The Pathless

 PC
The Pathless Image
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81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 58 Ratings

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  • Summary: From the creators of ABZÛ, The Pathless is a mythic adventure game about an archer and an eagle in a vast forest. Become the Hunter, a master of archery who travels to a mystical island to dispel a curse of darkness that grips the world. Forge a connection with your eagle companion as youFrom the creators of ABZÛ, The Pathless is a mythic adventure game about an archer and an eagle in a vast forest. Become the Hunter, a master of archery who travels to a mystical island to dispel a curse of darkness that grips the world. Forge a connection with your eagle companion as you hunt corrupted spirits, but be careful not to become the hunted yourself. Explore misty forests full of secrets, solve puzzles in ancient ruins, and test your skill in epic battles. The bond with your eagle and the fate of the world hang in the balance. [Giant Squid]… Expand

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THE PATHLESS - Official PS5 Gameplay Walkthrough

Critic Reviews

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]
    All this publication's reviews
  2. God is a Geek
    Nov 19, 2020
    85
    In The Pathless, Giant Squid have created a beautiful world worth getting lost in, a cause worth fighting for, and a hero worth following.
  3. PC Gamer
    Nov 23, 2020
    85
    A smooth and mesmerising experience that includes nothing it doesn't need.
  4. Hardcore Gamer
    Nov 12, 2020
    80
    The Pathless is an enjoyable adventure to a serene island filled with satisfying puzzles, mesmeric traversal and gripping boss showdowns. Some small frustrations, including unnecessary stealth sequences and little reason to deviate from the main objective, hold the game back, but the polished moment-to-moment gameplay combined with the inspired soundtrack make for a pleasing and fun experience that’s easy to recommend to fans of open world and puzzle games.
  5. PC Games
    Nov 22, 2020
    80
    The combination of fast-paced movement and the calm, meditative environment seem odd at first, but they work like a charm with the right mindset. An adventure that exhales atmosphere through and through and delights through its art style and soundtrack.
  6. Gameblog.fr
    Nov 20, 2020
    80
    Somewhere between Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Shadow of the Colossus and Journey, The Pathless is a beautiful and very pleasant experience, that feels very clever, smooth and relaxing. If you feel the need to travel somewhere else in this complicated time, just give a chance to this game.
  7. The Indie Game Website
    Nov 13, 2020
    70
    In its quest to remove everything that ties it to the bigger games it emulates, The Pathless does lose something in the process. Purifying spirits feels slightly too brief, with their spectacle being overshadowed by the simplicity with which they are dispatched, and the automatic nature of arrow trajectory during puzzles can often make them feel little more than perfunctory at their worst. Nevertheless, The Pathless still excels in spite of these failings, simply because it attempts to tackle the homogenous open-world design in a novel way. Its use of scale imbues the experience with all the grandiosity of a 60-hour title, but the lack of friction and purity of vision means that it accomplishes its epic conflict in a tenth of the time and in doing so manages to leave a real impact.

See all 13 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 23
  3. Negative: 4 out of 23
  1. 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 solvingThis 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
  2. 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!
  4. 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.
  5. MCmetacritic
    Nov 15, 2020
    7
    There's a lot to love here. The core gameplay is incredibly impressive, the sound and art are impeccable, and the puzzles just genuinely feelThere's a lot to love here. The core gameplay is incredibly impressive, the sound and art are impeccable, and the puzzles just genuinely feel good. Think Journey meets Shadow of the Colossus. Where the game comes up short (sometimes VERY short) is in its combat and endgame content. Boss encounters and battles feel very plain, kinda wonky, and get repetitive almost immediately. Compared to the core gameplay, the boss battles and scripted encounters are so bad that they feel like parts of a different game. I'd have gotten past it without much issue, but the game loses a lot of steam in its final hours. The final levels are really thin on content, and the final encounter with the boss is beyond unsatisfying.
    Really, the thing this game needed were boss battles which actually incorporated the core gameplay. Most of the game is thrillingly "pathless" but the boss battles are scripted to hell, and as unsatisfying as the core game is satisfying. On top of that, each of the bosses is functionally the same. And, of course, a final level that didn't feel so disappointingly empty would have been nice. But with all of that said, it's a good game, with the spark of greatness flickering inside.    … Expand
  6. XLazer
    Dec 5, 2021
    7
    Overall - 7.75/10

    + Beautiful art style and world + OST + Characters + Exploration was fun and never felt lost, though the puzzles were    Overall - 7.75/10

    + Beautiful art style and world
    + OST
    + Characters
    + Exploration was fun and never felt lost, though the puzzles were just alright

    Gameplay was decent, wished combat mechanics were better

    Enjoyment - 7.5/10    … Expand
  7. SplitMind
    Jun 26, 2021
    6
    The Pathless has received near-universal critical acclaim and it's not hard to see why from the premise; it comes from an indie-darlingThe Pathless has received near-universal critical acclaim and it's not hard to see why from the premise; it comes from an indie-darling perspective, touting similar graphics and game mechanics to highly regarded titles such as Journey, Gris and Abzu.

    So why am I lamenting rather than lauding its achievements? I'll explain below.

    As mentioned, the graphics of The Pathless immediately drew my thoughts back to Journey. Generally nothing overly complex, but smooth and fluid graphics that are similar to cell-shading make for a pleasant first impression. My qualm with these graphics is that I don't think they do the game enough justice, especially in the opening hours where everything is dark and morose. When boss battles commence the graphics show their true colours and this is quite a sight but also falls into being a bit one-dimensional once you see the patterns and style.

    The gameplay also leaves a nice first impression but irritated me the longer I played. Shooting the crystals to refill the energy bar can make for skilled traversal, but this fundamental mechanic became very tiring for me and repetitive to the extreme. From what I played, the rest of the game is similarly protracted. I found it very arduous that the game basically lays its progression out before you early on, in that I could see three elongated puzzles and boss fights ahead. I played until after the first boss fight and had had enough of the gameplay because it felt like the path ahead was predictable and monotonous, as well as feeling like I've already experienced the majority of what the game has to offer. Of course I could be wrong, but the game didn't offer anything to show me otherwise.

    The story of The Pathless is told via the cliche of picking up dribs and drabs from what are essentially diaries as you explore. You do meet the Godslayer early in the game and I found that rather compelling, and I also don't mind the diary trope as it allows the player to invest in the story at their leisure. However, similar to the gameplay, I didn't find much encouragement to persevere through the irksome puzzles to learn the conclusion, which I'm guessing involves defeating Godslayer and purifying all the land anyway.

    Overall, The Pathless is a critically-acclaimed indie darling that just doesn't do it for me. The concept and mechanics work great in theory, but in practice I didn't enjoy a lot of the game. Pathless seems to be inspired by Journey and Gris but misses the crucial lessons from these games, as Gris also dragged on a bit too long and Journey diversified the landscape and didn't have the irritating traversal mechanic. The Pathless may be the game for you, but it's not the game for me.    … Expand
  8. deepstories
    Dec 18, 2020
    0
    This game didn't really keep my interest. Feels way overrated than it should be.

See all 23 User Reviews

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