Average Playtime: 2 hours

The Path

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About

There is one rule in the game. And it needs to be broken.
There is one goal. And when you attain it, you die.
Six sisters live in an apartment in the city. One by one their mother sends them on an errand to their grandmother, who is sick and bedridden. The teenagers are instructed to go to grandmother's house deep in the forest and, by all means, to stay on the path! Wolves are hiding in the woods, just waiting for little girls to stray.
But young women are not exactly known for their obedience, are they? Will they be able to resist the temptations of the forest? Will they stay clear of danger? Can they prevent the ancient tale from being retold?
The Path is a game about growing, about changing, about making choices, about accepting the consequences of these choices. A game about playing, and failing, about embracing life, perhaps by accepting death.
Key Features:
The Path is a short horror game inspired by older versions of Little Red Riding hood, set in modern day. The Path offers an atmospheric experience of exploration, discovery and introspection through a unique form of gameplay, designed to immerse you deeply into its dark themes. Every interaction in the game expresses an aspect of the narrative. The six protagonists each have their own age and personality and allow the player to live through the tale in different ways. Most of the story, however, relies on your active imagination.
The Path is designed with accessibility in mind. There are no ticking clocks or monsters to defeat. No hard puzzles will ever halt your progress. Most activities in the game are entirely optional and voluntary. The player has all the freedom in the world to explore and experience.

While The Path does not contain any graphic violence or sexuality, it does allude to these themes. The overall melancholy mood of the game and the potentially unsettling course of events, make The Path unsuitable for children. Despite of its origins in fairy tales, The Path is decidedly a game for the mature mind.
The game features a complete realtime 3D environment that can be explored through third person navigation. The characters in this virtual world, including the player's avatars, are governed by a form of artificial intelligence that gives them some autonomy. As a result, nobody knows exactly what you will encounter on your journeys.
Next to the multi-layered stylized graphics, The Path features a continuous soundtrack composed by goth rock diva Jarboe (ex-Swans). In fact, there are hardly any sound effects in the game. Instead the music is continuously changing according to what is happening in the game. Like the behaviours of the characters, the music too is never exactly the same twice.
For a satisfying experience, it takes about 6 hours to complete the game.

Platforms
Metascore
79
Release date
Developer
Tale of Tales
Publisher
Tale of Tales
Age rating
Not rated
Website
http://Tale-of-Tales.com/ThePath

System requirements for PC

  • Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP/Vista
  • Processor: 2 Ghz
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Hard Disk Space: 500 MB
  • Video Card: Recent Geforce® or Radeon® x6xxx 256 MB (no integrated graphics)
  • Sound Card: Any Sound Card
  • DirectX® Version: DirectX® 9.0c

System requirements for macOS

  • Operating System: Mac OS X 10.8
  • Processor: 2 Ghz
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Hard Disk Space: 500 MB
  • Video Card: Recent Geforce® or Radeon® x6xxx 256 MB (no integrated graphics)
  • Sound Card: Any Sound Card
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Last Modified: Aug 29, 2024

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Steam

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The Path reviews and comments

The precursor, in my opinion, to "artistic and walking sims" games. A rather abstract story where many interpretations are possible. It's not a game, but an experience. I had already bought it years ago outside Steam and loved it. Now, not really. Unlike other more recent walking sims, such as Gone Home or The Stanley Parable, its story is far too abstract (and strange?) to be enjoyable. When I was playing it on Steam, I used to spend the ¾ of my time wondering, "What happened there? What exactly is the "wolf" supposed to represent? Do the heroines die when they get to Grandma's? Who is the girl in white? A manifestation of the grandmother during her youth? etc." In short, it's hard to recommend it, but I still give it a blue thumb, because it's still an experience that some people might like.
A kind of interesting experience, but a very clumsy and boring game. The images and meanings are read easily, but the scope for guessing is quite wide. It was probably very difficult to imagine this in 2009, but now it’s very likely, given that this approach to content creation has gained popularity in the field of video games and movies. In my opinion, it's better to try Ice-Pick Lodge games instead. Besides, there is also a great What Remains of Edith Finch on the similar topic.
«Boooring»
Translated by
Microsoft from Deutsch
You have to know WORAUF you get involved. Anyone hoping to play a Sensule-free Horror Game (I don't know why, but very many have always believed it was a Horror Game) will be very disappointed here. The Path demands a great Deal of Interpretative And a certain Amount of creativity. Whoever comes to terms with it that it offers no Action and really gets to think about the special Graphics and the great encrypted Story will definitely come to terms!
Translated by
Microsoft from Deutsch
Red Riding Hood Goes Emo Gothic Arthouse Movie ... A simple Game that picks up The Red Riding Hood Mar. Sengage from the right Path and search through some Climbim in the Forest. Meet a Bad Boy Wolf on the Motorcycle and other Shapes, A little Arthouse and weird. Those who do not shy away from a lame Game mechanics and the literal Search of the Needle in the Hay Hay and like the Burton-like Look can risk a Look. Everyone else will find it strange and long-reaching.
Translated by
Microsoft from Deutsch
More an interactive Art Project than a Computer Game. The Path always manages to motivate you to keep playing, just when you think "I'm putting the Rotz away now." However, the whole thing is very strenuous to endure and not exactly easily digestible. It is very sluggish in the Process, but this also contributes to the Mood. Should one definitely have been piled but nothing I would recommend to someone to play. But if you have tried The Path, you know what I mean.
Translated by
Microsoft from Deutsch
The Path is a Computer Game from Tale of Tales, released in 2009 for PC and Mac. The Game Picks up on the Motif of the Fairy tale Red Riding Hood by allowing the player to guide one of six Sisters through the Woods to the Grandmother's House. The Only Instruction is not to leave the Forest path to the House, but the Player also has the Opportunity to explore the Forest off the trail. The only given instruction from the Game is To visit the Grandmother's House and not leave the given Path. However, It is always possible to walk off the Path and run into the Forest. After a certain Distance to the Path, however, it disappears and cannot be recovered by Repentance; The Forest closes in a Loop. In the Forest itself, the Player can find different Places and Objects that are divided into different Groups:-Places where a certain Event happens: For each of the six Sisters, there is a specific Place where it can trigger an Event. Only Three of these Locations can be visited per game, including the one specific to each Girl and two random others. -Places where a Symbol is unlocked in the Basket: In the Player's basket, in addition to Wine and Cake, there is Room for other Objects that can be found in The Forest and on the Path during the course of the Game. Some can be found by all Girls, others in turn only by very specific ones. -Flowers: Spread in the Forest are 144 Flowers that can be picked by the Sisters and subsequently appear on the Edge of the Basket, Source: Wikipedia
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