Genre Survival, Psychological Horror, Roleplay, Walk Sim
Release Date 2015
Platforms PC
Developers Ice-Pick Lodge[ice-pick.com], General Arcade[www.generalarcade.com]

Pathologic Classic HD... where to start? Well, the game is a remaster of the original 2005 psychological horror role-playing game Pathologic, which was initially only published in Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, featuring english translation, improved graphics and wider compatibility. Due to the russian roots of its creators and the aforementioned niche fame it gained among Eastern Europe countries, the game never quite got the same attention in the western world, granting it a cult classic status.

Pathologic Classic HD takes place in a small remote imaginary town[pathologic.fandom.com], referred to in-game as "The Town", located in the Eastern steppe, divided in districts and with many different landmarks.
This town is also being wasted by an ever spreading mortal disease outbreak, called the Sand Plague[pathologic.fandom.com]. The player's primary goal is to find out the source of the disease and try to help put an end to it, while interacting with the world and performing tasks for different individuals.

The player can play as one of three different protagonists, each with their own storyline, past, motivations, challenges and unique perspective on the plague that assoles the village - "The Bachelor" Daniil Dankovsky, "The Haruspex" Artemy Burakh and "The Changeling" Clara. Initially only the Bachelor and Haruspex storylines are available and the player has to fully complete one of them in order to unlock the Changeling's one.
Whichever character is chosen, the main goal is the same - try to find out the mysterious origin of the plague. To do this, the player must play through twelve in-game days, during which the plague domain spreads, completing quests by interacting with characters and, at the same time, learning and becoming more engrossed in the town's social dynamics.
The player's decisions during the tasks also indirectly or directly affect other characters, leading to them even potentially dying. Depending on the player character, which characters were kept alive and what the player completed/collected or not, a different ending[pathologic.fandom.com] on day 12 is presented, which can lead to the destruction or sparing of the town, by finding a cure or not to save the remaining population.
Whilst the side quests mainly reward useful supplies, like money and food, the main quests dictate which characters get infected or not by the disease, at the end of each day, which can lead to them dying if left untreated. The quests themselves are not mandatory and the player can simply choose not to complete them, which in some cases can prove beneficial as not all quests are worth it.
Due to the game's heavy focus on survival, the player also has to keep himself alive and deal with the town's dire economy by juggling resources obtained either from quests or from the game world to balance various stats, like hunger, reputation and infection level.
There is a heavy incentive to follow a sort of "homeless" lifestyle, characterized by looting trash cans and dead bodies, as these can prove to be a free way to obtain valuable materials, like water bottles. Trading with townsfolk is also a very prevalent part of the game's economy, even though the prices can fluctuate a lot depending on the town's situation regarding the plague.
Besides the survival aspect, there's also combat mechanics, through the use of both guns and melee weapons, like knives and scalpels. All of these deteriorate slowly over time as the player makes use of them, and need to eventually be repaired.

Don't expect this to be an easy game. This game will present you with difficulties and challenges as soon as you start playing and make you appreciate the smallest feats you are able to accomplish, even if they aren't of much use.
Some of the frustration and confusion you feel in the beginning will follow you throughout the whole experience because there will be times (a lot of them!) where you'll have no clue what to do. It's one of those games where you feel like you need to regularly check on a guide or follow some playthrough to keep going. It's abstract, merciless, ruthless and, yet, so captivating.
This game is enjoyable, not fun. Enjoyable if you can abstain yourself from all the madness and reflect on what the game is trying to show you - what humankind is capable of doing when there is a dream of achieving the impossible, that's the human nature, thriving to reach the never before reached and expand the limits of what possible means.

Regarding the game's systems, I believe the main pros to be:
- Incredibly dense and intricate storyline.
- Extremely high amount of content for the price.
- Challenging out-of-the-box game economy.
- Need to consider the benefits and disadvantages of most actions, many of which would be trivial in other games (e.g. should I waste my limited bullets on this bandit or use a melee weapon and risk taking too much damage to my health?).
- Characteristic ominous sound work, that mixes cult/tribal beats with upbeat techno-type sounds.
- High replayability value, as there are a lot of variants regarding what missions to complete, which people to save, which items to buy, which easily make each run unique. The main question that poses is how willing is the player to replay content given how long the game is, not whether the content is there.

In terms of cons, the main deterrents can be:
- Extensive campaigns for each character.
- Lengthy walking around sections, which are exacerbated by the inability to run.
- Eloquent discourse that can easily alienate the player at times from how abstract it becomes.
- Dated models which lack variation (e.g. most NPCs of a certain type, like a bandit, use the exact same model) and awkward animations, which might not appeal to the general crowd.
- Awkward combat mechanics, with inconsistent hitboxes and weird physics.
- Permanent somber tone, with visually tiring ambient colors (greys, browns, yellows, dark greens, etc.).

This game isn't player-friendly and will leave you mad, lost, frustrated and confused. But I assure that if you're looking for an out-of-the-box gaming experience, this is one of the best games to try out.
Even though it can feel repetitive and uninspired design wise at certain points, if you give it a chance and go to the end, it's a rich and thought provoking experience. It's not only incredibly complex and has a lot of hours of content, but it also goes against the grain as a game that isn't intended to be fun, relatable nor accessible, and yet is capable of delivering a lasting and impactful experience to the player.
Give it a change and try it out. Be patient. It is for a good cause.

- Steam and GOG[www.gog.com] Pages
- Official Wiki[pathologic.fandom.com]
- OST
- Keith Ballard's Playthrough
- MandaloreGaming's Review