|
Pathologic
 Pathologic hails from Russia and not only does Ice Pick Lodge have a particularly cool logo, on the strength of the demo they have a game that will be worth keeping an eye on.
Pathologic is a blend of many game styles, and there seems to be a number of different ways to progress through the game. You have a reputation, and how you manage that will affect how the world reacts to you. Shoot a few civilians and you will be in for a tough time; cure a few however and you may well reap the rewards.
Although some research suggests you don't have to fight if you don't want to, I suspect some level of "action", if only defensive, will be required.
It's hard to get a sense of a whole game from a short demo, but the game it reminded me of most was Outcast, at least in terms of how it is put together. It's much darker and more gothic, but like Outcast, how you choose to confront your 12 days in the infected town will have a big bearing on both how the game plays and how likely you are to survive.
There is a plague in a small town and three outsiders have arrived. Each has their own abilities and characteristics and you choose to play one of them. The other two will still be in town, acting and interacting on and within the environment. I was not able to determine whether they are direct protagonists, but they seemingly have their own agenda.
The game is played in days, and various objectives will unfold. I have wandered around the demo on several occasions now, dipping in and out of the two days which are accessible. Various save games pick up at different times and places. Surviving is the main objective, and to do so you need to monitor health, hunger, reputation and a variety of other characteristics. You will need to buy, trade or steal food, medicine and other items. You can loot bodies, including of their tissues and organs.
 At one save point I have a large collection of plants and blood and tissues, and I am going to head back to what looks like a large distilling machine to see what I can concoct. At another I am heavily infected, and I think I blacked out. My vision became hazy, and I ran at first from a group of cloth draped figures who looked like they wanted me to do something for a small girl writhing on the ground. I have some narcotics so will see what I can do. I need to tend myself first though.
You will find and receive messages and notes, and will talk to the civilians. Side quests will open up. It seems like a big and open-ended experience, and could offer excellent replay potential.
The graphics though could do with some work, the characters in particular being decidedly angular and sharp edged. The colour was interesting; washed out tones generally, with different shades of the same single colour used in whole settings. It's a touch odd, but in keeping with the feel of the town.
The game engine seems to cope with the large world by only producing distant objects as you come close, which does leave some fairly large and colourless horizons. Inside some of the buildings however there is a lot more detail and colour.
Speech is not heard but is read, although I am not sure whether this will be the case in the final version, and so far the sounds of the town are limited. Music fills the space, hauntingly so at times.
Pathologic plays predominantly with the keyboard, although the mouse is used to use items in your hand. A little thumbs up or thumbs down icon will appear when you engage in some action to indicate the effect on your reputation.
The macabre streak in me has been piqued.
Update March 2006: GMX Media advise they will be publishing the UK version and the English translation has now been completed and other tweaks and improvements have been made.
Copyright © Steve Ramsey 2005.
All rights reserved.
|
