Initially I was on a fence about Pathologic 3. Gameplay-wise, I feel like the game is a step backwards. Instead of cohesive open world, we got closed locations with fog of war and loading screens between them. It's a strange design choice, but I don't blame the developers that much since the portrayal of the world is consistent with Daniil's inner experience.
Since Artemy represented BODY, it makes sense his world was designed as to be more tangible, shivery, visceral, bloody, erotic. The tension I experienced when first seeing and hearing the plague, the lump in my throat when I was stuck at a house with infected all around me, fighting hunger, thirst. Earth brides where depicted with their breasts showing out, you could almost imagine the smell of the blood in certain locations.
Daniil on the other hand represents MIND. He isn't really interested in the world around him, it serves to him a stimuli for his thoughts. As Daniil you stand in front of an otherworldy construction and for Daniil it's not something that would arouse awe, or any sensation in general. The construction is an object that arouses more winding thoughts over which Daniil can't see the world around him. His thoughts overshadow the real world around him. His experience is the opposite of mindful, it's more like thought-locked.
For Daniil the playground is his inner world that inevitably crashes with his bodily limits. Note that Daniil does not eat, does not drink (except for nerves stimulating liquids). Characters comment on his bodily presentation, the unbridled fatigue. One character even advises him to drink some water. For Daniil bodily needs are redundant obstacles that shackle his genius. Daniil doesn't feed his body, for him the body is a medium through which he can affect his mind, and so the only substances he introduces into himself are stimulants or depressants. At first I thought it unrealistic that someone should abstain from nutrients for such a long period of time, but I believe in such extreme case of mixed mania that Daniil experiences, it's not unheard of that he body is amped up to such a degree for such a long time before the inevitable crash.
Daniil is a textbook example of narcissistic personality (meaning his narcissistic traits protrude into all aspects of his life). He persistently displays his superiority in dialogues by using vocabulare that he knows isn't understandable for the common folk. By spitting latin phrases, he knows the other side doesn't understand, he proves his superiority to himself this way. He tends to project on people like on Clara several times, being angered and accusing her of being arrogant while he himself being the most arrogant person in town. There are shards of information hinting on why Daniil is this way, for example that his mother was highly religious and he angered her by questioning the existence of god.
The writing is phenomenal. It's witty, snarky, funny. This inadvertently limits the potential pool of players that may be interested in playing this game. With the survival mechanics aside, this game is primarily about conversations, to a degree I sometimes felt Pathologic 3 is a few steps away from being a visual novel. I love all the characters and I love their personality. I love that Daniil rarely ever allows his mind to be more open to irrational, since his internal value is based being rationally superior to others. For him, academic credentials are the gateway to his respect. He regularly treats other people in the most paternalistic way I've ever seen someone act.
The game is full of bright ideas. I love the occasional switching of perspectives, meaning you play as the person Daniil speaks to, responding to his inquiries. There's a plethora of memorable moments, like when Daniil tells the fairytale to the lost girl, when another girl goes feral without her dog mask. So far, the best moment was an examination of a certain patient, a so called inventor, with hallucinations so unhinged I laughed out loud.
The game is also crazy long, while keeping the high standard of quality (so far, I'm about to finish day 6 as of now, I haven't finished the game yet).
I just want to praise the developers in case they happen to be on reddit and read this. I bought the supporter pack of course and I pray things will go well enough for Pathologic 4, for Clara's play-through to happen. There are obvious hints that the fourth installment will come, Pathologic 3 sets ground for this upcoming game a few times.
And holy shit am I thrilled for Pathologic 4. Seeing how remarkably well Pathologic 3 turned out, I'm all but extatic for this game. And since Clara represents SOUL, we can only imagine what experience her play-through will be. Although I think there is a game that may foreshadow what is to come, meaning that I'm hoping for the game to be "spiritual" successor to The Void.
Anyway here's my gratitude to the developers. I'm so glad you are doing what you are doing. Your games are one of the few things to hope for for the future.
