The Pathless Critic Reviews

The Pathless is a remarkably well-designed game, guiding the player forward with intuitive design while providing plenty of opportunity to experiment and play. With a great locomotion system and an amazing soundtrack, The Pathless will easily see players losing hours while under its hypnotic spell. Fun and rewarding puzzles, a nice story line, and plenty to see and do make The Pathless a great game, regardless of which system you play it on.

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.

Giant Squid starts the new generation strong with The Pathless. A short, sweet, and simple adventure that marries contemplative exploration, with uniquely satisfying movement mechanics that function in both a visually stunning open world and the setpiece boss encounters. While the experience may be too easy for some, this game is worthy of attention in the crowded launch line up. Not only as a great title, but a shining example of what indie developers can bring to next generation gaming.

A subtle, immersive upgrade to an already brilliant game. The Dualsense really shines in making your traversal and combat feel more alive. The game runs brilliantly, looks beautiful, and has a great score to match. You cannot go far wrong with The Pathless, no matter what version you play.

A fascinating adventure with a beautiful side in his visuals and great playability. His taste it's like an old-school game, but makes great points in the adventure genre with captivating music and a unique world.

Like previous effort ABZÛ before it, The Pathless leans heavily into the gorgeous cell-shaded world, and it does so with gameplay and story that keeps you locked and engaged for the entirety of its 10 hour story run. Comparisons to games like Shadow of the Colossus and Journey are apt, but seeing the world rush by at 4K and 60fps is a thing of beauty. Come for the frenetic gameplay, stay for the art.

The Pathless is the next great indie adventure. Whether the joy you take from it is in its unique and super-slick traversal mechanics, or the arresting world and faultless artistry, there's no denying that Giant Squid has absolutely nailed it. If you only pick one, non-AAA exclusive for your next-gen PlayStation, pick this one.

In short, Giant Squid succeeds in the most difficult task, that of starting from the groove left by the greats, but in the end to trace a new trajectory, leaving a profound and unforgettable mark on the panorama of independent development, and beyond.

The Pathless is a wonderful balance between puzzles and boss battles contained in a giant landscape. The gameplay design, specifically the boss level design, demonstrates the possibilities this new generation of consoles might offer.

Imagine the gamedesign cores of ICO, Shadow of the Colossus and Journey merging into a brand new adventure... The Pathless takes you into a scenic open world full of ruins, mythical secrets and fantastic colossuses.

The Pathless is a great game. It’s beyond stunning, with a remarkable soundtrack and phenomenal sense of place. Refined traversal mechanics do a lot of the heavy lifting, while puzzles and boss battles could use an extra dose of variety. Though the formula gets tired by the end of the tale, The Pathless proudly stands among giants of the genre like Journey.

Quotation forthcoming.

Ultimately The Pathless is a very good game, with exceptional art direction and an interesting (if a bit shallow) story. I loved the interactions between The Hunter and her eagle, and found the boss battles to be a high point. The game’s six hour runtime helps to keep the somewhat repetitive gameplay loop from becoming tedious, but it also means it’s more difficult to justify the game’s $40 price tag. I believe that with some expanded lore and a lot more variety in the puzzles on display, Giant Squid could have easily stretched the game out to 10-15 hours. Still, The Pathless is undeniably a great game and a worthy (and unique) addition to the PS5 launch lineup.

Despite simple puzzles and less than convincing stealth segments, The Pathless delivers a sensational adrenaline rush with its core gameplay. It runs like a dream and looks the part too. Definitely worth checking out.

The Pathless is a beautiful and epic adventure from the people behind Abzu. A must-have for every indie lover.

It’s one of those games where the journey matters at least as much as, if not more than, the destination — and, thankfully, it makes that journey as smooth and seamless and pleasant as possible.

Its stylish visuals and slick gameplay make The Pathless stand out as a truly epic experience. If the concept of whipping around massive intricate environments at ridiculous speeds while solving puzzles and taking down bosses appeals to you then definitely check it out.

The Pathless is a wonderfully different game that makes you feel like you have ownership over the entire experience and are not being led along by a pre-scripted playbook.

The Pathless combines a simple but fun movement system and a world brimming with secrets to uncover.

I hope it isn’t lost amongst the PS5’s bigger, noisier releases, as it’s something different and uplifting. It’s rare to find such tension and threat in a game that’s also so peaceful, but Giant Squid has managed it. In truth we could all do with a bit of light in our lives at the moment.