hansfoster

[hansfoster]

Prologue, Part 2

So, we’ve managed to negotiate a do-over. Let’s try not to mess up this time.

We come to inside a train car.

A coffin falls off the top of a stack of crates.

And this man climbs out of it... this game is weird.

Me? You were the one in the coffin. Why did you crawl in there?

I was hiding.

That’s one tiny compartment. Your bones must be aching.

A coffin is the best means of transportation in the world. It can get you to unimaginable places.

You look alive though. So that vehicle is beyond your means for now. A freerider, huh?

Just like you.

No way. We’re no birds of a feather, you and I.

What a charmed life Artemy must live that a man in a coffin is considered a distraction.

The train suddenly hits the brakes as we cut to black again.

We come to and there’s no sign of the Traveller. We have a lamp though, and the door’s open so let’s see what the problem is.

... I don’t know what I was expecting, to be honest.

Who are you?

Us? Kind volunteers, who advise you to return to the train car. It will soon leave.

What happened here?

Ahead or behind?

Is there something ahead of me? I don’t see any danger.

Look closer. Ahead is death. Would you like to check?

Yes.

As you can see, the blood no longer flows in this artery. There’s a clot. You’re a doctor, aren’t you? Do you have medicine?

What clot? What are those black flakes?

How should we know? You’re the doctor, not us. Go and see. We’re only ensuring no other trains are derailed. We’ll fix yours, once the beast leaves the tracks.

I’ll go on foot, then. Someone’s waiting for me.

Might take a while to get back home on foot, but I don’t see these guys moving a monster bull anytime soon.

These look a lot like the black clouds that hung over the Town earlier. Probably not a good idea to walk through them, but we can probably make it if we hurry.

We don’t even make it two steps before collapsing. Whoops.

We wake up back in the train. It’s moving again and the Traveller is back. So, I guess we didn’t die? Maybe?

Why?

You can share your worries with me, and I’ll take them with me.

Into the coffin? Deal.

Who goes first?

You.

I’m worried that people won’t be so happy to see me in the Town. What if they shun me like some mutt and slam doors in my face? What if my toll is too small? I could fail to meet my goal. But maybe this is only anxiety. Yes, I can do it.

Are you a preacher?

Not really... your turn now. Be honest, and your fate will change. That’s how it goes.

I’m worried about my father. He summoned me with a letter - a troublesome one. Something bad has happened.

Do you want to play?

I’m game.

Dice?

What are the stakes?

Your fate.

I don’t believe in fate.

We cut to black again.

And now we’re in a house.

But not our house as the journal points out. So where are we now?

Inside one of the rooms are these three ladies, they recoil when we enter...

And turn into these... things. The game hasn’t even started yet and I’m already exhausted.

The next room has these two...

They also turn into mime people.

Another room has this fellow...

... no points for guessing what happens to him.

In the back room is this woman, who surprisingly doesn’t turn into a mime.

No, I’m a doctor. What’s wrong with you?

Water... I’m so thirsty. I need a drink of water. Please, bring it to me...

Where do I get it?

Outside... in the yard... hard to talk.

Keep silent, then.

So, we’re off to fetch some water. Probably need something to carry it with though.

This is how you loot containers in this game. Inspecting cupboards and the like will show a menu with various cabinets to search. You open a cabinet by holding down the Left Mouse Button over the cabinet in question...

... which reveals the goodies inside. That spindle’s not much use to us right now but those bottles will do nicely.

Looks like there’s a crowd gathered outside the train. Wonder what that’s all about.

What are kids doing here? And is that a corpse?!

Oh god, even the kids are trying to melt my brain.

... Did you kill him?

Answer the question, khayaala. You’re a steppe man. You must know the answer.

What did you just call me?

But I don’t.

Then be on your way, khayaala. People don’t kill people.

Are you even human?

I think that’s the least of your concerns right now, Artemy.

There’s more of those mimes acting out something on the roof of the train. Sure, okay. Let’s speak to coffin man, the bastion of sanity in this situation.

Not me. Someone else.

There is water in a wooden barrel, behind you. You walked right past your goal. Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last.

I saw the light. I thought it invited me here.

Like a moth.

Ouch.

“Ouch” is right. The game’s mocking me for going out of my way to talk to these people rather than doing what I’m supposed to be doing because “ooh, pretty lights”. Alright, point taken. Let’s go get some water.

Water barrels like this one can be used to fill up any bottles you have. Water pumps will also do the same.

Now, let’s head back and do what we were supposed to do.

The mimes have been replaced with coffins. That’s not ominous at all.

We find the Bachelor and the Changeling arguing in the kitchen. Hey... are you guys gonna...

Yeah, I thought so...

We get to the back room and find an Executor standing over the Survivor. Damn... now I really feel bad for trying to talk to those people.

We cut to the Traveller shaking us awake. I want off this ride already.

Yeah, a dream. I hope it doesn’t come true.

So, you want to meet your dad?

Yeah.

Me too.

Why have we stopped? Are we there already...?

Cut to black again. Are we finally there?

*sigh* No, of course not.

No, I haven’t.

Do you have a good heart?

Who is the judge?

We hear the Earth with our hearts. The heart has a pulse. So does Earth. If they sing in harmony, you hear the language of Earth and herbs. The language of warmth and cold. Look, tangher, and listen. Whose words are all around? What does the Earth say?

I can’t decipher this language.

A lot of time has passed. You were gone. You forgot many things. Your heart is spoiled, Khatangher. Let us see if it’s rotten.

How can you see that?

The fight will show. Whose heart is keen? Who hears the unheard words? You will see my heart. The Kin’s blood runs through me. I was never torn from my people.

I’ll have a look.

Combat tutorial time! Combat works kind of like what you’d expect from an Elder Scrolls game. Raise your fists or a weapon with the number keys. Tap the Left Mouse Button for a quick attack or hold it for a slower, guard breaking attack.

Each attack lowers your stamina and once it hits zero, your attacks become much less effective until you’ve caught your breath.

You can guard against attacks by holding down the Right Mouse Button, during which your stamina recovers faster. However, some attacks can’t be blocked. Also, you can’t block attacks with a weapon but neither can your enemies.

Geez, game. I’m not trying to kill this man.

New to Pathologic 2, if an enemy has taken enough damage, they’ll try to surrender. During which you can take their stuff without having to kill them or just let them go.

What need do you have of mine? Isn’t it rotten?

A river of good washes away a drop of rot. There’s no “me” and “you”. There’s a people, Khatanghe. Mix your flesh with ours.

All right, let it be so.

Trading tutorial! With living hearts... ew.

Items you own that a person wants are highlighted in your inventory and given a value.

Here, we’ve offered our rotten heart, which has a value of 1. We can exchange these items for items that the other person deems to be of equal value, in this case the Kin’s “Good Heart”. This is the basics of trading and trading is one of the main sources of the items you’ll need to survive so keep all of this in mind.

Cut to black again...

... and we’re back on the sodding train again.

Are you relieved?

Oh yes, can’t wait to get there. Just can’t wait.

You and me both, man.

It feels like we’re riding in circles.

So it’s not just me? I’m not going crazy?

Well, it was nice passing the time. Good luck with your father. I’m sure he can’t wait.

I hope so. This trip has been a long time coming...

We cut to black again as the train comes to a halt...

... right outside our house.

Well, that’s certainly convenient but the noise pollution must be awful.

... My dear son, Artemy, I write to you after so many years apart in the hopes that you may find a way to return to us. Something worries me. I fear a difficult trial approaches. I hope that your studies have proved fruitful, and that you have achieved great skill as a surgeon. Such skill might be of use here. I remain the only physician in town. But you know that I am growing old. I need an assistant...

How vague. I can see why Artemy’s so worried.

No sooner do we head inside that the sounds of laughter can be heard from lots of different voices. It’s impossible to convey with only screenshots, but it always sounds close by but also somehow not in the same room that you’re in currently. It’s rather eerie.

Nothing downstairs, maybe upstairs?

We come to this back-room door. After opening it, we cut to black one last time.

We see Artemy, clutching his side and surrounded by bodies.

He got off at the train yard...

... where three men were waiting for him...

... they accosted him immediately...

... and one pulled out a knife...

... the sounds of struggling ensued...

... and now those men lie dead.

So begins Day One. The stage is set, and the play is in motion. Let’s see if we can give a better performance this time.

[hansfoster]

Prologue, Part 1

And here we are... somewhere. Some games start with a cutscene or some kind of panning shot to acclimatise you to your surroundings. Pathologic 2 just throws you right in and trusts you to work things out on your own. Get used to that.

A brief fumbling in the dark takes us out to what looks like a stage with this odd fellow in the spotlight.

You’ll notice that there’s two sets of captions. The ones on the bottom are actual lines of dialogue spoken by the character when you interact with them. They usually pertain to the character themselves or the setting rather than being relevant to the current conversation, which is represented by the second set of captions on the right. This game’s kinda odd like that.

What’s also odd is that even though this game has dialogue trees, you can’t navigate back to previous branches to pick whatever options you didn’t choose the first time around. You have to think carefully about what you say so that you can get the information that you need.

On a side note, is it just me or does Mark here look like just walked off the set of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?

Will you try to stage it again?

Why not? But you won’t be there. You do nothing to improve yourself.

Like I’m the problem here!

That is, *ahem*, not for you to judge.

We gave it all we had.

Whatever. You are dismissed. The bird will give you your final payment.

I’m sorry, what? The bird will pay me?

Aren’t you tired of those beakheads? They’re trouble.

They were the only useful people around.

Right...

We cut to black...

And the rest of the theatre lights up. Though it looks more like a morgue than a theatre.

Bodies are piled up in beds and along the floor. There're even kids in here.

Oh, this man looks important. Let’s see what he has to say.

Oh hey, it’s the Bachelor. One of the other playable characters.

The diamond icon next to the second dialogue option indicates that that option will end the conversation. This was added to Pathologic 2 as a quality of life change which I’m quite happy about. It’s hard enough choosing what to say without being paranoid about whether or not my choice will end the conversation too early.

Where are the birds?

Up, where else? If you mean the real ones.

Wow, what a smartass.

I meant the orderlies.

Eh, maybe the guy I’m looking for is upstairs.

And this must be the Changeling.

Wha...?

Did they tell you that?

Yeah. This is a direct quote: “We’re not birds. We’re fingers.” That’s why people call them Executors. Are you tired? Want me to relieve your headache?

Go ahead. It’s not like you can actually do it.

Okay, so I’m looking for an Executor. But why does everyone call them birds...?

Oh. That’s why.

By whom?

The authorities.

Fitting...

And now our journal is updated. Let’s take a look.

Pathologic 2 doesn’t represent quests or other bits of information in text entries but as small pictures with hover text. The journal won’t record conversation logs or other bits of information you glean, so be sure to pay attention. In any event, looks like we’re off to the Cathedral.

Straight through these ominously red-lit doors and...

Oh.

Oh dear...

It’s even worse out here than it is in the theatre. Tents are filled with bodies and the streets are filled with soldiers and even more bodies.

As an aside, I won’t do this too often, but I strongly recommend listening to this as this scene plays out.

Pathologic 2′s soundtrack may not have a lot of bangers, but when it comes to establishing atmosphere, it’s one of the greatest I’ve ever heard.

What the heck’s going on here?

Holding people at gunpoint is “work as usual”? That second option might antagonise them which wouldn’t be wise so let’s play this cool.

Who are these people?

They’re looters. Like I said, it’s work as usual. You do your job, and we’ll do ours.

Fine. You do what you have to.

Well... guess we just gotta... leave these people to their fate.

A brief walk through the desolate streets brings us to this girl.

What? You’re alive...?

Eh?

Heed my advice. You think she loves you? Think she’s a friend and he’s a foe because he brought in cannons? Don’t talk to her first. Talk to him.

You know nothing. She’s my ally.

Well, I guess that’s that then. We walk past...

A bright flash of light appears.

And she’s dead. Okay...? Back to our walk...

Jesus, they’re burning people alive with fucking flamethrowers. This is more than a “flop”, this is a catastrophe!

I don’t know what that is... but I do know that floating black clouds are definitely not normal. I’m staying the hell away from... that.

The town’s gone to hell and these kids are playing hopscotch. What?

Well, that certainly looks like a Cathedral. No idea what that giant building on the right is though.

These must be the two that that Aspity girl was warning us about. Since she basically died to warn us, let’s follow her advice and talk to the man first.

This is the doctor.

What do you want?

We can cure this disease. I know how.

Proof?

It’s... not exactly scientific. Our people have a different approach.

You’re blowing it, Burakh!

What is this nonsense? State your name and occupation!

Artemy Burakh, surgeon.

I see. Give me a reason to call off the bombardment. You have one chance.

Fucking hell, it’s not enough that you’re shooting and burning people in the streets, now you’re about to shell the place to the ground?! You better make this good, Artemy.

I know how to make a serum. We’ll need time to produce it at scale, but the recipe has been developed.

No, Burakh. If you had told me you had tank cars of that panacea and an army of doctors from the Capital ready to administer it, that would’ve convinced me. As it stands, there’s no going back. It’s too great a risk.

We only had twelve days! That’s not enough time!

Well, that didn’t go well. Maybe the lady will be more willing to listen.

To confirm to you that we have the means to fight the plague.

The plague. Not the outbreak.

Who cares?!

We have already decided everything, without you. You’ve come uninvited.

What did you decide?

Who are you to demand reports from us? A backwoodsman, a self-taught doctor practicing barbaric traditional medicine. Oh, but I know who you are. You’re the person I was very wrong to put my hopes on. The person who let me down. Out! Now.

I know where to get the ingredient for my serum. We can produce it!

Hey, you over there! Seize this man and throw him out.

Aglaya! Listen to me...

Well, shit. Neither of them are willing to hear us out and we don’t have a solution that’ll stop them from just destroying the whole town.

Mark appears at the back of the Cathedral. Nothing for it...

Not a second. A first one.

All right, let’s roll then. Let us imagine that the last train has not yet left the station. Just don’t be late.

All right, let’s roll.

All right, we got a do-over! Let’s try and do better this time... a lot better.

[hansfoster]

Pathologic 2

Pathologic 2 is a first-person adventure game developed by Russian developer Ice-Pick Lodge in 2019. It’s a sequel/complete re-imagining of the first Pathologic game, considered by many to be Ice-Pick Lodge’s magnum opus. Pathologic as a series was not particularly well known outside of its native country, however a HD re-release of the original game and eventually this game fostered a devoted cult following.

Pathologic 2 is set in a rural town somewhere in the Russian Steppe. A deadly plague is about to hit the town and it’s up to the player to find a cure and save the town while also trying to stay alive.

The game’s mechanics are… harsh, to say the least. Supplies are hard to come by, fights are nail-biting in terms of how quickly you can die and how awkward attacking is, and it can be a nightmare to get various tasks done on time while still taking proper care of yourself. 

The in-game tooltip for the intended difficulty setting says it all really. For some, this is a deal breaker. For others, this is the game’s best selling point.

In the original game, you had the choice of three different characters, each with their own story and challenges.

Daniil Dankovsky, the Bachelor. An experienced doctor with a Bachelor of Medicine (hence the nickname) who has come to the Town to meet a man named Simon Kain, who is apparently over a century old, in order to achieve his life’s goal, to defeat Death itself.

Artemy Burakh, the Haruspex. A former local having returned to the Town after studying medicine abroad. Framed for murder, Artemy must struggle to save the people who view him as a vicious killer. A haruspex was an official in Ancient Rome who performed divination through the entrails of sacrificed animals. Artemy earns that nickname because of his ties to the Town’s more spiritual side, which sanctifies the bodies of living creatures.

Clara, the Changeling. A mysterious young girl who suddenly appeared in the Town. She seems to possess supernatural abilities, such as the power to heal or harm with a touch. Some say she’s a savior, others that she’s a killer. A changeling is a human-like creature in folklore that is left in place of human babies that are kidnapped by fairies. These changelings would display unusual features and intelligence beyond their years. Changeling stories were often used to describe children born with unexplained disabilities or disorders. The nickname befits someone like Clara with such unusual abilities, uncanny insight and a mysterious background.

In this game, due to issues in development (namely the Russian Financial Crisis of 2014-2017), only the Haruspex is currently playable. That’s not to say this game is unfinished, each character’s routes could be considered full games in their own rights and we’ll still be seeing the Bachelor and the Changeling in the Town, even if we won’t be playing as them.

This’ll be a semi-blind playthrough. I got up to Day 4 on my last playthrough, nearly starving to death before I was shanked by muggers and I decided to restart. So I’m not very experienced with all the ins and outs of this game, but I’ll have a decent idea of what I should do for the first few days.

Table of Contents

Prologue, Part 1

Prologue, Part 2