The setting are the insides of a human body. Innerspace style, only evil. Let's put the obvious aside for now and examine why Pathogenic is loved. A great roguelite doesn't just demoralise when it kills you. Sure, death seldom feels good, but this game swiftly replaces the sprouts of sadness with anticipation for the next run where anything could happen. Back to the drawing board, a bit stronger if you got far enough, ready to try a bunch of new ideas or refine an old strategy. Pathogenic infects you fluidly, causing the "one more run" symptom before you know it. I bought it on a whim, found its cell-building confusing at first, immediately started getting clapped since I'm the worst at bullet hells on top of it. And no, I didn't get any better, you can't teach an old dog new tricks.
No matter, you still couldn't tear me away from the game after my first run. That's why I call it a great roguelite, their lot works that magic seemingly effortlessly. Although, casting such magic takes a copious amount of effort and a pinch of pure brilliance. My head begins to ache when I think of how much thought and talent went into Pathogenic's abundant itemisation and flawless controls. And all the lively graphical nuances, of course. This game has the zing despite not involving ordinary weaponry or gore. Micro-warfare looks and sounds every bit as gratifying as its macro counterpart. Some devs can't squeeze the juice out of a realistic assault rifle, these people made a blob splatting a lamblia feel good.
[h3]Flexibility[/h3]
Another feat is the agency you're given. Let's start with the meta-progression that allows to freely assign and reassign points in the skill trees, which are separate for each of 6 (+1 for co-op) playable organisms and are really impactful. Not to the point where the game is unbeatable without them, mind you. Roguelites usually aren't required to be fair, it even spoils some of them, but Pathogenic has a good kind of balance that doesn't stand in the way of its chaotic engineering. You don't just make a build, you're constructing a tiny machine by manually putting external (weapons) and internal (boosters) organelles in place. Evolving its shape and contents, getting perks and gear by harvesting enemy DNA and cores.
Organelles infuse and charge each other, forming chains of interdependent circuitry. I kept discovering new overpowered interactions throughout. If you're inventive and vigilant (if you are not, high five), almost any setup can go out of hand. Pathogenic isn't ashamed of it. I hate it when roguelites resort to fainthearted incrementality, here most upgrades are drastic. Cleverly combining them helps your creation infest the human by defeating his body's microbiome on its merry way from an ankle to the vital organs. The biome is varied and pesky, you'll have to learn what each worm can do to stand a chance. Knowledge and ingenuity are key. Sure, sometimes survival partially depends on luck when fishing for that one vital mutation or a perfect organ, but in most cases failures are entirely on you.
After all, the game is extremely flexible, providing plenty of opportunities to design whatever you see fit. Suck at dodging bullets? Slash them with certain melee weapons. I couldn't make it without one. Hell, don't give them a chance to shoot, go over the top, turn the bullet hell into heaven! Devise a bloated colossus carrying a whole industrial district of organelles feeding into one another, generating power, shrapnel, toxic waste, going full-force to enable an arsenal of turbo-boosted tendrils and lobbers blazing in unison. Or a giant piece of poo that gets exhausted in one salvo. Oh, you hate being limited by the stamina system? Bypass. There're mutations and a perks that turn it off entirely. Or maybe you don't believe in evolution whatsoever? Well, first of all, shut yo ass up.
[h3]MOTHERLODE[/h3]
Secondly, it doesn't take long to unlock a modular nanobot with full control over its architecture, assembling its body out of segments that you choose where to attach. Kinda feels like making a contraption in Besieged! The roster contains a thing that moves by sticking to walls and evolves itself around it ffs... Yeah, these little beasts are truly distinct. That one, in particular, didn't tickle my fancy. If you want to get freaky without overdoing it, try the amoeba whose liberal self-growing mechanic is hard to master, but also leads to the vilest results when you get the hang of the blobbing. It took a quarter of my overall playtime to win once with it, yet that win was glorious. Seriously, though, why was it so hard? It's OP! Do I still have amoebas eating my brain since that time I drank from a muddy puddle in 1989?
No rest for the wicked. Upon winning several runs, I began to feel the burn, apathetically resetting when one tiny thing didn't go my way. I recognised the sign, it was a good place to stop. I like to be through with my games before they tire me out, to part on good terms. As a farewell gesture, I dipped my toes into challenge modes, daily quests, ascensions... with zero success, but I had to see for myself. I wasn't halfway done, not even close. There's a MOTHERLODE of extra content, making Pathogenic last ridiculously long. It's a steal for the price. I've seen people who sunk hundreds of hours into this generous banger. It's easy to see why. As for my old, restless ass, I took what I could from this game, more than enough to be happy with it. More than expected, too.
Initially I thought it would be a mild distraction at best, didn't plan to review it. Little did I know! It has become my go-to vocation for two weeks, which isn't a regular occurrence, given how often I jump from one thing to another otherwise. Got nothing to do? Pathogenic. Got better things to do? Pathogenic. Got distracted while doing something else? Pathogenic. Bad mood, good mood, comfortable, uncomfortable, hungry, sated - Pathogenic was the answer for the whole duration. It's all about the flow, the way I lost track of time as it kept whisking me away in one press of a button. And it always felt different, almost never too soft or punishing, and it occasionally surprised me with a curve ball or two until the very end. Naturally, this is my strongest recommendation, I wish you to have as much fun as I did. Maybe more!
My curator [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/35305390/]Big Bad Mutuh[/url]
