![]() Helping to push off the repetitive nature of the puzzles is the incredibly unique traversal system on display here. Several of the puzzles though are legitimately great however, and again the game ends just before the tedium really sets in. There are only so many combinations of mirror/torch/ring trick shots that can play out before everything just kind of blends together. Ultimately the game’s relatively short runtime works in its favor here, as the process starts to get a little bit “samey” toward the end. You’ll position mirrors so that your shots ricochet in the necessary direction, and you’ll find just the right angle to fire through stone rings to unlock gates or to free talismans from their prisons. You’ll fire trick shots through torches to light new torches on fire. Generally these puzzles will involve a combination of platforming, shooting things with your bow, and using your eagle friend to carry or move things around the environment (including The Hunter herself). You’ll earn these talismans by completing puzzles scattered across the landscape. Each tower requires either 1 (on the first “level”) or 2 talismans to cleanse. ![]() Your job is to collect talismans for each of the corrupted Tall Ones, the gods/forest spirits of this world, to cleanse large towers of their curse. The gameplay follows a relatively static formula for the full runtime. Your character early on picks up a visor which allows her to see into the spirit world and pick up on visual clues about which direction to head in for her next objective. The Pathless is an open world game in the truest definition of the word. Games like this are, at their core, about inventing a protagonist you can root for and an enemy you can root against, and the relationship between The Hunter and her eagle sets that stage beautifully. The Pathless does so much work to make you care about these two,and that work really does the heavily lifting from a narrative standpoint as the game hits its later hours. The relationship between the two bears itself out in head rubs, hugs, and (yes) even pets. Each time the eagle is in trouble, hurt, or struggling under the weight of the evil permeating the land it has an impact. The relationship between The Hunter and the eagle is exceptionally written, and does a better job of making you care about your companion than some games 3 times its length. I can tell that some additional lore and character work would have been a positive here, because most of what we do get is really great. While this doesn’t necessarily hurt the story Giant Squid is trying to tell during the game’s short runtime, some more lore would have been very welcome. While the motivations of the primary movers and shakers in the games universe are clear, you get shockingly little backstory on either our main character or the primary antagonist. All in all I really enjoyed the story that The Pathless had to tell, but I just really wish there was more “meat” on the bone. Sometimes these bodies offer hints to the current puzzle, sometimes just some narrative backfill. Most of the story beats in the game come from the spirits of recently deceased priests scattered around the game world. Over the course of the 6 hour (or so) journey you’ll not only befriend the eagle (now a much more portable size) but you’ll also learn about The Tall Ones, their influence over the world around them, and the Godslayer who has cursed their world to destruction. That visual statement, and a brief nod from our winged friend, are the only direction provided before the player is turned loose to their own devices. While it’s certainly a world worth exploring, I can’t help but wish there had been a little bit more to find.Īs our story begins, The Hunter has to rescue a giant eagle clearly struggling under a powerful curse. This action plays out across an absolutely stunning open world that benefits greatly from the architectural power of this new console generation. The Pathless, the new adventure from ABZU developer Giant Squid, follows The Hunter as she free-runs her way across a corrupted world (with some help from an eagle friend and her trusty bow) to free the land from the Godslayer’s corruption. Tucked within the PS5 launch lineup however, is an indie game that certainly sets itself apart from the rest of the selection on offer. A new Assassins Creed, Miles Morales, Demon’s Souls…games that not only wield a AAA budget, but also a AAA expense on your free time. With the PlayStation 5 finally upon us, there are some heavy hitters in the launch day lineup that command attention.
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