![]() ![]() ![]() Things are almost never that simple, of course, and The Pathless thrives on the discoveries and accidents between these main beats. This sets up the fundamental flow of the game: collect light stones by solving puzzles and clearing challenges, bring them to obelisks to weaken spirits, and then hunt the spirits down to purify them. Our huntress, having just bonded with her eagle companion, sets out to return light to the world by collecting light stones and cleansing cursed spirits. It picks up about 20 minutes into the game, right as you enter the first of the biome-like plateaus that make up the game's island. The demo I saw was essentially a much longer version of the gameplay trailer shown at PlayStation's August State of Play. It's had a few trailers and event appearances this year, but I only recently had the opportunity to watch an extensive gameplay demo played by creative director Matt Nava, who stuck around for a chat afterward. Unfortunately, these are too few and far between to fuel the desire to keep pushing ahead.The Pathless is coming to PS4, PS5, PC, and Apple Arcade on November 12, the same day that Sony's new console launches. It’s during these times that the game lets its hair down and stops trying to be “artistic,” and concentrates on providing a gripping encounter with a god. There’s even some variation between them, including one that’s heavy on cover and timing. Boss battles are exciting multi-stage battles where the player has to stay on their toes to hit weak points and avoid enemy attacks. The Pathless is at its best when it allows itself to throw some action on the screen. However, they rarely channel the brilliance of BOTW‘s Shrines. There are puzzles scattered about to gain crystals for upgrades, and the Lightstones needed to clear the Obelisks in each area. It’s not an unattractive game, but it feels like if you took the sweeping vistas of Breath of the Wild and removed 90% of the points of interest. In part, it feels like The Pathless has you constantly shooting talismans because there are so few other ways to interact with the world. Still, nothing turns me off of a game more than pointless, mechanical repetition. Upgrades become available later that increase the size of the stamina bar, which makes movement a little less arduous. You can either choose to walk or continuously fire arrows into floating orbs for the eight hours or so the it takes to finish your journey. Unfortunately, breaking talismans becomes a constant routine throughout the game. To refill the bar, players must hit floating talismans dotted around the island with arrows. However, The Hunter has a stamina bar, which drains quickly. The controls are tight, and overall, dashing around the island would be rather satisfying. It’s used for everything: puzzle-solving, combat, and even movement. The Hunter’s primary (and only) weapon is her bow. Also, there’s not enough personification of The Tall Ones, the gods you’re attempting to save throughout the game, for them to be captivating as characters. I never really found myself attached to The Hunter because she has no personality. It’s just that the voiceless protagonist wandering through a deserted land where an ancient civilization met its end is a trope that other games have done better. It’s not that I want to be handheld through the story. Still, players are left to figure things out for themselves for the most part. ![]() There are corpses dotted about that provide some clues as to what cataclysm the Godslayer brought on the land. When the player character, The Hunter, arrives, players are only given the vague task of lifting the curse on an island. Unfortunately, The Pathless is another game with a silent protagonist journeying to a ruined, mostly deserted land. I’m growing increasingly tired of indie games with threadbare plots that depend on (poor) implicit storytelling punctuated by optional text to weave their narrative. Advertisement Another dead guy telling stories ![]()
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