Ice-Pick Lodge is a developer many of may not have heard of, but this particular Russian developer is one you should be paying attention to. The franchise that they’re most well-known for is the mind-bending Pathologic games. By blending together strange and unnatural ideas of surrealism with walking simulator gameplay, the series established itself as firmly in the weird category of horror games. The first game was a trippy journey through the realms of imagination and horror that told a story of surviving in a war zone. I highly recommend you play the first game if you want a firm grasp of what that means in this series, as it’s not your typical “horrors of war” adventure. Luckily for newcomers though, you do not need to play the original game to comprehend the events of Pathologic 2.
Pathologic 2 builds on that by both remaking the original game, while also offering a retelling of the events that led to the story of that game. If that sounds confusing, it is, and that’s entirely intentional. Pathologic 2 already has plenty of supernatural and eerie psychological elements baked into it, but the DLC is turning those influences up to 11.
Check it out in the trailer below.
Pathologic 2: Marble Nest runs parallel to the original story, giving you a different perspective of events. You play as Dr. Daniil Dankovsky, who spends his days trying is best to make the miserable hell of life in the game’s universe more bearable for the people trapped within. But don’t expect the inevitable dull numbness of being in such a situation to set in, you have a job to do. The supernatural elements at play are conspiring against your efforts and you have to find a way out of their trap.
As far as gameplay, expect a similar style and tone to the previous two outings, although Ice-Pick Lodge has said that they crafted the DLC to be easier than the previous games, so it should be much less of a challenge to the original game in the franchise, which was notoriously difficult.
When the DLC does launch though, there’s a special treat for some of you. You can pick up Pathologic 2: Marble Nest on Steam for free if you have the base game, when said DLC comes out of course. That means if you own the base game, you can claim the DLC for free right now.
