The Pathless
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About The Pathless
The Pathless is an indie adventure RPG developed by Giant Squid and published by Annapurna Interactive. Released on November 12, 2020, it casts you as the Hunter, an archer exploring a cursed island with an eagle companion to lift a shroud of darkness. The game blends acrobatic platforming, archery combat, and exploration across dense forests and ancient ruins. Available on PlayStation 4/5, PC, Xbox, Switch, Mac, and iOS, it’s a single-player experience focused on environmental storytelling and puzzle-solving. The Pathless leans into mythic themes with minimalist narration, letting players piece together lore through visuals and scattered notes.
Gameplay
The Pathless revolves around fluid movement: climbing, gliding, and archery are core mechanics. Each session involves navigating open-world environments, hunting prey for resources, and fending off spirits with your bow. The eagle companion serves as both a scout and ranged attack tool, highlighting areas to shoot or scouting hidden paths. Combat is light but requires timing, dodge spirit charges while landing precise arrows. Exploration drives the game; you’ll backtrack to earlier regions with new abilities like wall jumps or fire arrows. Puzzles often involve aligning environmental elements with archery, like igniting torches to reveal hidden routes. The controls are responsive, but the lack of combat variety and minimal enemy types make later hours feel repetitive.
What Players Think
The Pathless holds a Metacritic score of 78, praised for its art direction and exploration but criticized for shallow combat. PlayPile community data shows an average playtime of 10, 15 hours, with 35% completing 100% of collectibles. Player moods are split: 45% describe it as “relaxed and meditative,” while 30% call it “underwhelming in late-game.” Achievement completion rates are high for main objectives (78% finish the story) but drop for side tasks (22% full completion). Critics highlight its “stunning visuals” but note “repetitive gameplay loops.” One review snippet: “A beautiful world to wander, but the lack of depth leaves it feeling like a demo expanded into a full game.”
PlayPile's Take
The Pathless is worth playing for fans of open-world exploration and striking art styles. Priced at $29.99 on most platforms, it offers a relaxed, visually driven experience but lacks mechanical depth. The 78 Metacritic score reflects its polarizing mix of charm and repetition. If you value traversal over combat and enjoy uncovering stories through environment, it’s a solid pick. However, its lightweight gameplay and underwhelming late-game may leave some wanting more. Prioritize it if you have $30 to spend on a calming, if shallow, adventure.
Game Modes
Single player
IGDB Rating
80.9
RAWG Rating
3.9
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5Release Date Trailer
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6Achievements
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