The Pathless Reviews
Vast maps bring out the best in this sparse yet memorable adventure.
The Pathless combines a simple but fun movement system and a world brimming with secrets to uncover.
A smooth and mesmerising experience that includes nothing it doesn't need.
The Pathless switches effortlessly between relaxing exploration and exhilarating story moments, and it's altogether incredible.
A hugely entertaining open world puzzler where simply getting from A to B is more entertaining than most games in their entirety.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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 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
In The Pathless, Giant Squid have created a beautiful world worth getting lost in, a cause worth fighting for, and a hero worth following.
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.
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 clearly one of the better early PlayStation 5 games, though it has some issues with repetitive content and padding.
In trying to apply the formula behind games such as Journey and Abzû to an open world, The Pathless ends up overstaying its welcome
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.