Pathway

63%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,130 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Pathway Game Cover
Crisp combat let down by boring enemies, repetitive missions and a disconnected story.
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Pathway is a single-player Warfare Turn Based Strategy game with an interesting plot, good game mechanics, stellar graphics, and an exceptional soundtrack. The game now features a Hardcore Mode, tactical improvements, a new loot system, additional combat arenas, and more exploration opportunities with the Adventurers Wanted update. Despite having some bugs and being very grinding, Pathway offers plenty of humor, a dense atmosphere, and high replayability.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Epic Games
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

63%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,130 reviews
story88 positive mentions
grinding44 negative mentions
  • Charming pixel art and engaging atmosphere reminiscent of Indiana Jones.
  • Enjoyable tactical turn-based combat with a variety of characters and skills.
  • Random events and encounters add a layer of unpredictability and replayability.
  • Combat can become repetitive and lacks depth, leading to a monotonous experience.
  • Limited enemy variety and predictable encounters diminish long-term engagement.
  • The overall story feels disjointed and lacks meaningful progression between adventures.
  • story333 mentions

    The game's story is a light-hearted homage to classic adventure tales, reminiscent of Indiana Jones, featuring a mix of engaging characters and episodic missions. However, many players find the narrative shallow and repetitive, with only five missions that lack depth and meaningful progression, leading to a sense of monotony. While the art and atmosphere are praised, the overall storytelling is seen as underdeveloped, leaving players wanting more substantial content and variety.

    • “The story is great so far and wants me to go on playing.”
    • “The writing is skilled and evocative: each of the many player characters speaks with a distinct voice, and the story hints at greater mysteries.”
    • “Indiana Jones meets XCOM - challenging turn-based combat spiced up with well-narrated random events, and wrapped up in a nice storyline.”
    • “The story is very simple, for me a missed opportunity to tell an entertaining Indiana Jones-like story.”
    • “The overall idea of an Indiana Jones homage is solid, but the execution here stumbles in the story department.”
    • “Because the game is split into 5 missions, some of them lengthy and involving multiple map boards full of travel points, I expected some sort of overarching story, but there isn’t one.”
  • gameplay256 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its fun mechanics and engaging aesthetic, but also criticizing its repetitiveness and lack of depth. While some enjoy the blend of turn-based tactics and resource management reminiscent of games like FTL and XCOM, others find the combat simplistic and the leveling system uninspiring, leading to a shallow overall experience. Despite its solid foundation and potential, many feel that the gameplay does not evolve enough to maintain long-term interest.

    • “The gameplay loop simply feels amazing.”
    • “Pathway takes some of the decision-based components of FTL and combines them with the turn-based gameplay seen in XCOM to make an incredible take on the action movie genre.”
    • “The gameplay has a nice balance of depth, serious consequences, and rewards.”
    • “However, I soon realized that gameplay is limited and the whole thing is rather dull.”
    • “Unfortunately, the gameplay is very boring and repetitive, and this is where the game mostly falls short of the mark.”
    • “The gameplay gets repetitive fast.”
  • graphics191 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning pixel art style, vibrant colors, and charming aesthetic reminiscent of classic adventure games like Indiana Jones. Many reviewers highlight the effective use of lighting and diverse environments, which enhance the overall visual experience. While the graphics are considered beautiful and well-executed, some players note that they can occasionally obscure gameplay elements, leading to minor frustrations during combat.

    • “The graphics are gorgeous, easily some of the best I've seen from an indie game in this style.”
    • “The visuals in this game are stunning and the pixel art in itself is impressive, but it’s further enhanced with great use of lighting and a lot of very distinctive and diverse environments.”
    • “Pathway has some of the best pixel graphics I've seen, but the gameplay isn't there to justify it.”
    • “The art style obscures a lot of information, such that enemies or paths might be hidden by columns or structures.”
    • “Disappointing, since the art style/concept/setting looked good.”
    • “The graphics are nice, and the setting would be nice too, but the game is boring and repetitive.”
  • music121 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread praise for its captivating and atmospheric qualities, often evoking comparisons to the iconic scores of the Indiana Jones franchise. While many reviewers appreciate the soundtrack's ability to enhance the gaming experience, some note its repetitive nature and desire for more diversity in tracks. Overall, the combination of excellent pixel art and a strong musical score contributes significantly to the game's charm and immersive feel.

    • “The soundtrack is really good and the gameplay is very fun.”
    • “The music and vibe of the game is completely charming and grips me with a cinematic feeling.”
    • “It's a beautiful game with a great soundtrack.”
    • “The music seems ripped straight from Indiana Jones movies.”
    • “Repetitive campaign, dull one-dimensional combat mechanics, uninspiring story & characters, awful music.”
    • “Music of the game is very plain and boring.”
  • replayability67 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while many players appreciate the random event generation and character unlocks that encourage multiple playthroughs, others criticize the lack of depth and variety, leading to repetitive experiences. Some reviewers highlight the potential for replayability through different team combinations and difficulty settings, but many feel that the content is insufficient for sustained engagement. In summary, the game offers decent replay value for casual play, but may not satisfy those seeking extensive replayability or variety.

    • “The campaign is short but has plenty of replayability, mainly for exploration and combat.”
    • “Replayability is made fun by the fact that you may get more money and better items, plus unlocking more characters for your party.”
    • “Nearly endless replayability and team combos to experiment with.”
    • “The rogue-like elements are light so I don't see it being that replayable - as long as you're okay with a 10 hours-ish experience, I'd say go for it!”
    • “Though the game is designed to be replayable, don't be fooled, there isn't enough content for a second playthrough of each campaign.”
    • “So again, in terms of replayability, your campaigns will basically look the same; there isn't a lot of content that's restricted to certain play styles, so the replay value is marginal.”
  • grinding44 mentions

    The reviews indicate that grinding in the game is a mixed experience; while some players find it optional and manageable, many others describe it as tedious and repetitive, particularly in combat and resource management. The game offers a charming atmosphere and engaging storytelling, but the lack of variety in enemies and combat mechanics can lead to a sense of monotony. Overall, while grinding can enhance character progression and replayability, it often detracts from the enjoyment due to its repetitive nature.

    • “Overall, Pathway is an interesting game even with those flaws, but it lasts barely more than a weekend if you don't care about grinding for achievements.”
    • “The number of maps you need to traverse to increases in each adventure which makes it a bit tedious.”
    • “You can upgrade skills, gear, and unlock new characters, but the combat gets tediously repetitive very quickly.”
  • atmosphere43 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its engaging pixel art, evocative music, and strong storytelling, creating a charming and immersive experience reminiscent of classic adventure tales like Indiana Jones. While the atmosphere enhances the enjoyment of the game, some players note that the gameplay can become repetitive and too easy over time, potentially diminishing long-term interest. Overall, the combination of art, sound, and thematic elements contributes significantly to the game's appeal, making it a delightful experience for fans of the genre.

    • “In short stints, this is just a marvelous game; the artwork, atmosphere, and gameplay go very well together.”
    • “A really great atmosphere and tone to the game serve to really carry you through the missions.”
    • “The atmosphere is great, but the game is just... I feel like it needed a lot more time.”
    • “Brilliant setting and atmosphere, but repetitive combat.”
    • “Music, lengthen and add please; the atmosphere in this game gives it its true charm and if they even changed that alone it would be a massive upgrade.”
    • “A lot of people have mentioned the great graphics style but I want to highlight how surprisingly good the sound is in this game with some of the music evoking a movie-like atmosphere.”
  • stability12 mentions

    The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting frequent glitches, crashes, and performance issues, particularly on Windows. While some users enjoy the gameplay and note improvements from developer patches, others express frustration over the unpredictability of freezes and bugs that detract from the overall experience. Overall, stability appears to be a significant concern for many players.

    • “Super fun and runs great on Steam Deck!”
    • “The game runs bug-free, it entertains from the first moment and is not a rip-off.”
    • “It glitches enough to make me contemplate uninstalling.”
    • “Love the concept, a very engaging game... until it crashes and freezes your computer as though it were ray tracing the eye glints of a thousand dwarves.”
    • “Game is buggy and crashes.”
  • humor10 mentions

    The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating its quirky characters, funny catchphrases, and amusing themes, such as battling Nazis and zombies. While some find the humor adds to the overall enjoyment and charm, others note that the gameplay can become repetitive and too easy, potentially diminishing the comedic impact over time. Overall, the game is recognized for its lightheartedness and ability to evoke laughter, making it a fun experience for fans of the genre.

    • “It's as addictive as it is satisfying, challenging, adorable, hilarious, quirky and most importantly - fun!”
    • “By the time I saw that laughing fish logo (haha), I didn’t hesitate to buy the game :D”
    • “Ultimately excellent at what it sets out to be, with lots of humor and good, or rather excellent ways of developing your party.”
  • character development3 mentions

    Character development features RPG elements like leveling and skill trees, but it is criticized for being poorly designed and oversimplified, lacking depth and content. Overall, the character progression system does not meet expectations, detracting from the overall experience.

    • “World map movement is akin to FTL, events are standard multi-choice, combat is like XCOM, and character development has RPG elements such as leveling and skill trees.”
    • “Lacking content and oversimplified combat/character design.”
    • “Character development and progression is poorly thought out too.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews; while it is compatible with 4K resolution, players report lag and performance issues that detract from the experience, particularly in combat due to a subpar user interface. Overall, the optimization feels lacking for a game with a retro aesthetic.

    • “4K optimized and compatible.”
    • “It seems a bit laggy and unoptimized at times.”
    • “The FTL-style world map, light turn-based combat, and rogue-lite progression make the gameplay enjoyable, but it's prone to frustrating mistakes in combat due to a mediocre UI, and the performance is garbage for a 16-bit style game.”
    • “The game is advertised as 4K optimized, but the performance does not reflect that.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    Users found the emotional aspect of the game to be heartwarming, particularly in moments involving characters like Donut and Fenris. However, some felt that the writing was mediocre, which diminished the sense of urgency and danger that could have enhanced the emotional experience. Overall, while there were touching moments, the emotional impact was inconsistent.

    • “Meeting Donut and Fenris at these dark times was a truly heartwarming experience.”
    • “It was quite emotional.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The game features a straightforward monetization model with no microtransactions, requiring a one-time purchase for access, which users appreciate for its simplicity and value.

    • “No microtransactions, and you pay one time for a fun little game.”
    • “The game offers a fair pricing model with no hidden costs.”
    • “I appreciate that I can enjoy the full experience without being pressured to spend more.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

74% average critic score

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Play time

14hMedian play time
16hAverage play time
6-20hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 21 analyzed playthroughs

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