Pathologic 2, the notoriously difficult game from Ice-Pick Lodge and tinyBuild, is getting a few adjustments. Or, rather, players can now make adjustments themselves. The Pathologic 2 update allows players to better control their fate in-game by putting multiple aspects of game difficulty into their hands. Make the game a bit more manageable if you just want to get through it, or turn up the difficulty if you’re feeling masochistic. It’s all in your hands.
Pathologic 2 had gained a reputation for being on the difficult side. According to recent update notes, the developers intended for the game to be “almost unbearable.” However, they acknowledged that every gamer has their limits and added a difficulty scale as promised. Players can choose to keep playing the game as it was intended or adjust aspects of difficulty such as exhaustion rate, thirst and hunger speed, stamina drain, market item value, and more.
There are rewards for playing the game as it was originally presented. Players can show off a fancy new achievement for beating the game without ever touching the “Intended Difficulty” toggle, keeping it on at all times and facing the harsh survival horror as it was meant to be. Whatever you do, don’t toggle the setting even once! Otherwise, your chance at the achievement disappears.
For those who haven’t played, Pathologic 2 is a survival-horror game heavily driven by its narrative. You play as a healer in a secluded town where a terrible outbreak has occurred. In order to heal the townsfolk, you have to ensure your own survival. Food, medicine, and other basic necessities are scarce in the bleak world you traverse. For all its dark themes, though, the game also has a unique flair. One of the developers described Pathologic 2 as a “very Russian game, very theatrical and literary.” If you want to test your survival mettle, this is worth picking up, and it’s available now on Steam, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.
