Cult horror Pathologic being HD remastered for PC
UPDATE: Launching 29th October.
UPDATE 22ND OCTOBER: A release date has been set: 29th October. There's a 25 per cent discount for pre-ordering on Steam between now and then. The game will also be available for pre-order on GOG and the Humble Store. Not sure if the discount applies there too.
ORIGINAL STORY 7TH OCTOBER: In 2006 a horror game called Pathologic divided us, for it was "fascinating" but at the same time "very broken". Our reviewer John Walker (now of Rock, Paper, Shotgun) absolutely couldn't recommend it at £25, but at the same time couldn't praise it enough. "It's probably the most interesting and brilliant 6 out of 10 game you'll find," he eventually concluded.
But at some point this autumn some of those wrongs are being put right in a new Pathologic Classic HD remaster on PC. To be clear: this is not the successfully Kickstarted remake but an enhanced version of the original.
One of the major gripes in Pathologic was the Russian-to-English translation, which was at times "unintelligible gibberish", according to our review. But for the Pathologic Classic HD there will be "a completely new translation produced by an in-house team from scratch", said the developer. Some content left out of the English version will also be restored. Plus, the shoddy graphics are being updated and new effects added, and the price is being set at £10.
But why is developer Ice-Pick Lodge bothering with an HD remaster while also doing a full remake? It has to do with allowing freedom to alter the original cult experience but not ruining the memory for those who played it - and two games apparently allow this.
"This way, the original Pathologic will always be available to you even if you come to disagree with the changes made in the Remake," Ice-Pick wrote. "And if you haven't played it at all, you'll have a chance to get to know the game that has defined us as a studio. We believe this to be a fair compromise."