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) | – | 75 | 4 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 88% | 81 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 87 | 7 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 86% | 80 | 12 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 33 reviews sampled · 31 total reviews in window · weighted 21.8 up / 3.5 down · computed 4h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (17)
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
“A powerful Russian existential classic, Pathologic returns in the first good official translation to ever appear in the West. Despite its outdated gameplay, graphics and some other annoyances, the game retains its power to amaze us and make us think. Recommended for connoisseurs and expert players.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Someone jumping into this game now and expecting something more refined or suitable to today’s standards will be disappointed. Yet for players familiar with the game or those willing to explore the dark world it presents, there is plenty of story and interesting moments to appreciate. Just go in knowing that it’s a relic of the past, and that it plays as such. Those ok with that will find that an interesting world awaits.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Pathologic Classic HD is a solid example of something that can have a small rebirth in a saturated market for anyone who may have missed it the first time round.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Swinging a weapon in this game is about as action packed as watching a plastic bag whisk itself around a car park, and about as floaty too”
read full review ↗ - 84
“Ice-Pick Lodge resurrected a great game with Pathologic Classic HD. The old-school text-based narrative works thoroughly in telling a rich, lore-heavy mystery involving an entire town, an unstoppable disease and three main characters. The atmosphere bleeds from the game, creating tense, unique moments throughout the adventure. New players may be initially burdened by the confusing story, dated graphics and voice acting and the extremely high learning curve, but Pathologic's challenge gives players a one-of-a-kind experience in an era where video game linearity is a constant theme. Pathologic Classic HD is a rough masterpiece and well worth any adventurer's endeavor.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Fans of great and unusual stories (but also games that do not give anything for free) should give Pathologic HD chance - they must just swallow the fact the visuals are obsolete and the gameplay is also quite minimalistic.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“This is one of the best games I’ve played in years, it seems to have been made to the specifications of my exact sensibilities. But I’d be remiss to not mention how essentially damaged the finer points are.”
read full review ↗ - 95
“Amazing story. Amazing experience. It’s amazing what games can become if we let them. Pathologic’s execution is very, very bad, but it is still one of the best games I have ever played. [01/2016, p.56]”
- 74
“A strange, compelling game that the more you read about the more you're going to want to play it -- and there's no better way currently to do so than this HD version.”
read full review ↗ - 76
“Turns out that the barriers to entry on this cult classic were a lot bigger than a rough translation and some poorly-aged textures. A perfectly competent re-release of a fascinating, harrowing, and utterly draining experience for those with unshakeable persistence.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“A twisted masterpiece of sickness that is as ambitious as it is flawed. If you can endure the slow, repetitive gameplay and clumsy translation, you will reap unparalleled rewards in narrative and atmosphere. [Feb 2016]”
- 95
“Pathologic 1 & 2 are masterpieces of games as art. They are cruel and disturbing, but ask unique questions and do things you won't see anywhere else. These are singularly unique experiences that are worth suffering through.”
read full review ↗
LevelUp
ZTGD
We Got This Covered
GameSpew
Bit Cultures
CD-Action
Digital Chumps
New Game Network
GamingTrend…and 5 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Patch 1.03 is HereApr 21, 2016
- Patch 1.03 is HereApr 21, 2016
- Patch 1.02 ReleasedJan 18, 2016
- Patch 1.02 ReleasedJan 18, 2016
- Patch 1.01 ReleasedNov 25, 2015
- Patch 1.01 ReleasedNov 25, 2015