The Pathless Reviews
The Pathless is clearly one of the better early PlayStation 5 games, though it has some issues with repetitive content and padding.
A smooth and mesmerising experience that includes nothing it doesn't need.
The Pathless combines a simple but fun movement system and a world brimming with secrets to uncover.
Vast maps bring out the best in this sparse yet memorable adventure.
A hugely entertaining open world puzzler where simply getting from A to B is more entertaining than most games in their entirety.
The Pathless switches effortlessly between relaxing exploration and exhilarating story moments, and it's altogether incredible.
Clocking in at roughly seven hours, don't be surprised if you complete it in one or two sessions. It's a hard game to put down
Open-world exploration is the central idea and purpose of The Pathless, and its beautiful world rewards embracing your wanderlust.
I’m fully prepared to see the entirety of gaming journalism as a whole take the opposite opinion of The Pathless as the years go by. There’s a giant list of titles that my peers absolutely love, then I play them, and I swear we’ve experienced two different games. That being said, I can see how someone could absolutely love The Pathless, even if it didn’t do anything for me.
You've probably played a game like The Pathless before, but you haven't played The Pathless. If you're into these types of games (you know who you are), this is another one you can add to the pile. I say "pile" endearingly, as it's short enough to justify playing right away without becoming backlog fodder.
A larger more ambitious game from Giant Squid that shares influences with Breath of the Wild only to subvert it in clever ways: retooling a bow as an ingenious mode of traversal and puzzle solving, an open world with no map, and a shooter where you don't have to aim. It's an accessible and streamlined approach making for an unmissable adventure to lose yourself in.
The Pathless picks ideas from some of the greatest adventures and adapts them to create something new, with its own identity. Maybe it's no the longest, but its one of those titles that you will remember for long time, for its wonderful aesthetic, sound, bosses or the way you move by its world (a mechanic that is highly enjoyable).
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The Pathless is not a big game and doesn't want to gamble too much, but knows which aspects to really bet on. The heart of the game experience is exploration and does a good job of making you fully enjoy the rides and flights over its small but fascinating world.
Review in Italian | Read full review
I hope it’s clear that I really enjoyed The Pathless, a game that prior to playing hadn’t really caught my eye. 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.
The Pathless is an enjoyable adventure to a serene island filled with satisfying puzzles, mesmeric traversal and gripping boss showdowns. Some small frustrations, including unnecessary stealth sequences and little reason to deviate from the main objective, hold the game back, but the polished moment-to-moment gameplay combined with the inspired soundtrack make for a pleasing and fun experience that's easy to recommend to fans of open world and puzzle games.
In The Pathless, Giant Squid have created a beautiful world worth getting lost in, a cause worth fighting for, and a hero worth following.
The Pathless does one thing extremely well, which is to create a sense of racing – almost dancing – through its huge open world. The player's journey is mainly one of getting to know that sensation and learning to harness it to traverse epic environments. However, the protagonist's journey has little to do with that feeling, which is perhaps why the story doesn't land. The game sounds exceptional and looks great in this impressive port. However, the puzzles rarely stimulate the imagination and are fussy to play, while boss encounters are overlong and repetitive. Although it has its significant successes, The Pathless unfortunately doesn't manage to become more than the sum of its parts.
I would prescribe The Pathless to anyone feeling numbed and locked by our days of inanition; it's perfect if you feel your home becoming an isle on the edge of the world.
The Pathless is an excellent game for the camper in me that wants to spend some time exploring outside.