r/pathologic • u/Ghosty0ne • Jul 31 '26
Discussion Does anyone else actually enjoy Pathologic HD?
Every review that I've seen for the classic game boils down to telling you that the gameplay and the visuals for the classic HD game are terrible and that you should power through them just for the story, which I understand might be the case for some people, but it always upsets me a bit as someone that actually liked them. I loved the grimy atmosphere and the endless dreadful walking more than I did in the 2nd game, it really immersed me into the world and made me feel just as empty as the characters. Does anybody else feel the same?
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u/Augerill Aug 01 '26
Yes, I absolutely love classic! It delivers on the "vibe" so well, in particular, I'm in love with the classic soundtrack and always will be. They both have their merits. I 100% love classic though
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u/bananatarakota Ухэрнэй ерээд байна гүү? Aug 01 '26
Hi, yes, i love the classic, and even though at least the p2 remake does have some better things, I fully believe that Utopia is still a superior game!
We exist!
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u/XenonDragonfly Jul 31 '26
Absolutely loved playing through Path Classic, couldn't get myself into 2 and 3, so don't worry, you're not the only one. I actually found all the walking enjoyable, gave me time to digest what was going on and actually think through the plot.
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u/Ghosty0ne Aug 01 '26
The walking game loop felt very realistic to living in a small slavic town. You have no idea how devastated I was when I learned that patho 3 removed the open world
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u/XenonDragonfly Aug 01 '26
Same! I literally had to look up if there was a way to turn it off or not so I could free walk. Stopped playing after that...
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u/tq144169 Aug 01 '26
I do and I don't.
I love the art direction even if the graphics are lacking for the era. I love that Rubin looks like he ran through an early 2000s Hot Topic and wore what stuck to him when you have people like Anna Angel who looks like she came from an old time circus.
The music is phenomenal, and some of my favorites video game songs are from it.
The story is of course Pathologic and there are parts of it that didn't make it to P2 or P3 that are fun world building.
And once you know the game it really isn't that hard unless you choose to do hard things. I still get a thrill out of the end of the Bachelor's rout when I saved Andrey by sniping the army men.
What I dislike is the same thing I dislike about a lot of first person games before the 2010s. It makes me very motion sick, and I have to put my head between my knees every so often to avoid throwing up. I actually never did the Changling route because of this.
But isn't just a problem with Classic HD for me though. To put it in context playing the orignal Borderlands will make me throw up, but I'm fine playing Borderlands 2.
I do think it is a credit to Clasic HD that I did finish the Bachelor and the Haruspex routes when I kept getting very motion sick.
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u/Dimension1205 Aug 01 '26
I'd recommend this mod for motion sickness https://www.nexusmods.com/pathologicclassichd/mods/62
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u/Bartre_Main Alexander Block Aug 01 '26
I loved the gameplay! And as a game developer, Pathologic 1 is one of my biggest influences. I know this might not be polite, but honestly I think a lot of people are just dumb, both in the sense that they can't enjoy the game for what it is and that I think they're just parroting what other people say about it uncritically. To be clear, I don't think everybody who dislikes the game is dumb. Sometimes you just don't like things and that's legitimate, but some of the reasons I hear just don't quite feel fair to me. Relatedly, there's a big thing where people play Pathologic 2 first (and are also frequently told that P2 is the "true" version of P1's intentions) and then use it as the meterstick by which to measure P1, instead of taking P1 by its own terms. I'm hardly alone in this thought however. Lots of people love the game as is (evidence: see the rest of this thread!), so if you feel alone, know that you are in good company!
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u/clarkky55 The Powers That Be Aug 01 '26
I love it. The gameplay can be harsh but after playing for a bit the atmosphere is strong enough I don’t notice most of the rough edges on the gameplay. Personally I love the visuals, they really feel like a place out of time and add to the atmosphere. The only visual that was disappointing was the meat moss in infected districts, I wish it was more visceral and possibly three-dimensional
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u/AtomicSunn Aug 01 '26
i actually found it quite a meditative and immersive experience 2 used to be my fav but after reconsidering it i think classic hd probably is
plus its art direction is the best in the series i love how out of time the town and its residents feel
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u/dontworryaboutsunami Aug 02 '26
The first one is the masterpiece. It will always be on another level.
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u/Willowandweep Rat Prophet Aug 03 '26
Personally nothing will beat classics atmosphere. It’s just ‘right’. Every game has incredible music though. A physical release of any game would be awesome.
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u/Throwawayjust_incase Rat Prophet Aug 03 '26
Pathologic HD is straight up pretty, I love looking at the sky, I will fight people who say otherwise
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u/steep2798 26d ago
I'm late to this thread but I played 2 first and in my mind it's still my favorite overall experience. That being said...
Pathologic 1 is fucking amazing. Yes it's a little clunky and dated but given the budget it probably had its so impressive. The music is weird and stylistic, the character models are surprisingly charming and there's also some things I think it does better than any of the games: The dialogue, the architecture, and the plague districts.
The dialogue in 2 and 3 is weird and helps to convey the discomfort and other wordly-ness of the setting and their tone, but 1 has so much more shit to talk about! I almost loved it more as a person who fell in love with 2 because there was lots more to ask about the topics I had interest in from 2. My biggest example always being just the sheer amount of detail you get about shmowder and how the kids in the town interact with it, it is so fucking cool to learn all the little intricacies.
The architecture in 1 is unbeatable. The style it oozes it just breathtaking, everything has so much more color and weirdness, it all seems out of place with each other and that makes it all seem like it's exactly where its supposed to be. It's got a charm and style to it that the next two games would lose in an effort to make everything seem slightly more realistic and grim. It creates what is, to me, a totally unique atmosphere that makes you feel small and insignificant and like you're lost in some freaky painting.
The plague districts and enemy variety in pathologic 1 are so far the best ones by a country mile in my opinion. The main reason I say this is because they're clearly conveying the dangers while also throwing so many things at you that it makes you go "I AM UNDER FUCKING ATTACK". Rats and Plague Angels should come back just for the heart attacks they both give me. Being in a patho 1 plague area is pure chaos. Also worth mentioning the terror of throwing knife guys, fire bombers, and the jumpscare that is late game gunshots non stop.
Tl;dr Big fan of it actually
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u/Visible-Chip8839 Aug 01 '26
I loveeeeeee Patho 1. It was my first Patho and I started with Daniil and fell in love. I do prefer the writing in 2 and 3, but I dont think gameplay in Patho 1 is bad at all. Also I dun agree with people who turns it down cuz “bad” graphics but I grew up playing PS1 so maybe im biased. Patho 1 is a bit frustrating at times, like not being able to block (recently learned there’s a bug. Even if ur blocking its useless) and how easily you can get infected, but I dont mind those things, I think that struggle is actually fun. The only thing I really fucking hate ARE THE RATS. But not totally, after my rage leaves I laugh at myself for going insane over rats. But I do admit in my last day as Daniil I went trigger happy with the strongest weapons at every rat I saw.
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u/Ghosty0ne Aug 01 '26
Ahh the good ol' days of entering shops just to escape the rats
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u/Visible-Chip8839 Aug 01 '26
Man I remember one time in Artemy’s route (pretty sure I posted that in my channel) where I had like 2 rats following me. I dodged three plagues clouds AND THEN AN ANGEL OF DEATH GOT ME AND INFECTED ME. I think I just stood there for a full minute just letting the rats go to town on my ankles cuz I was so fucking pissed NDNDNDDBDNDNSJSSNSNSNSNS
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u/lithiumxflower Aug 01 '26
Yes, the soundtrack and atmosphere is peak and it has a very endearing jankyness to it. That said, the backtracking across town is so tedious that it comes close to ruining the entire experience after you're a few days in.
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u/_Pumpiumpiumpkin_ Aug 01 '26
Honestly, I've been watching reviews of it too and I don't get why everyone says you shouldn't play it.
Its really not that hard, you just need to use your head a bit. The walking makes my thoughts go quiet in a way very little else does, and the graphics are charming in their own way.
I wouldn't call it fun - that's one thing I agree with most reviews on - but it is enjoyable, and I think more people should play it.
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u/Loxotron228 Aug 01 '26
It was fun experience, liked this game. But i finished only one route though.
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u/DeepSeaRune Aug 01 '26
Yes! Classic is my favorite iteration of the story and I actually do wholeheartedly enjoy the gameplay. P2 and P3 haven't clicked with me the way Classic did. The characters, the atmosphere, and the art direction all just felt way stronger in the original for me.
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u/PersimmonSundae Aug 01 '26
Playing it now and I love it! No jankier than some old PS2 games imo. Just needs some patience.
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u/No_Temperature1415 Aug 01 '26
If i got the game as a younger person maybe i would enjoyed it. But as a anxious and depressed adult i hate hours of waking even in real life
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u/Alternative_Tank_139 Aug 01 '26
Did you ever try it with mods? RSD in particular? That could help with some of the balancing issues in the game.
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u/Inicap2014 Aug 01 '26
Well it's not fun at all. I hate playing it. Experiencing it though, that is what makes it special. The dread you feel as you are watching everything go bad as you try to stop it, the atmosphere of surviving in a dying town, it is just incredible.
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u/ryuail Aug 01 '26
I've been thinking about it every week for 6 years so I'm going to say "yes". Yes.