The Path

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The Path is a horror game based on Little Red Riding Hood, where six sisters must journey through a forest to their sick grandmother's house while staying on the path. However, the game encourages players to break rules and explore, resulting in different outcomes and experiences. It's a game about making choices, accepting consequences, and embracing life, even if it means accepting death.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

64%

Audience ScoreBased on 512 reviews

story22 positive mentions

stability6 negative mentions

The Path offers a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere with a unique art style and an eerie soundtrack that enhances the experience.
The game encourages exploration and personal interpretation, allowing players to piece together the stories of the six sisters in a thought-provoking manner.
It presents a dark and artistic retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood tale, exploring themes of innocence, loss, and the complexities of growing up.

The gameplay is slow-paced and can feel tedious, with clunky controls that hinder exploration and interaction.
Many players find the lack of clear objectives and direction frustrating, leading to confusion and aimlessness during play.
The game may not appeal to those seeking traditional gaming experiences, as it prioritizes atmosphere and storytelling over action and gameplay mechanics.

story
185 mentions
12 % positive mentions
85 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The game's story is characterized by its abstract and interpretive nature, drawing heavily on the themes of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale while exploring the fates of six girls through visual storytelling and environmental clues. Players are encouraged to piece together the narrative themselves, leading to a variety of interpretations, though some find the lack of a coherent plot frustrating. Overall, it appeals to those who appreciate artistic, atmospheric experiences over traditional storytelling, but may leave others feeling lost or unsatisfied.
- “Inside the forest, you must collect a bunch of memorabilia and piece together the story of each girl.”
- “I loved learning about each girl, pondering what her fate was, what her story was, and what her ending meant.”
- “It's poor storytelling with a decent atmosphere... but in the end, it's kind of a letdown.”
- “The story is hidden in such a way that you have to complete the game 100%, meaning collecting every memory, to get the full thing; otherwise, the game can honestly be quite confusing.”
- “Oh, and the story, if it can be called that; the developer expects you to piece the story together with 'your own active imagination.' This means that they were too lazy or afraid to commit to a solid story and background and expect you to fill in the blanks with what little pieces they give you.”
gameplay
85 mentions
9 % positive mentions
82 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily characterized as a slow-paced walking simulator with minimal mechanics, focusing on exploration and atmosphere rather than traditional gaming elements. Many players find the controls janky and the objectives unclear, leading to a sense of aimlessness, while others appreciate the artistic and emotional depth of the experience. Overall, the game appeals more to those who value narrative and ambiance over action and complex gameplay mechanics.
- “The circle of gameplay, it's got me hooked for good!”
- “The gameplay is slow, it is a game to collect items and contemplate.”
- “The core gameplay consists of walking around the woods as each of the sisters and running into objects/areas that (hopefully) trigger a memory/dialogue.”
- “The gameplay is aimless-feeling and has lots of collecting.”
- “There's no actual gameplay outside of exploration--it's essentially a very beautiful, creepy walking simulator.”
- “The gameplay is barely worth mentioning.”
atmosphere
82 mentions
50 % positive mentions
46 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its eerie, haunting beauty, effectively immersing players in a slow-paced, unsettling experience that emphasizes exploration over traditional gameplay. Many reviewers highlight the game's artistic visual style and evocative soundtrack, which contribute to a deeply atmospheric environment that can evoke feelings of unease and introspection. However, some players find the atmosphere occasionally overshadowed by slow pacing and minimal gameplay, making it a niche experience best suited for fans of atmospheric and unconventional horror.
- “Yet the eerie atmosphere and the visual storytelling is what pulled me in.”
- “The atmosphere is amazing, even though the graphics are dated, the art style shines through.”
- “This game's atmosphere is hauntingly beautiful and to no small credit to the music that plays you through your exploration through the seemingly endless, dark wood.”
- “The empty landscape and uneventful gameplay negates any of the atmosphere the game is trying to create with the soundtrack.”
- “I'm really not feeling the atmosphere in this one, it feels pretentious and forced.”
- “The awkward controls and non-sequitur surrealism created a constant frustration that undermined what looked like a sincere attempt at unsettling atmosphere and imagery.”
music
81 mentions
33 % positive mentions
62 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its haunting and memorable quality, effectively enhancing the eerie atmosphere and emotional depth of the experience. While many players find the soundtrack beautiful and fitting, some note that it can become repetitive and occasionally annoying during extended play sessions. Overall, the combination of music and visuals creates a unique, immersive environment that resonates with players long after they finish the game.
- “The aesthetics and soundtrack are unforgettable.”
- “The music is eerie when it needs to be and calming during the majority of exploration, with sound effects mixed in to keep you on your toes.”
- “The soundtrack is utterly amazing and really brings it all together.”
- “The music is kinda annoying, and the horror aspect goes away quite fast, as soon as you realize you're not really in danger.”
- “Add on top of that a soundtrack that aims to be unsettling but just proves annoying, and you've got a cacophony of ideas that - put simply - combine together in a way that made me want to cry out in physical pain.”
- “A completionist run for a single character can easily take away three hours while you listen to the same eerie music over and over, challenging your mental memory and the occasional flashes of the trail you've left behind while getting hopelessly lost in the forest.”
graphics
65 mentions
35 % positive mentions
57 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game evoke a strong aesthetic that blends beauty with a surreal, eerie atmosphere, despite being described as dated or poor by some reviewers. Many players appreciate the unique art style and how it complements the storytelling, while others note issues like graphical glitches and limited options for post-processing effects. Overall, the visuals are seen as integral to the game's haunting experience, even if they may not meet modern standards.
- “I really love the aesthetic and the storytelling elements, and I think it's visually beautiful.”
- “The atmosphere is amazing; even though the graphics are dated, the art style shines through.”
- “Beautiful visuals that I don't think the dated models take away from at all; in fact, I think it adds to it at times.”
- “Graphics options are limited when it comes to post-processing effects; all on or all off. Some of these effects are annoying, while others plainly hurt my eyes. Being able to enable and disable effects would be pretty cool.”
- “Extremely pretentious game with confusing dynamics and downright horrible graphics.”
- “Basically, you walk through a boring, endless forest with a disgusting color palette, terrible graphical filters, and scratched words with an illegible annoying font going across the screen for no reason.”
emotional
23 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of "The Path" is described as deeply impactful, eliciting strong feelings of sadness and introspection from players. While some find it a touching and thought-provoking experience, others criticize its vagueness and pretentiousness, arguing that it lacks genuine emotional resonance. Overall, the game is recognized for its ability to create a haunting atmosphere that encourages personal emotional investment, making it a unique, albeit polarizing, experience in gaming.
- “It is touching, on multiple levels.”
- “Fantastic, deeply emotional experience.”
- “Play it for yourself alone in a dark room, isolated from the sounds and visuals of the real world, and let yourself get absorbed in this immaculate and emotional dreamscape!”
replayability
9 mentions
33 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the abundance of secrets and easter eggs that encourage exploration, others find the overall experience lacking depth and limited in replay value. Some reviews highlight the unique atmosphere and music as reasons to revisit the game, but many agree that it may not offer enough gameplay to warrant multiple playthroughs. Overall, it seems to appeal to those who enjoy uncovering hidden content, but may not satisfy players seeking a robust replay experience.
- “Not only that, but the game is full to the brim with secrets, so this game has a lot of replay value if you're patient enough to find all the secrets.”
- “I think this game has great replay value and is one of the best that 'Tale of Tales' has to offer.”
- “Interactive enough to be a game, pretentious enough to be called artistic, with a good amount of replayability and easter eggs if you go looking for trouble in the woods.”
- “Don't expect a long adventure or much replayability, but do expect to get that odd-as-heck music stuck in your head.”
- “Excessive unlockables that just hope to extend the replayability of a game with no gameplay in the first place.”
- “Minimal replay value, but a unique one-time experience.”
stability
7 mentions
43 % positive mentions
-29 % neutral mentions
86 % negative mentions
The game's stability is marked by a mix of performance issues, including glitches, lag, and buggy controls, which some players find tolerable given its age. While there are notable graphical clippings and occasional slowdowns, these do not significantly detract from the overall experience for most users.
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes.”
- “I haven't experienced any bugs or glitches during my playthrough.”
- “The performance is consistent, making for a seamless gaming experience.”
- “It is super slow—because, you know, it's a walking sim... and they sure do walk... and if you run, you kind of can't see where you're going because it tries to cement that you're panicking, all lost in the woods, with the camera angles and music... it's also full of glitches.”
- “The controls are pretty bad and buggy at times, but I can look past this as the game is old now.”
- “The game can be laggy and buggy at times as well.”
grinding
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviews highlight that grinding in the game can be a frustrating experience, characterized by tedious gameplay, poor interface, and a lack of navigational aids. Players often find themselves lost and overwhelmed by repetitive tasks, which detracts from the overall enjoyment despite the game's artistic merits. The combination of shoddy controls and a monotonous soundtrack further exacerbates the grind, making it a challenging endeavor for those who dislike prolonged, aimless play.
- “The weakness of the interface makes the basic act of playing through the work tedious and unpleasant.”
- “There's no map system, your character blacks out if you run for too long (making the exploration even more tedious), and you better hope to god you have a damn good memory of where all the memory items are with the lack of landmarks (other than other memory items, that is).”
- “A very artistic game - however it can get extremely tedious when you have little items left to find, also the soundtrack gets repetitive.”
character development
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Reviewers appreciate the unique character designs and attention to detail in the game's graphics, highlighting how these elements enhance the overall character development experience. The visuals contribute to a deeper immersion in the game's world, making the characters more engaging.
- “I absolutely love the character designs!”
- “The graphics are serviceable, with unique character designs and attention to minor details; a good example is the receding cityscape in the opening, or how the path disappears once you delve deeper into the forest.”
optimization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game is reported to be completely unplayable on Windows 10 due to significant performance issues, with no indication that the developer plans to address these problems.
- “Totally unplayable on Windows 10 due to performance issues, and it seems these will not be resolved by the developer.”
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is criticized for its apparent focus on advertising, as the narrative suggests that the girls' journeys are more about transitioning into adulthood rather than the serious themes of sacrifice implied. This raises concerns about the game's intentions and the potential exploitation of its characters for profit.
- “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, prioritizing profit over player experience.”
- “It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending money.”
- “The constant push for in-game purchases detracts from the overall enjoyment and immersion of the game.”