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pathologic 2 is a horror-themed role-playing game from an indie russian game developer; i got very interested in it during the pandemic but dont enjoy actually playing horror games, only watching, so this play through consumed most of my days/nights.
info from wikipedia:
Pathologic 2Ā takes place in a small town on theĀ steppeĀ only referred to as the Town on the Gorkhon River, or simply "the town." The culture of the town is a fusion of 20th century technology and architecture with ancient steppe culture and traditions, which bring about customs that greatly affect the course of events in the town. Though the exact location and date are never mentioned, it is very heavily implied by character dialogue and environment clues that the game is set during theĀ Russian Civil War.[6][7]
The world ofĀ Pathologic 2Ā leans heavily into theĀ surreal,Ā meta-commentaryĀ andĀ symbolism, frequently making discerning what is fiction and what is "reality" difficult. The events in the town are framed as a play in the style ofĀ Bertolt Brecht'sĀ "epic theatre," where the player is an "actor" "playing the part" of theĀ player character. The player's "reality" often comes into contact with this framing, with theater-like elements such asĀ spotlights, "scene changes" between day and night and a disembodiedĀ stagehand-like voice appearing intermittently throughout the game. At certain points, such as during plays performed in the town's theater or after the player's death, the player encounters the mysterious andĀ supernaturaltheater directorĀ Mark Immortell, who is often critical of the player's "acting" and frequentlyĀ breaks the fourth wall, referring to the game's development, referencing the mechanics and inner workings of the game's systems and referencing events or aspects from the originalĀ Pathologic, both contextually and literally.
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thereās a lot to be said about the detail and mechanics of this game. i didnāt think games could be so referential, atmospheric, etc. before finding out this existed. i donāt love that i spent time i could have used to, like, better myself watching hours of this shit but whatever - i remember it fondly.
Feb 18, 2024
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Diy survival (emphasis on survival) horror russian game from 05 <3 seriously crazy good soundtrack, extremely intricate and philosophical, existential and intimidating, depressing but hopeful, etc etc. the reimagining pathologic 2 is also very good but its a completely different situation. Edit- its pc only sorry but my rec stands!!!
Feb 27, 2024
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Itās funny cause Iām too scared to actually play most of the games, I watch other people play them on Youtube. Iām just obsessed with the storytelling you can do with this medium. Especially sick if the game is made by just one obsessed person. My favorite of all time is Sally Face. But Iāve also watched a ton of Silent Hill and Fear and Hunger playthroughs.
Oct 23, 2023
From a āhobbyistā perspective, the natural conclusion of OSSC upscaling fetishism and a PS2 with a hard drive is getting to play this gorgeously freaky little game on original hardware without buying a price gouged Ā£200+ disc copy.
From a personal perspective, I think Iāve tripped and stumbled into prototyping a video game? Music isnāt speaking to me the way that it used to and I guess Iām looking for a more gag driven way to get my point across. Survival horror is such malleable language. So Iām deluding myself into considering this research. Playing it in tandem with Silent Hill 4 to get a nice spread of dream-logic nightmare realms that clash with domestic horror. I do so wish P.T. was still accessible. If anybody has any other suggestions or favourites in this category Iād love to hear them!
Deliciously creepy stuff.
Jan 26, 2025
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before covid, there was a pandemic spread through the highly popular MMORPG world of warcraft in 2005. this resulted in one of the most fascinating wikipedia articles iāve ever read.
Feb 18, 2024
gao hangās work isnāt otherworldly - itās from a world i love.
for months before i found his name, his artwork invaded my pinterest feed. it was arresting, humorous, nostalgic. ps1 graphics you can reach out and touch - if you were ever able to escape from the screen, that is.
Feb 19, 2024
in the wake of the untimely death of buddy duress, i am reminded of the magnetic energy i felt discovering the safdie brothers.
i first watched good time in film school, thanks to one of my only cool teachers (european). while i loved the film, i loved the safdie brothersā ethos even more.
they scouted their stars from around the city - interesting people with tough lives. from reading and listening to podcasts, it seemed hectic. buddy durress wasnāt a trained actor, he was sometimes homeless and other times locked up at rikers. how do you manage that kind of talent?
the article iām including in this post could explain what the safdie brothers accomplish better than i can. their film heaven knows what is one of my all time favorites - but the story behind it solidifies why itās so important.
iām not sure what arielle holmes is up to now, but iām grateful she indulged everyone long enough to be able to make that film.
Feb 25, 2024