The Pathless

 PC
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 58 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 58
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 58
  3. Negative: 8 out of 58

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  1. SuperkenGaming
    Nov 14, 2020
    8
    The Pathless
    on the right path
    the pathless is a 5 and a half hour long puzzle adventure game where you play as a hunter only equipped with a bow that souts out with her eagle companion to purify the lands, and to do this you run around each of the games varied areas and complete puzzles, all at your own pace, these puzzles are are fairly easy but immensely satisfying to complete, none    The Pathless
    on the right path
    the pathless is a 5 and a half hour long puzzle adventure game where you play as a hunter only equipped with a bow that souts out with her eagle companion to purify the lands, and to do this you run around each of the games varied areas and complete puzzles, all at your own pace, these puzzles are are fairly easy but immensely satisfying to complete, none will ever stump you too hard to where youll have to look up a guide.. theyre all just genuinely fun and varied enough to not feel repetitive throughout your journey, and once you’ve collected enough pieces by completing these puzzle, you plug them into a tower and once all 3 towers of that area are lit you can go take on that areas boss, all of which happen in multiple stages, the first hunting them down in a chase sequence, and then finally taking them down one on one and by doing so youll unlock a new perk and the games next area.. this is the entire hook of the game and all in all its great, but the overall execution of the pathless is what keeps it just below that bar of ultimate greatness, my biggest issues with the pathless is just how unfun traversal is… at first its fun shooting your arrows at these little target ot gain speed and slide and fly all around the map, but even before this mechanic is introduced, you immediately feel how slow and sluggish your character feels, and having to rely on hitting those targets to have any speed is just a nusance, making getting from puzzle to puzzle quite the drag… and to make matters worse there is this awesful fire dome that chasing you as you go around the map, getting sucked into one forces you to stealthfully recover your eagle companin and dust them off to continue the game.. I just wnna explore and solve puzzles.. leave me alone… and even finding these items you need to progress is annoying too.. you have an ability that will make areas of interest glow, but the red glow seems to not always indicate exactly what you need, it could just be an optional collectable, I just wish these things were color coded as again, traversing through this world with such sluggish controls just isn’t fun a lot of the time.. its fine when you do have a meter, but again its just a nussaince to have to constantly be hitting tagets as you run through the world to have any sort of speed…
    With fixes to the speed of your character, and color coding different areas of interest and the pathless is definitely a gret game, but as of right now, for what it is.. its so close to being great, bt not quite there…
    This was a unique experience, the boss battles are amazing, and id highly recommend this to anyone into exploring worlds and solving puzzles..
    I give The Pathless
    a 7.5/10    … Expand
  2. LEFTREVIEWS
    Jan 30, 2021
    9
    A near perfect game, with the right balance between freedom and constriction, a true rare art gem in the videogame world.
  3. Dubeau
    Nov 22, 2020
    9
    The Pathless was a fun game with deeper meaning. The story is mythological and everyone can understand it. It is told mostly by text. The graphics are cell shaded and very good. The level designs are huge and full of hidden obelisk. The game introduction is a bit difficult to catch on. You might feel aimless at first, until you understand what to do. The fighting is simple and yes, maybeThe Pathless was a fun game with deeper meaning. The story is mythological and everyone can understand it. It is told mostly by text. The graphics are cell shaded and very good. The level designs are huge and full of hidden obelisk. The game introduction is a bit difficult to catch on. You might feel aimless at first, until you understand what to do. The fighting is simple and yes, maybe the boss are scripted, but the game focus a lot on exploration and puzzles instead. Taking care of your pet give you a sens of attachment to it. The music made by Austin Wintory is catchy and amazing. The puzzles are rather simple but some require some thinking. I give it 92%. I really enjoyed it and strongly recommend it. Maybe the ending felt a bit short an emotionally not that strong, but still, what a good feeling game it was.… Expand
  4. Skaamit
    Dec 1, 2020
    8
    Impressive and atmospheric adventure. I liked the decision of «Giant Squid Studios» to do some experiments. «The Pathless» looks a little fresher than «ABZU» or «Journey», and what is special pleasing, it is more difficult.

    I have some feeling what actions of «ABZU», «Journey» and «The Pathless» takes place in the one world. At least the visual art and some other solutions leave that    Impressive and atmospheric adventure. I liked the decision of «Giant Squid Studios» to do some experiments. «The Pathless» looks a little fresher than «ABZU» or «Journey», and what is special pleasing, it is more difficult.

    I have some feeling what actions of «ABZU», «Journey» and «The Pathless» takes place in the one world. At least the visual art and some other solutions leave that impression.

    And what I didn't expected it is very much addiction gameplay. I'm madly in love with the moving system in the game. That combination of running, slides and shooting with bow what gives pretty feeling crazy dynamic and flow. That very comfortable works while exploring in the game world, what haven't a lot of mark and measuring scales. I really appreciate then moments that make me very high and gives me a some kind sense of freedom.

    But emptiness in the game world ruins many good thing that game gives. It's very sad, like and some other moments. However, we have and some more interesting, like boss fights. It's very diversity part of the game, but ways to them boring and not cool time. With the story we have similar situation – it's not origin and not exciting, just a regular gray story.

    At the same time art, music and other esthetic aspects're perfectly detailed. And I more liked this adventure than bores me. It was great, maybe not all time, but it was so.

    P.S. And please give us some other than just only one golden filter in the endgame. That kills all beauty of the island. And remapping controls please.    … Expand
  5. Galuck
    Jun 22, 2021
    10
    This is my Top 2 Indie Game, just behind Mortal Shell. The gameplay is so responsive and fluid, the soundtrack is beautiful, the boss fights are amazing with one of the best bossfight in all of gaming history (the last one). The game is so peaceful, running around with your eagle, and is so painful when she gets hurt or lost, the game makes you love this eagle so much that I even want toThis is my Top 2 Indie Game, just behind Mortal Shell. The gameplay is so responsive and fluid, the soundtrack is beautiful, the boss fights are amazing with one of the best bossfight in all of gaming history (the last one). The game is so peaceful, running around with your eagle, and is so painful when she gets hurt or lost, the game makes you love this eagle so much that I even want to get my own eagle now.
    This game was one of the best experiences I had in years of gaming, so glad I played this.    … Expand
  6. lessacebola
    Nov 22, 2020
    9
    The Pathless é um jogo extremamente bem feito, seus pontos mais fortes são a trilha sonora e o visual do game que são fenomenais, a história também é muito boa, Annapurna acertou mais uma vez.
  7. singPoint
    Dec 4, 2020
    8
    Придирки к геймплею, где-то затянутости и однообразности небеспочвенны конечно. Но при этом, если разбить прохождение на несколько присестов (например по 1-1.5 плато за вечер), то в значительно меньшей степени тебя это душит, и не мешает наслаждаться сильнейшими особенностями The Pathless. Я по началу тоже был разочарован, плюс настрой был скептический, потому что я не люблю Journey-,Придирки к геймплею, где-то затянутости и однообразности небеспочвенны конечно. Но при этом, если разбить прохождение на несколько присестов (например по 1-1.5 плато за вечер), то в значительно меньшей степени тебя это душит, и не мешает наслаждаться сильнейшими особенностями The Pathless. Я по началу тоже был разочарован, плюс настрой был скептический, потому что я не люблю Journey-, Abzu-подобные проекты. Но такие ребята видимо умеют, как за ниточки, дергать эмоции игроков за счет визуального ряда, музыки и т.д. А добавив сюда еще и более менее насыщенный геймплей, понабрав решений из других проектов и введя что-то новое, они решили и мою проблему с Abzu-подобными играми. В итоге после прохождения я остался очень приятно удивлен и впечатлен. И к тому же рад, что переборол свой скептический настрой и не пытался пройти игру в 1-2 захода. По соотношению ожидаемое/полученное The Pathless видимо главная находка для меня в 2020 году, хорошо, что вообще не скипнул.… Expand
  8. Ridnir2
    Dec 18, 2020
    9
    Pathless really brings something new in the table.Its wonderful story and great visual really make you fall in love with its world.The gameplay is fast and really satisfying to just go with the flow and the boss fights Oooooo don't make me tell you about the boss fights.Its mindblowing the last boss fight one the best fights in the gaming history but nothing is perfect it always feelsPathless really brings something new in the table.Its wonderful story and great visual really make you fall in love with its world.The gameplay is fast and really satisfying to just go with the flow and the boss fights Oooooo don't make me tell you about the boss fights.Its mindblowing the last boss fight one the best fights in the gaming history but nothing is perfect it always feels like somthing is missing.but recommended… Expand
  9. PA0L0
    Mar 17, 2021
    9
    A terrific mixture of puzzles and movement! Visually impressive and with an outstanding soundtrack by Austin Wintory!
    This game checks all the boxes!
  10. Kaerix
    Jul 10, 2021
    10
    This is a very a rare game for me. The gameplay is definitely fun and very based around puzzles; consdering the rewards you get for solving them, and how tense the situation around some of them are, it never got boring for me. Where the game definitely shines, though, is in its story, presentation and storytelling. Uncovering the lore of this land while you fight to restore it, whileThis is a very a rare game for me. The gameplay is definitely fun and very based around puzzles; consdering the rewards you get for solving them, and how tense the situation around some of them are, it never got boring for me. Where the game definitely shines, though, is in its story, presentation and storytelling. Uncovering the lore of this land while you fight to restore it, while forming a bond with your adorable companion... It's perfect. I definitely shed a tear at the end, as a grown man. It reminded me a lot of my favourite game(s), Ori 1&2. It's a near perfect game for me, and I would heartily recommend for anyone that likes a good story, a gorgeous world to explore, and/or fun/rewarding puzzles. Easy 10/10 for me, would be higher if possible.… Expand
  11. zyllus
    Feb 26, 2022
    9
    It's an amazing game with great mechanics, beautiful soundtrack, fun gameplay, challenging boss fights, open-world exploration, and puzzle-solving. Every time you clean your eagle from corruption and the way he hugs you, always melts my heart. If you have played Ori and the Will of the Wisp and liked the game, you should definitely try it.

Awards & Rankings

58
#58 Best PC Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. CD-Action
    Jun 9, 2021
    90
    At first, The Pathless seems like many other games due to its bland story. However, give it a chance and it will shine like a diamond in other aspects. The developers of Abzu created a truly compelling world, where exploration and satisfying boss battles are interlaced with ingenious puzzles. Even the simplest activities are engaging and fun. You need to play it. [01/2021, p.40]
  2. TrueGaming
    Dec 9, 2020
    80
    Except for poor stealth sequences, The Pathless is a fascinating and enjoyable experience that strikes the perfect balance between exploration, puzzle solving and combat.
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  3. GameMAG
    Nov 29, 2020
    80
    The Pathless suffers from several things: repetitive puzzles, lack of depth in terms of abilities, complete absence of mini-map and fast-travel, some boring sections, and rather short length. But at the same time this game has a rather unique charm to it, which is a good enough reason to actually return to it again and again.
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