Pathos

About

Pathos is a single player action game. It was developed by Team Horde LLC and was released on May 8, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Take down a crime syndicate using emotion-altering drugs to manipulate guards and spread chaos among enemies as you make your way to the crime lord.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 40 reviews

gameplay5 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Pathos offers a unique and engaging gameplay experience with its innovative drug mechanics that manipulate enemy behavior, reminiscent of classic stealth games.
The game is free to play, making it an accessible option for players looking for a short but enjoyable experience.
Despite its brevity, the game features interesting concepts and level designs that show potential for expansion and further development.

Many players encountered significant bugs, including issues with controls and camera angles, which hindered gameplay and progression.
The game is criticized for its short length, with some players finishing it in under 30 minutes, leaving them wanting more content.
The story and character designs are considered weak and underdeveloped, leading to a lack of engagement with the game's narrative.

story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The game's story is generally criticized for being short, predictable, and lacking depth, with many reviewers noting that it feels underdeveloped and uninteresting. While some appreciate its density and the substantial playtime, others find it confusing and poorly executed, particularly in terms of character development and plot coherence. Overall, the narrative fails to engage players, leaving them wanting more context and substance.
- “The story is dense in a good way and the playtime is quite substantial.”
- “Story: 7/10”
- “Edit on the story review, well it seems that I missed something.”
- “The story, what very little there is, is uninteresting and doesn't make sense. The challenges aren't challenging if you save your darts, and the AI is comparable to a four-year-old's toys: cheap and when it's this broken, basically unplayable.”
- “This is especially egregious with the big bad of the story, who looks like a sack of potatoes in a suit.”
- “Story needs a lot more work because of how predictable and bare-bones it is: guy goes undercover to avenge his brother and kill the corrupt head of a big pharma company with a taste of his own medicine (literally).”
gameplay
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
22%
22%
The gameplay has received positive feedback for its innovative mechanics, such as the puzzle shooting system that manipulates enemy behavior through emotional states. Players appreciate the intriguing concepts and design, likening it to classic stealth games while noting some minor issues with enemy detection. Overall, the gameplay is considered impressive, especially for a free title, with many wishing for a longer experience.
- “The gameplay is actually kind of good from a design standpoint: you get three types of shots that alter enemies' AI, ranging from paralyzing them with sorrow to making them rage and attack everything around them.”
- “Great game, with great concepts and mechanics.”
- “Pathos is a pretty neat take on a sneaky puzzle game reminiscent of Metal Gear Solid, with the unique mechanic of using different drugs to force emotions on the guards to sneak by. I've never been too big a fan of sneaky games with fixed camera angles, but this game handles it pretty well.”
- “The gameplay really impressed me; I didn't think a free game would have such a good one.”
- “Pathos is a pretty neat take on a sneaky puzzle game reminiscent of Metal Gear Solid, with the interesting mechanic of using different drugs that force emotions on the guards to sneak by. I've never been too big a fan of sneaky games with fixed camera angles, but this game handles it pretty well. I do feel some of the guards can see outside their ranges at times, and the drugs can cause some very random things to happen, which is also a part of the fun. Good game overall.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
20%
40%
The music in the game is generally enjoyable and fits the overall theme, reminiscent of classic titles like Metal Gear. However, many users find it repetitive and tedious over time, with some expressing frustration over the lack of options to adjust the audio settings.
- “Music fits the game very well.”
- “Otherwise, a game that could have potential and reminded me of when I used to play Metal Gear; the music was enjoyable.”
- “As other people have said, the music does get annoying though.”
- “It's not a good game; the music is repetitive and it gets tedious after a short while.”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics received a mixed response, with a score of 7/10 highlighting that while they are considered pretty good, they don't need to be realistic to be enjoyable. Players appreciated the visual effects, indicating a positive reception overall.
- “I bumped the graphics up to 'very best' and began to play.”
- “The graphics are pretty good; I mean, graphics don't have to be realistic to be good. I like the effects, even though it was probably not perfect.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and repetitive, leading to a lack of enjoyment and overall dissatisfaction.
- “It's not a good game; the music is repetitive, and it gets tedious after a short while.”
- “The grinding feels endless and lacks any real reward, making it a chore rather than an enjoyable experience.”
- “I found myself doing the same tasks over and over again, which made the game feel more like a job than a fun pastime.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is derived from both the player's experiences of success and failure, particularly in dodging enemy lines of vision. Additionally, a humorous bug that caused the character to remain in a comical, hunched position added to the overall lightheartedness of the gameplay.
- “I had some fun failing and succeeding in dodging the enemies' lines of vision, and along the way, I only ran into one bug that kept my character in the very first frame of when you start (all hunched in a ball) for the remainder until I died. No big deal though, it just looked funny.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is hindered by unappealing character designs, which some players find overly puffy, despite the effective use of cel-shading in certain levels.
- “The cel-shading works well with the limited palette of some levels, although the character designs are kind of ugly to look at due to how puffy they can get.”