Empathy: Path of Whispers

Empathy: Path of Whispers attempts to tell a series of intriguing personal stories in a mysterious, abandoned world. The end result however is a visually dated, largely boring, and technically broken game that doesn't deserve your time and money.

56%Game Brain Score

story, graphics

gameplay, stability

60% User Score Based on 242 reviews

Critic Score 47%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

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About

"Empathy: Path of Whispers" is a story-driven adventure game where you explore a seemingly abandoned world by experiencing the emotions and memories of its former inhabitants. By uncovering lost memories, players can restore the world to its former state, uncover its mysterious past, and prevent an impending apocalypse. The game features a unique world created from people's emotions and memories, allowing players to manipulate and explore the surreal environment.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

60%

Audience ScoreBased on 242 reviews

story94 positive mentions

gameplay10 negative mentions

The game features a haunting atmosphere and beautiful visuals that create an immersive experience.
The narrative is rich and detailed, offering intriguing personal stories that unfold as players explore.
The voice acting and soundtrack contribute significantly to the overall charm and emotional depth of the game.

The gameplay can become repetitive, with excessive backtracking and a lack of puzzle variety that detracts from the experience.
Technical issues, including bugs and performance problems, can hinder progress and lead to frustration.
The story can be confusing and fragmented, making it difficult for players to fully grasp the overarching narrative.

story
344 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
68%
5%
The story in "Empathy: Path of Whispers" is a fragmented and atmospheric narrative that unfolds through exploration and the collection of memories and objects, allowing players to piece together the backstory of a post-apocalyptic world. While some players found the storytelling engaging and rich, others criticized it for being confusing and lacking coherence, often requiring significant effort to fully grasp the plot. Overall, the game appeals to those who enjoy story-driven exploration, though its non-linear approach may not resonate with everyone.
- “The story is brilliant and witty yet deep and dark.”
- “Empathy: Path of Whispers is a beautifully written story-exploration game with a remarkable atmosphere!”
- “The story, the voice acting, and the music are all very well done and evoke lots of feeling throughout.”
- “Even though the game itself has some beautiful views, the story didn't grip me.”
- “The story doesn't make any sense at all; it's way too scattered and fragmented, nothing really makes sense or interacts with each other.”
- “What ruined this game for me was the absolutely horrendous voice acting (I mean, the worst I've ever encountered, all the characters sound like robots with forced accents) and the lack of a discernible storyline.”
graphics
108 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
40%
6%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the beautiful art style and stunning visuals that create an immersive atmosphere. However, some users report performance issues, such as crashes and texture loading problems, particularly on lower settings, which detracts from the overall experience. While the visuals are often described as captivating, there are criticisms regarding their dated quality and inconsistency across different areas of the game.
- “The visuals are stunning and dreamlike, especially the first level.”
- “Loved the graphics & scenery - kept me entranced the whole game.”
- “The soundtrack and visuals were beautiful, and I loved the way the story unraveled as you play.”
- “After about 20 crash to desktop moments, and turning down the graphics settings, I gave up in chapter 4.”
- “I had to turn down my graphics settings to stop it crashing every 5 minutes on my AMD 6700 card.”
- “Graphics are often low-fidelity; the game mostly looks as if it was 10 years old already.”
gameplay
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
73%
17%
The gameplay in "Empathy: Path of Whispers" is primarily exploration-focused, typical of walking simulators, where players wander through environments to uncover memories and documents that piece together the story. While some unique mechanics, like the memory system, are initially engaging, they become repetitive and tedious over time, with a slow pace and limited challenge. Overall, the game is recommended for those who enjoy emotional, story-driven experiences, but it may frustrate players seeking more dynamic gameplay.
- “It's an interesting game with a few novel game mechanics that are fairly easy to learn.”
- “It's beautifully and imaginatively crafted in Unreal Engine, and the exploration-based gameplay will ensure that you discover every little nook and cranny of it.”
- “An innovative addition to the gameplay typical of this genre really just elevated this game's status even further.”
- “There's not much gameplay; you wander around various environments finding memories and documents and piecing together the story of this world and of many characters within it.”
- “The game really did not age well, and the gameplay gets ridiculously repetitive.”
- “There is no gameplay other than walking around, collecting a few objects for your inventory to be used to solve puzzles, clicking on objects that play a short sound clip of the 'story,' and the dreaded hunt for objects on your scanner and 'match the radio frequency' grind.”
atmosphere
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
74%
19%
7%
The atmosphere in "Empathy: Path of Whispers" is widely praised for its immersive and haunting qualities, enhanced by beautiful graphics, evocative music, and a rich narrative that invites exploration. Players appreciate the game's ability to draw them into a mysterious world filled with emotional depth and storytelling through environmental clues. While the overall ambiance is compelling, some users noted challenges with navigation and puzzle-solving that could detract from the experience.
- “Empathy: Path of Whispers is a beautiful story-exploration game with a remarkable atmosphere!”
- “The world draws you in... so settle down with some cocoa, a pair of good headphones, and a nice dark room; and let the atmosphere wash over you!”
- “What it doesn't say in the brief is, it's a story being told by someone to you in the form of memories and clues you find along the journey, helping you solve a greater story and mystery while you explore the world around you. The story is rich and deep, and the surroundings are breathtaking at times, adding to the atmosphere and richness of the story that unfolds the deeper you go into the game.”
- “The music really adds to the atmosphere, and the voice acting is decent, though I can't speak for the quality of the Russian accents.”
- “Things sound the way they should, and the way they are incorporated into the game really elevates the atmosphere of the world as you wander about.”
- “[haunting atmosphere, detailed narrative, fascinating premise]”
music
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
36%
7%
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere, with a subtle and melancholic soundtrack that complements the exploration experience. Players appreciate the quality of the voice acting and ambient sounds, which together create an immersive environment. However, some users noted technical issues with the soundtrack format and occasional inconsistencies in playback.
- “The music, ambient sound, and voice acting help lend to the charm of this game.”
- “The story, the voice acting, and the music are all very well done and evoke lots of feeling throughout.”
- “Background music is excellent: subtle and melancholic, it carries the mood of the game perfectly without ever pushing into the foreground.”
- “The soundtrack is in WAV format for some reason and doesn't include album art or have any details for you to be able to see the info you can with most songs you download or play.”
- “The music really adds to the atmosphere, and the voice acting is decent, though I can't speak for the quality of the Russian accents.”
- “The scenery is different and strange; the music and background sounds seem appropriate.”
stability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits several stability issues, including occasional bugs that can affect gameplay and achievements, particularly with controller support and the saving feature. While these glitches are not deemed major, they can discourage players from fully enjoying the experience. Overall, the game is enjoyable, but potential buyers may want to consider purchasing it on sale if they are sensitive to such issues.
- “The game is a bit buggy at times, but nothing really major to report. I experienced some issues unrelated to the game, like my internet dying while playing, which reduced my actual playtime.”
- “If you want to go for the achievements, you should know that they are a bit buggy. I had no problem collecting all the notes and documents, but I'm missing one achievement that I should have received, even after going back and redoing the required tasks.”
- “But despite all that, I got discouraged from finishing the game because it is buggy on my end.”
optimization
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
42%
33%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance drops, especially in later acts, and issues with texture loading. Many describe the overall experience as poorly polished, detracting from the potential enjoyment of the story. Despite some areas being better optimized, the general consensus leans towards dissatisfaction with the game's technical performance.
- “Well optimized”
- “It could be good but sadly the sloppy performance and unpolished aspects don't make you want to play it just for the not bad story.”
- “The biggest thing you will see in act 3 to the end of the game is when the performance drops. In act 2, the textures load well, but in act 3 and beyond, they don't load properly unless you're on ultra settings.”
- “The biggest thing you will see in act 3 to the end of the game is when the performance drops. You see less than in act 2; the textures don't load next to you, but they still appear. Then act 5 comes, and even that doesn't work if you have lower graphic options than ultra (I played on high).”
- “It could be good, but sadly the sloppy performance and unpolished aspects make it hard to enjoy, even with a not bad story.”
- “There's also an area that's extremely poorly optimized.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its emotional depth and story-driven exploration, resonating strongly with players who appreciate narrative-focused experiences, even if it lacks complex mechanics. While the voice acting is generally good, the narrator excels in a humorous tone rather than during more dramatic moments, which can feel overly scripted. Many players report a profound emotional impact, with some expressing that the ending moved them to tears and prompted personal reflection.
- “I'd recommend this game to anyone who likes emotional, story-heavy exploration games, and doesn't mind a lack of mechanics (is okay with 'walking simulators').”
- “I cried at the end, it made me realize a lot of things.”
- “Reasonably good voice acting, although the narrator is much better in his wry Jeff Goldblum commentary mode than in his heartfelt big dramatic moment mode (those are also the ones which have the worst and most overwrought script).”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the need for excessive backtracking when required to collect additional items after already gathering a full inventory. This repetitive task detracts from the overall enjoyment, making it feel more like a chore than an engaging gameplay element.
- “Problems start to happen though when you pick everything up and all of a sudden you're required to collect some more things for a second iteration - this means lots and lots of tedious backtracking.”
- “This is a tedious chore to play through under this limitation.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game offers significant replayability due to its narrative structure, which includes optional story elements that encourage players to explore different paths and outcomes.
- “The way the story is told, and since many parts of it are optional, there is replay value.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by the narrator's ability to blend seriousness with sardonic wit, effectively enhancing the storytelling experience. This balance is praised as a key element that complements the overall narrative.
- “Special mention goes to the narrator, who really was able to find a nice balance between seriousness and sardonic humor that was perfect for the story being presented.”

47%Critics’ scoreBased on 4 critic reviews

Buy Empathy: Path of Whispers

4h Median play time

4h Average play time

4-4h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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Empathy: Path of Whispers

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