PATHOS
- December 5, 2017
- The Brofessionals
In PATHOS, a resilient mind is strangled by tragedy and loses its order. Through 150+ puzzles (including some of the hardest ever made for Steam), follow Ego as it works desperately to put back together a brain that’s losing the will to fight.
Reviews
- Pathos offers a challenging and rewarding gameplay experience with over 150 levels that test your problem-solving skills.
- The minimalist presentation and fantastic soundtrack enhance the overall experience, making it engaging and enjoyable.
- Many players find the game addictive and appreciate its ability to make them think outside the box, leading to a sense of accomplishment upon solving puzzles.
- The game suffers from several bugs, including inaccessible final levels and broken achievements, which detracts from the overall experience.
- Players have expressed frustration over the lack of an 'undo' feature, making it cumbersome to retry levels after making mistakes.
- The story elements can be hard to follow, and some players feel that the narrative could benefit from better presentation or voice acting.
- story14 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as intriguing yet somewhat pretentious, with a minimalist presentation that complements the gameplay. While players appreciate the thematic connection between levels and the narrative, many express frustration over the lack of an in-game feature to revisit story elements without replaying levels. Overall, the story adds depth to the experience, but improvements in accessibility and voice acting are desired.
“The music is relaxing, the storyline intriguing and pensive, and the graphics are simplistic yet inviting, like the way that the soft blue glow of the twilight zone beaming from a tube set in a darkened living room is an enticing engagement.”
“The level names are often very clever and the level structures do seem to be thematically related to the story.”
“And for such a story-heavy game, there should be an in-game place to re-read all the story bits without launching every level separately.”
“There's even a story; from what I've read, it seemed a bit pretentious, but it can be turned off if you only want to concentrate on puzzling.”
“Please, if you can, get some voice acting for the story.”
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its pleasant and relaxing qualities, enhancing the overall experience with a sweet soundtrack that complements the challenging gameplay. While the selection of tracks is somewhat limited, players appreciate the occasional addition of new music as they progress. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a rewarding aspect that contributes to the game's atmosphere.
“It offers ridiculously challenging and rewarding gameplay, with a sweet soundtrack to boot.”
“Killer ‘permadeath’ concept and of course, very fantastic soundtracks; it was love at first sight.”
“While not the focus of the game, graphics are slick, and the soundtrack is pleasant.”
“Right now there's not a ton of different music selections, but one thing I do like about it is that every once in a while a new music track will slip into the game's playlist at a random stage of progress.”
- gameplay4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay in *pathos* is described as challenging and rewarding, offering dozens of hours of engaging puzzles that test players' limits. While some bugs may hinder progress to the final levels, the overall experience is enhanced by a great soundtrack and solid mechanics, making it a worthwhile investment for puzzle enthusiasts.
“The only thing more mind-boggling than the puzzles is the price: the price is absurdly low for the amount of content Pathos offers: dozens of hours of gameplay.”
“It offers ridiculously challenging and rewarding gameplay, with a sweet soundtrack to boot.”
“I only wish the dev would fix a few remaining bugs that prevent reaching the final set of levels, but don't let that scare you away: you have dozens of hours of gameplay before you'll even confront that issue.”
“If you want a puzzle game that will test your limits and frustrate you while putting all of that frustration on your shoulders (the game is not cheapened by bad controls or mechanics), then be sure to pick it up.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics are described as simplistic yet polished, effectively complementing the puzzle game's difficulty. While not the main focus, they are slick and inviting, enhancing the overall atmosphere alongside a relaxing soundtrack and an intriguing storyline.
“The graphics are simplistic but polished, which is just right for a puzzle game of this difficulty.”
“While not the focus of the game, the graphics are slick, and the soundtrack is pleasant.”
“The music is relaxing, the storyline intriguing and pensive, and the graphics are simplistic yet inviting, like the way that the soft blue glow of the twilight zone beaming from a tube set in a darkened living room is an enticing engagement.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be cumbersome and tedious, noting that it does not increase the game's difficulty but rather detracts from the overall experience.
“As always, it doesn't make the game more difficult, just a lot more cumbersome and tedious than it should be.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely criticized, with users finding it unclear and lacking in genuine comedic value, leading to a sense of irony in the absence of humor.
“Isn’t it funny?”