The Path

So I just finished playing though The Path, a "short horror game" by Tale of Tales. Before I start let me just say this probably isn't a game for everyone. That being said... I totally enjoyed it.

The Path puts you in the shoes of six sisters ranging from 6 to 19. The story of the game is simple, and a familiar one, take a basket to your grandmothers house in the forest, and stay on the path. Just like the story Little Red Ridinghood on which it's based, the game would be incredibly short and uneventful if you just went straight down the path to Grandmother's without venturing into the woods surrounding her home.

When you leave the path is when things get interesting. The gameplay consists of you wandering the woods collecting "memories" and flowers while you explore. as each Red sister, the goal is to find and confront the wolf. However wolf is just a metaphor for what, or whom you find in your journey. Each sister has a different wolf, as well as different memories that can be found throughout the woods. Insight into each of the sister's personalities is achieved through finding memories as well as their separate animations and clothing.

Each girl's personality can be seen through their actions and representation in the game. They range from Robin, the quintessential "Little Red Ridinghood", to the dark minded goth Ruby, to the eldest, order bent Scarlet. The woods themselves are represented as incredibly creepy and bleak for the most part, with key areas being in more vibrant colors, some of which are more creepy than the bleak woods themselves. Tons of post processing effects give the game a claustrophobic, gritty, old film feel, while strange drawings and pictograms help to push the atmospheric feel of the game. Over all, visually, the game is a treat, and combined with the excellent sound (consisting of a handful of melodies and a slew of atmospheric sounds) I couldn't help but feel uneasy the entire time I played the game. Anytime I started to feel comfortable, I'd approach a wolf, and a scene would be activated that twisted my stomach into knots and kept it there until I was back at the title screen. 

besides the art style, and atmopshere, design choices in this game that I particularly enjoyed were the girl in white, who always seemed to be around to point you towards lost memories or new areas, subtley guiding you from a distance. I also really enjoyed how I couldn't find the path after I left it. My first play though as Robin, I wandered off into the woods and found a lake. She commented how the fog was like "A cloud howling at the moon," As I read her dialog, I heard a chain rattle, and loosing my nerve, I started to run the way I came. However, I couldn't find the path anywhere. Also, running too much causes the screen to darken, a heartbeat to be heard, and other incredibly creepy sounds to be heard. I play with headphones in the dark, and I have yet to build up the courage to keep running and see if anything happens after that. It creeps me out THAT much.

As I said earlier, this game isn't for everyone. However, if you're open to interpret this game yourself, and you enjoy a slow paced, creepy, atmosphere driven, game, check this out. You won't be disappointed.