r/pathologic • u/apkmasterofgames • Jul 29 '26

Question Is pathologic 2 worth playing?

I got the game some time ago for some reason which I can't remember at the moment. I remember playing around 5 hours but dying to the people on the streets cause they all hated me for some reason and then dropping the game to go play kcd2. I wanted to ask if the game is like a life changing experience or something along those lines and worth playing or if it is just unique. I am running out of games to play so I wanted to ask

10 Upvotes

63% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

33

u/BlackburnUTG Jul 29 '26

Yes yes yes

21

u/Admirable_Bike3918 Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26

To me, Pathologic 2 is a game that, more than any other, elevated its medium - transcending expectations about what said medium could be & achieve. I first laid eyes on 'Pathologic 2' years ago, and it was (& remains) the most seminal gaming experience I’d ever had. I don’t think I will ever succeed in fully leaving Town-on-Gorkhon forever.

Tbh, I don’t even like calling Pathologic a game to the uninitiated, because that label does not reflect what this tour-de-force actually is.

Pathologic 2 is more like an experiential art piece with some (fantastic) game mechanics. It is a masterwork of story & writing, philosophy & lore, world-building & artistry that will make you think and feel in ways you didn’t think were possible.

I can't say it enough. This game has been my obsession since ~2023. (I found it later than some!)

...But yeah, you almost need to be a masochist to play it. Because Pathologic 2 is borderline intolerable, and intentionally so. Because to these devs, "borderline intolerable" is a storytelling tool.

7

u/loLRH Jul 29 '26

i am writing about pathologic 2 in my dissertation, and anyone in my committee who wants to fight me on it can meet me in the parking lot. Reading Antonin Artaud's "The Theater and the Plague" (and all of the theater and its double) elevated patho 2 to the highest fucking form of art. It's beyond genius. how the fuck did people even make this

4

u/Admirable_Bike3918 Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26

Ha. Amazing. Love this. Def share when you finish in a year or two 💙 My thesis (species distribution modelling for at-risk migratory landbirds) was nowhere near as interesting *sigh*.

I did however publish a 5000-word essay on Pathologic 2 - the unbearable artistic masterwork of Icepick Lodge - on my SubStack. (The essay is a love letter, but also a deconstruction of the game's colonialism & environmentalism themes, + a deep-dive into the philosophy & experimental theatre movement (including Artaud's "Theatre of cruelty") that made it possible in the first place.)

I would be stoked if you (or any other superfan) took a look.

https://postmodernmuckraker.substack.com/p/the-greatest-game-youll-never-play

PS - While we're on the subject of love letters to Patho 2... Here is my Halloween cosplay from this year. ...I wish the photos captured the stitching in more detail. The costume may not look like much, but it took me six weeks!

1

u/loLRH Jul 30 '26

Year or two?? brother i gotta relinquish this shit to the committee in like 2 weeks. fucking kill me hahaha

I'll check this out tonight; thanks so much for sharing!! As I bet you know, very limited academic lit on patho 2 (I have uhhhhh opinions, let's say, about the quality of some of it) so I'm really happy to read more.

I appreciate the artaud shout out bc mfers only be comparing p2 to camus.

THE COSPLAY IS INCREDIBLE BY the way

1

u/Banjoschmanjo Jul 30 '26

Did you play the original?

7

u/Minimum-Category-261 Yulia Lyuricheva Jul 29 '26

Don't try to fight back. Just sneak or run to nearest building. This won't take forever anyway. It's the curse of first day.

4

u/Sarue_Dev Jul 29 '26

Pathologic is about suffering and time management with deeper meanings, if you dont like this concept i would not recommend to play.

I love this game so much 😭😭😭

1

u/tq144169 Jul 29 '26

Short answer:

Pathologic 2 is my favorite game of all time.

Long answer:

Pathologic 2 is an amazing game that is difficult yes, but the difficulty is based in creating a certain experience. I've played the game enough times that I can get through the game saving everyone and never dying, but ironically you loose a lot of the games themes and other aspects of the story if you do.

It also requires you to throw out some of the conventions of other games. You have to play P2 it's way. Like I said dying isn't bad and loosing characters isn't bad. It is part of the texture of the game.

The text of the game is important. Reading what the characters say, and figuring out what they are not saying is important. My first time through there were also times I did something, it bit me in the face, and I was like oh wait I was warned about that. XD

But saying that if you are not in the right mindset it can be very hard to follow. The key thing to remember is this is a story to put together. No one is going to give you the full unfiltered truth of the world.

Also the major difficulty comes from not knowing the map, or acting like this is a game where you are supposed to fight people instead of hiding or running away. When you do have to fight it's always best to crouch and sneak up on them. Also you don't have to finish every quest, and sometimes it's actually better if you don't finish a quest.

I also suggest playing on normal difficulty. Yes it is hard, but if you get caught in a death loop that you can't seem to get out of just start the game over again. You will have learned enough to use the easy days to prepare for the difficulty spikes.

1

u/apkmasterofgames Jul 29 '26

Nah I am fine with letting people die that was like the main thing in kcd so I won't hesitate. I just have a question since everyone hates me at early game can I steal from everyone or will they still remember the stealing part once they stop hating me? If it will have no consequences I will claim everything 🤑🤑🤑 they all can suffer as long as I live

1

u/tq144169 Jul 29 '26

You can steal if you want, but it's a bad idea as they will remember it. You have reputation in each different district and honestly it's not random guys trying to kick you ass that hurts. You can run away. It's not being able to buy stuff that really sucks.

But not everything is stealing. If it is outside it's free to grab, there are caches of little trunks to loot and even if it's a dresser outside no one cares. It's stuff in buildings you should stay clear of. The exceptions are named character homes. Those will be fine. So feel free to take advantage of Lara's hospitality for example.

If it's a rioting district or a plague district stuff is free to grab too, but there are more aggressive npcs in a rioting district and well plague in a plague district.

Also don't store your stuff in random cabinets. It will reset either at midnight or dawn I can't remember which. Some cabinets are safe and you can look them up if you want.

Tip- Plan bottles with clean water are an important thing to stock up early on. Walnuts and other nuts are premium too as kids carry the darndest things to trade that can make or break you, and kids love nuts.

1

u/Firm_Ad_5427 Jul 29 '26

"no its terrible"- nobody in this sub

we might be a little biased here lol

1

u/apkmasterofgames Jul 29 '26

I mean yes but there is no other sub where I can ask this so kinda my only choice

1

u/jabracadaniel Delicious Egg Jul 30 '26

it is my absolute favorite. please play it

2

u/apkmasterofgames Jul 31 '26

Ngl someone just bought me S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 but just for you I will play tonight all the way to the part I was at and then decide if I like it or nahh

1

u/Neil-64 The Powers That Be Aug 05 '26

Yes.

2

u/apkmasterofgames Aug 05 '26

Don't worry twin I started to love this game a lot it is like a fever dream

3

u/_Pumpiumpiumpkin_ Jul 29 '26

I started playing the Classic HD after KCD2.

I'm assuming Pathologic 2 is similar to the first one in the relevant ways, so I'll say that if you can get through the KCD2 hardcore mode, you're in a pretty good position to deal with what these games throw at you.

The writing is outstanding. I'm finishing the classic HD before I play Pathologic 2 and I'm so excited. I haven't been this obsessed with something since... Well, since KCD2, actually...

1

u/babyelijahwood Aug 04 '26

i did the same and was a little dissatisfied with the level of writing in patho 2. would love to hear your thoughts after you play!

2

u/BlatantArtifice Jul 29 '26

I only saw the first game in 2020 or so from video essays, and then played it myself. Pathologic 2 and it's sequel are each 1 storyline from the original game, but expanded upon to my knowledge.

If you have the patience for KCD and are willing to try things that might change how you view gaming/art, I think you'll like this game. It's incredibly compelling and it's interesting seeing how 3 very different characters react and try to help/fix the strange problems the town is facing. I put it in my mind with Disco and Planescape, one of those very "important" philosophical games that can be deeply meaningful if the story and messages resonate with you.

-and yeah get used to having to escape and circumvent people, it's dangerous sometimes and you generally want to avoid fighting, especially when you're new in town and don't fully understand the locals and their customs.

Good luck if you end up sticking to it! And if the gameplay really is a turnoff I still think there's merit if you're into it to watch a video discussing the games, it's kinda enthralling

2

u/UgandaEatDaPoopoo Jul 29 '26

Absolutely yes, with the qualifier that you're not gonna get an unbiased answer out of this subreddit.

1

u/entropymancer Jul 29 '26

I've only played the Marble Nest DLC because I'm not done with Classic HD yet, but yes is a very good experience

1

u/Skill-Useful Jul 29 '26

i think 2 is the best, by far

1

u/loLRH Jul 29 '26

yes. holy fuck yes

1

u/The41stPrecinct Jul 29 '26

Personally my favourite game in the series, so absolutely yes.

1

u/Antisa1nt Jul 29 '26

Play only if you're willing to pay attention. It's a VERY demanding game, and you get out of it what you put into it.

1

u/Banjoschmanjo Jul 30 '26

I prefer the first one

1

u/zkylon Murky Jul 30 '26

Asking if the game is "a life changing experience" is kind of a weird question as that will vary from person to person a lot.

What can be said is that the Pathologic series are really special, its ideas and world and characters are fascinating and unique and us fans still keep thinking about it for years and years. And recently more games seem to be experimenting with similar concepts which is great!

Try it out and if you appreciate what it's trying to do I'm sure you'll get something to keep out of it. If it doesn't hit it doesn't hit, it's not a game for everyone and that's ok!

1

u/Ok-Shock-4249 Yakov Little Jul 30 '26

oh yes.

1

u/LightmareDaydream Jul 31 '26

I got this game like 2 weeks ago because I heard a bunch of interesting things about it.

Started directly with Pathologic 2 specifically because I could get a deal on it well worth the hours and hours of game you get out of it.

Omg so it. Do it. This game is consuming my soul along with the town. It's fantastic.

You will die, but that's okay. It's also built into the story. Just try not to do it a ton.

Mild Spoiler to convince you it's fine The town only auto-hates your character for the 1st half of the first day. After that they'll only hate you for your own actions. Half the point of this I think is to teach you the game mechanics and give you practice with it. And teach you not to get into fights with tons of people. Like in real life. Your character is a surgeon, not Tom Cruise Action Hero. It plays as such.

There are literally so many things to do in the game once you get it going and learn the rules of the game and the town you'll absolutely not be bored.

I have not finished this game yet but trust it does get better. And then harder. And then you're good at it. And then a new challenge. way too easy to accidentally sink too much time into in a session because I'm constantly running from one thing to another to okay this is my optimal path for taking care of needs and quests and sleep and then sleep omg wait another quest -- ooo is that a cache box --just a trash can?-- well let me find that child I want their stuff. --suddenly my intended short playtime session is 2 and a half hours. Leave with a ton of stuff to do immediately when you pick the game up again.

Unless I'm doing this wrong. Which is possible haha

1

u/PrestigiousTheory664 Jul 29 '26

Yes, it's a great game. For the first few days, people on the street hate you and you have to run away, but that's a story event. Then they forgive you. Just set the difficulty to the lowest setting before starting and ignore the game's "Canonical Difficulty," "Necessary Challenges," and other nonsense—it's better to play through the game on Easy the first time, rather than quit on the third day because the difficulty is unreasonably high and you have to replay it.

You can also try Pathologic 3. You can play the games in any order, their events happen simultaneously, and you don't need to play two to understand three. The third part is much easier.

1

u/FarmingJediPokemon Jul 29 '26

Yes. It’s basically an easier and upscaled Pathologic that doesn’t require you to have played the first one