story-driven experience, but if you're willing to climb he mountain, you can usually see things through.

The story is worth the effort. People will tell you - the suffering is the point. It's part of it. I personally restarted at day 5 so I could play those early days a lot better. In some ways, it made all the difference because you learn the most about how to play a game in your first few hours. In other ways, it made no difference at all. I still died over a dozen times. I still had to make those hard decisions. I missed quests. People died because I needed medicine to keep going.

I have to marvel at the way the game shifts and changes with each day. Not just the story. The rules of survival. The town is a character in and of itself. You'll understand if you stick with it, which I strongly suggest you do.