Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 78 | 72 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 75 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 91% | 85 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 96% | 91 | 9 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 25 reviews sampled · 21 total reviews in window · weighted 14.9 up / 0.6 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (83)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 80
“The Pathless suffers from several things: repetitive puzzles, lack of depth in terms of abilities, complete absence of mini-map and fast-travel, some boring sections, and rather short length. But at the same time this game has a rather unique charm to it, which is a good enough reason to actually return to it again and again.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“The Pathless is a short yet fun-packed title with an atmosphere that you don't see very often. A variety of environments, music, puzzles, and untraditional movement system work together to make this a unique game that brings something new to the gaming industry.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“The Pathless ultimately buries anything it might have to say in a stupefying level of cliché.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“For all of its grandiose stylings and ambitions of being a pure reduction of the open-world formula, The Pathless never feels greater than the sum of its parts. It feels like more of a small-scale time waster. It's fine for momentarily taking your mind off of things, but those wanting a consistently strong and engaging experience may want to follow a different path.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The Pathless does one thing extremely well, which is to create a sense of racing, almost dancing, through its huge open world. The player's journey is mainly one of getting to know that sensation and learning to harness it to traverse epic environments. However, the protagonist's journey has little to do with that feeling, which is perhaps why the story doesn't land. The game sounds exceptional and looks great in this impressive port. However, the puzzles rarely stimulate the imagination and are fussy to play, while boss encounters are overlong and repetitive. Although it has its significant successes, The Pathless unfortunately doesn't manage to become more than the sum of its parts.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“What Giant Squid did here was nothing short of incredible.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“[The Pathless'] presentation, its challenges and puzzles, and its unique one-two archer-and-falcon punch are noteworthy enough to pick it up as either a PC indie darling or a lovely launch title for your newly-acquired PS5. In other words, take flight.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“An inspired & nuanced structure demonstrates where Giant Squid took the road less traveled, and it made all the difference.”
read full review ↗ - 81
“Mixing together exploration and puzzle-solving, while never really cranking up the challenge, The Pathless has a unique feel on Switch”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The Pathless is a worthy addition to the minimal release list this early in the PlayStation 5 lifespan. It delivers engaging gameplay, as well as frankly beautiful visuals. The issue is that feeling of familiarity *cough*Zelda*cough* coupled with a lack of activities to indulge in. Too often does this feel like a template of greater things to come, and it's a massive hope that this will spawn a sequel. So many great ideas needing to be expanded upon, mainly the excellent movement, as no game this year has given a greater feeling of speed in its unique traversal system, and along with the excellent boss battles, this comes recommended. Here's to The Pathless 2: Less Travelled.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“The Pathless is a lovely game that just begs to be explored. The serenity it can provide and the satisfying feeling of locating rewards make it an experience that can be easily recommended.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“The Pathless is an incredible experience, and easily one of the best launch titles available on the PS5 in what is already an excellent selection. A wondrous, beautiful open world with innumerable locations and secrets to uncover is placed alongside a moving narrative further heightened by an unexpectedly tender relationship between player and bird. And that's to say nothing of the game's exquisite use of colour, or the beautiful and wickedly unique soundtrack. The Pathless excels on all fronts.”
read full review ↗
GameMAG
INDIANTVCZ
Slant Magazine
Jump Dash Roll
Nintendo Life
Seasoned Gaming
Kakuchopurei
VGChartz
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
PC Invasion
Push Square…and 71 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
No patch announcements found on Steam yet.