The original Pathologic is the textbook definition of a cult classic RPG. Not many people have played it, but anyone who has given it the time of day absolutely loves it. It’s obtuse, frictional, and pushes back at you every step of the way, but persevering with the experience reveals a highly rewarding, haunting, and meta videogame you won’t soon forget. With the sequel Pathologic 3 on the way, you’ll soon be able to try the latest entry in the series via a new prologue.
In Pathologic 3, a man called The Bachelor has ventured to a remote town in the hope of finding the secret of immortality, but he’s been met with something much worse. The people are swept up in a plague that will destroy them all in 12 days, and it’s up to him to try and save them. You need to examine patients, explore the town, enact quarantines, and even impose curfews – whatever you can to keep the townsfolk safe.
On the surface, Pathologic 3 is a self-contained RPG, but scratching under its disease-ridden surface will undoubtedly reveal so much more. If the original game is any indication, there’s no doubt in my mind that this third game will ask metatextual, philosophical, and social questions of you. You just need to be willing to answer them.
Unlike previous games in the series, however, Pathologic 3 is going to introduce a new time travel mechanic. As The Bachelor, you can hop between the town’s last 12 days to make different decisions, learn new information, and bend the fate of anyone to your whim.
Ice-Pick Lodge has confirmed that the free Pathologic 3 prologue will become available on Monday March 17. The full game is set for launch in 2025. You can learn more here.
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