I just finished playing "The Path", a "short horror game". It's like a modern take on Little Red Riding Hood with vague themes about loss of innocence and growing up. It also features slutty goth teen girl character models.

It's more about experiencing the mood than playing the game, so it that doesn't sound like your cup of tea then you'll probably think it's boring.

Has anyone else picked it up? It came out this March.


$10 on Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/27000
Studio page: http://tale-of-tales.com/ThePath/

4/22/2009 11:52:40 PM

I kicked around the idea of checking this game out. Anything worthy of mention besides the character model?

X-blades had a slutty character model but I couldn't play more than 5 minutes. It wasn't fun. I assume the average score from all customer reviews was inflated due to all the 15 year old reviewers obsessed with looking at virtual hiney. So, does this game's high 7 to low 8 rating have some of that factored in?



[Edited on April 23, 2009 at 8:28 AM. Reason : -]

4/23/2009 8:26:49 AM

I don't think so. It's too obscure for too much teen fannage.

I thought it was worth the $10. I really liked the mechanics around getting lost in the woods. When you run it switches to an isometric-type view and when you slow down it's incredibly disorienting. Also, to "win" you have to totally disobey the only instructions you're given: "Stay on the path!"
It's kind of subversive and there are suggestions of sexual violence and, well, violence.

Also, each of the girls has her own personal wolf and you can unlock rooms in grandmother's house that tell you more of each girl's story. I've found it has decent replay value because you can expand the back story by interacting with and collecting more of the creepy objects in the woods. That's the part I like the most.


The biggest drawback is the SLOW movements speed--it's too faithful to reality. It's kind of a passive game and there are no guns. Just a lot of creepy, mood, and fill-in-the-blanks story.

Screenies:

Quote :

"ABOUT THE GAME 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. The Path is a Slow Game. 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 Path is an independently created video game. It was developed with digital distribution in mind. But despite the small file size of the installer, 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."

[Edited on April 23, 2009 at 11:42 PM. Reason : More]

4/23/2009 11:39:52 PM