A Deep Dive Into The Path
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- Опубликовано: 10 фев 2023
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First half edited by / palatinik :))
Today, let's do another deep dive into the ever-brilliant short psychological horror game, The Path! Released in 2009 by Tale of Tales, the story of it's development and creation is a fascinating one, filled with twists, drama, high stakes, and amazing art. Come along for another trip down the path as we revisit this classic and how it came to be.
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Loss and Love // Amaranth Cove [Provided by Epidemic Sound]
A New Earth // Ealot [Provided by Epidemic Sound]
Ecobel // Nuance Of Success [Provided by Epidemic Sound]
DEX 1200 // Intoxicating Mist [Provided by Epidemic Sound]
These Old Bones // No Sleep For Old Bones [Provided by Epidemic Sound]
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All credit goes to the musicians and composers! This video is not meant to target or harass any person. This video does not condone or encourage anyone to harass or contact any person or persons discussed in this video. This video is purely for entertainment and informational purposes. 
Развлечения
I’m an art historian specialized in new media art. This game is legit discussed in academia. Also, Olia Lialina is a huuuuuge artist in the field. Try her works
Thats honestly so cool
this sounds so cool !! could you give any insight on our professions and how you got to that point ? sounds like something i’d love to do
so cool 😮
@@ganxne i landed on videogames by accident my PhD was on interactive art, and art videogames were like an emerging field in the early 2010s. I got to engage with may artists during this time and then I joined games art international network (gain) and co edited a manual in videogame curation.
I r commend you look at molleindustria and pippin Barr to find interesting art games.
@@ganxne you can also get involved even at a basic level with institutions such as the museum of human achievement in Austin and VGA gallery in Chicago. Villeda Albertine and the Smithsonian do stuff on video games from time to time
Izzzy: “Document the internet media you love before it’s lost to time.”
Me: *aggressively screen recording Izzzy’s videos*
The archive must be preserved!
Feel free to search for a tool called "youtube-dl".
people who archive a youtuber’s entire library in the case of emergency are deadass god’s unspoken angels
squiggly wiggly
@@hheinous honestly, an asmr channel i loved was deleted bc it turns out the creator was a shitty person but someone had downloaded all of her vids and reuploaded them 😭
I will not admit how long this took (too long), but my doll collector friends and I went full on sherlock to identify the doll used as a reference! We're 90% sure it's a Dollstown Daisy on Dollstown's 15yr body. It's been mostly difficult to ID the body because the 15yr body only exist as the male version nowadays, the girl one was discontinued years ago and pictures are rare and blurry. Nonetheless, it's definitely a Dollstown!
Amazing sleuthing :D
replying to boost this!!
Excellent work!
That's so cool!! Thanks to you and your friends for your research, I'll definitely look up the doll >v<
Even though this is already one of the top comments still gonna boost this cause it probably took forever 🩷
Izzy is doing a service for the Internet by keeping these older internet games and stories alive.
same with Lispeaks
Mhm. Personally I think that a remaking of the game is in order if it is possible (I wonder if the creators would be willing to let it happen?). Since the source material is already defined if a dedicated and conscientious group were to get together I think it would be possible given the accessibility of technology.
Yesss
Our hero!
Why can the internet update while still having the old stuff?
@@desireesmith862Well, it's surely possible. But you possibly underestimate how much something like this costs. A remake is not about updating old stuff but recreating everything in a modern, more complex way from scratch. Of course it's more like an obscure indie game (and I haven't played it), but even the base game seems to have cost €100,000. A really well done remake can easily cost half a million euros. Now find someone who would actually fund this, especially in a less predatory way like the original funding body.
"Maybe you're a weirdo who like watching long analysises of games you haven't ever played" holy sh*t she found me
We are the weirdos 😂
@@sourgreendolly7685 exactly
Yep
I loved your first The Path video. So pumped for a another one!!
@don't be surprised what does that have to do with anything?
@@Abstractdaddy1 It's a bot D:
@@Abstractdaddy1 just report it for spam
Same! I watched the first one 3 times since I really liked it AAAAAA!
I love ur profile pic
'What Remains Of Edith Finch' is somewhat similar to The Path in the story telling aspect of family members and deeper topics, but focuses less on adolescence specifically. It's truly beautiful and has so much to unpack !!
Have people forgotten about that game already? I could swear it came out in 2017!
I just wrote a comment basically saying the same thing!
I was just thinking the same thing, I only saw like 2 videos about the game but the structure of it felt pretty similar!
I wanted to mention it too! This game is extremely beautiful and wonderful and I wish more people knew about it. It's not obscure, but I always felt like it never reached its target audience
On a similar note, "Everybody's Gone to the Rapture" and "Dear Esther" are also worth mentioning
Yes highly recommend joseph anderson's video on it!
The true grittiness and rollercoaster of growing up a women is ever represented this much in media without it being fetishized and actually feels like we are watching young kids go through life. I wish more movies and games did this
indeed! i also liked the books written by Alice Walker those stories cover some really tragic and hard aspects of womanhood however it proposes solutions and options for anything that might happen to you in life. i hope i could recommend you something amazing
No wonder so many teenage girls identify as non binary nowadays, I was one of those teens. It seemed like a way out, but eventually you realise that it doesn't work that way
@@kytiladdyhi, do you recommend this specific Alice Walker's books?
To be honest, I love games like this. They do not just stupidly "denigrate children's fairy tales" but convey their ideas through them and everyone will find something for themselves in them even many years after the release of the game
Agreed!!! Since you say you like "games like this," are there any you'd recommend as similar? I've been searching and can't quite find anything that seems to have a similar atmosphere
@@Daneh97 Alice madness could be good 4u
@@laraalvarezzz2 thank you!!
@@laraalvarezzz2 Alice Madness Returns is such a beautiful game, i remember playing it in 2012, i was scared shitless at first by the monsters, lmao, but it's quite underrated and pleasing :D
@@Derealizator frrr, I myself found out last year!! Didn't have the chance to play it yet but everything I see makes me even more exited!!
I really wish there were more people making these "art games" or, at least, making their games a bit deeper or more experimental. There are always a few in the indie scene but rarely do you see them getting larger recognition.
What remains of edith finch is a good one I strongly recommend and would love for Izzyzzz to make a video about!
the repairing mantis is a good one. huge content warning though!! be safe
so true. i’m currently writing one, it was going to be a visual novel but it would’ve weakened my story. i hope to see more subversive game experiences, it’ll inspire more ppl and artists like me to create in other “mediums”
Yeah it’s really depressing seeing huge industries and platforms for artistic products being ruined by industries wanting profit rather than quality
It’s really sad to see with the gaming scene being based on releasing your game early and fixing it later, needing a battle pass/dlc to make your game last more than 2 seconds and animation using ai to mash random assets together and calling it a day in order to treat artists worse even when they already treat them horribly
It’s depressing and so dystopian I really hope the art industry has some kind of a change or at least have indie companies become popular enough to rival big names
If you like more philosophical “art” games then check out xenogears, a bit more popular than the path with a pretty devoted xeno-series cult following but there’s a lot to dig through if you wanna go down a rabbit hole
I remember back in 2015 when I first heard about the path and was looking up analysis the girl I was watching talked about how she was unsure how the game played, and ending up spending a solid 5 hours with Robin as a result. She grew greatly attached to her as if she was her own daughter, and when she finally stumbled her way to her ending it devastated her. I think that's a testament to both how good the character writing was for the girls and how powerful games as a medium can be.
do u know where i could find that video?
@@holliethestrange5249 agreed
The craziest thing I learned from this is that a girl I dated had an insanely rare piece of merch that we used to make playlists for each other. She had a Rose USB that I just thought was a cool little hot topic USB. Weird to know it’s insanely weird and I wore it around my neck while walking home
That’s kinda sweet…
Long-winded analysis videos are my primary way of experiencing horror media. They cover the aspects of the projects that I am most interested in, while saving me from some of the more harrowing parts. Being exposed to horror at a young age left me extremely anxious, so I love to have a bit of companionship for such things!
It’s so funny because most of us in the horror community were exposed to it young, where maybe 1 in 10 were totally traumatized by it and experience lasting effects to this day, the vast majority of us were not. I’m so curious as to what the difference between you and me is. Genetics? Parenting? Natural personality traits?
@@maddieb.4282 Those are definitely all factors. I've naturally got an emotion- driven, fantasy-prone mind. I've never had a reliable source of comfort to help me sort out my thoughts. I spent a lot of time alone as a kid, and when I did have friends, they were not good to me. My parents were generally too busy with their own problems, and dealing with my little brother, who was a huge pain. The internet was about the only thing I really looked forward to in my early life, so when that hurt me, it left a lasting mark.
@@maddieb.4282I wonder that too because I'm actually the same way! I prefer let's plays and analysis videos to actually playing horror games directly. I'm not sure why I'm like that either though. But either way I'm very interested in what the games have to say even if I don't like being being at the helm and taking the emotional brunt of the spooky situations, so to speak.
A sequel to the video that got me hooked on Izzzyzzz? Hell yeah!
SAME!
Honestly though…the path was my fav vid of izzy
I'm so glad i saw that first the path video because izzy is currently like the only youtuber i watch and got me totally hooked on analysis videos
Dude, same!
Would wouldn't
I'm 26 now, but I remember watching Ken play through this game back in 2013 when I was 16. This is one of those slow-burn, subtle games that at first glance might not feel very significant, but it sticks with you like a vivid dream. All these years and I remember nearly every detail of it.
When you say ken do you mean CinnamonToastKen? If so, I had no idea he played this game and I’ve been subbed to him since I was in middle school (I’m 24 now).
@@mokaakashiya9318 Yes!! :) I don't blame ya lol it's definitely flown under the radar on his channel with how much content he's cranked out over the years! Definitely go check it out, it's a good series of his from what I remember!! Even if his commentary wasn't the most groundbreaking because a game like this is a bit hard to commentate I can imagine xD I still remember finding some things he said to be entertaining lol ~ come to think of it, after finding him through Felix, The Path might've been the second(?) series of his that I watched! The first I think was the now taken down Cry of Fear playthrough!
@@cloudspinner I’ll definitely check it out!
the idea that The Path was their attempt to move more mainstream is amazing.
Also amazing (at making me feel old) is that you were obsessed with The Path when you were "a kid" whereas I wrote a paper on it for grad school.
I’m obsessed with the watching videos about games I never have and never will play, just because I love learning about the stories and complex lore within them. It also helps me to be able to connect to people who do play these games and make new friends
@@thotslayer9914 I’m just not a gamer, personally. I always just end up feeling stressed, frustrated, and kind of bored when I try to play them, but listening to the stories is always fun and relaxing.
@@thotslayer9914 Maybe, but everyone has their own things that they enjoy, and, between my two jobs and the many other hobbies that I love, I don’t really have the time or money for gaming. Oh, well🤷🏻♀️
@@thotslayer9914 I actually do watch anime, but, like I said before, I have two jobs just to get rent paid and put food on the table, and I also already have a lot of other hobbies like cooking, sewing, playing piano, and watching RUclips, to name a few. I’m gonna assume that you’re probably in your early teens from the way you speak, so bills and whatnot aren’t particularly a concern for you at the moment, which is a great thing! I’m glad that you get to enjoy your time playing. My boyfriend, like you, loves video games, so, while I don’t play them, I like to learn about them because they make him happy. Maybe you could give me some recommendations, and I can look into them. Who knows? Maybe they’ll make a gamer out of me😊
That first few statements….. It’s so sad to see such beautiful, creative creations being lost to the expansion of the internet. Sometimes I just want a simple flash game, you know? Also amazing output, as expected of our Izzy 💕!
I miss simple little flash games so much, man
There is an emulator for flash games called flashpoint. It has a surprisingly big collection.
You can play the path on Steam for $10
@@ona3779 they put The Path on Steam
@@starruntzit’s been on steam for 14 years, the issue isn’t that it can’t be purchased it’s that it doesn’t always run properly on modern hardware/operating systems
I really love the dark aesthetic of The Path. It gives me Alice Madness Returns vibes and I wanna find more games and media with that same kind of feel.
Play the original Alice!
SAME alice madess returns is my favorite video game
@@QuantumTelephone I already have !! 😭
if ur willing to handle the most soul sucking gameplay id say pathologic, its about a small town being infected with a plague and how one of three player characters attempts to stop it. again i cannot stress how absolutely horrific the gameplay is but if u can tolerate it theres literally no other game like it
I thought the same :)
I've got the polaroid's and posters of Ruby and Ginger! I got them plaqued so they are (hopefully) beautiful forever. I remember how excited I was to get them. My now husband is the one who got them done for me after seeing my excitement. The game had such an impact on me, I'm glad there are so many others who feel the same.
I'm sorry, but the little short zoom in on "Wolves!" At 27:23 absolutely slayed me
I can’t wait to hear more about the path! One of my favorite videos Izzy has made :)
me too!!
I'm the same. Pretty sure I've rewatched it like, 5 times haha
@@greysonholtz now that's dedication
Love your long-winded explanations! These videos are great! BJD enthusiast here to tell you the doll model is an old Dollstown doll (they don't look quite the same anymore) circa mid 2000s which were fairly popular SD models with unique/unusual features back then.
Can't wait for more videos!
I nearly forgot about those!
@@sourgreendolly7685 I remember wanting one so bad back then....they have new ones now that are also very beautiful...I shouldn't look too closely or I'll want one again haha
Looks like specifically a Dollstown Daisy Boy on a 15 Girl body from around 2008.
So excited to see BJD discussed outside our usual media
As someone who got some of the merchandise (The pendrive, posters and Polaroids) I can say they are stunning!
And one of the best things about it, the lettering of my name on the box (Which I had to keep) was written with some Path flair to it, with a few leaves and flowers incorporated.
Truly one of my favorite things in my collection.
Also amazing video once again!
That's. Freaking. Awesome.
The Path is really an amazing game and It’s so nice to see it getting some deserved recognition.
I remember reading the girls’s diaries and being so fascinated with the overall plot and the music!
I still have my Path original CD. I was soo scared to play it when i was 12ish. The sheer dark/mellow atmosphere was very hard to overcome. But i loved every second of it. Thank you for giving those memmories back and spreading the Path to others.
Knowing the vibe of Serial Experiments Lain and hearing about Auriea and Michael's feelings and fascinations with the internet, it is zero wonder that they would incorporate it into their game
Thank you for this! I’m sad that The Path might not be playable in the future. It’s been with me since I was a child and I really connected to each of the sisters as I grew up. It warms my heart that your video has introduced so many more people to the project. So again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you
I definitely feel the same. I wish a remake would be in order but I can’t code or model. In fact my drawing skills are even a bit rusty at this point. If a remake was made I would contribute as much as I could.
hearing serial experiments lain was a influence makes SO MUCH SENSE 😭😭😭 god i love lain sm
It’s the fact that I don’t even know what this is but I’m always willing to watch her videos no matter the title or plot
Me too! I love learning.
I hope someone does an hd remake of the game, whether its fan made or official idc, this game needs more love
I had a bunch of that merch, the polaroids, the USB and a signed poster of ginger. I even got to briefly speak to auriea since they accidentally sent me two USBs and I sent the extra back to them, she was lovely and let me keep the extra Polaroids it came with :) sadly I think it's all lost to time... I'm mourning the poster, the ink for the doodles was metallic and super pretty. Though the Polaroids might still be in my mum's attic, lol
This is awesome, omg
The first doll is FOR SURE a doll by Hypermanics! That particular one would have been out in 2004 or so and fits the stylization of lots of BJD from that era. I think the second one might be too but at first I thought it was from Dollzone.
Lain is such an amazing pull for something like this! As an art major, artsy-types sometimes take pride in putting down anime, so it's rad to see them keep their inspo diverse! Great vid as always! :D
The Path reminds me a bit of Fran Bow. They both are visually interesting games where you follow a young girl (or in the paths case, young girls) experiencing the horror of the world around us portrayed through art.
Did you play little misfortune? It is sat in the same World as Fran Bow just many years after prop in like the 60s instead of the 40s and follows a new little girl
@@victorlolxd7347 yes, I love little misfortune! it has even more of the witty and unusual humor of fran bow ❤️
Hearing about the development troubles, the niche appeal it had for the time, and especially how much creativity and love was put into every character and detail, it makes me happy and kind of emotional that this game was able to be finished and released. I hope it finds a way to be preserved, it deserves a spot next to classics like Yume nikki for its unique timeless indie horror.
This makes me wonder how many countless gems of games are out there to be discovered. Ones that are given this much attention to detail, symbolism and unique takes of storytelling.🤩 Thank you for sharing another video covering The Path🥰
i love this game so damn much. the way that the story, mysteries, psychological horror, and life lessons are wrapped up is just PERFECT
I remembered about this game because of your first video - thanks to that, I checked it out on local shopping sites here in Poland...turns out, brand new physical copies are still very much available here (for about $4, too!), so now I have the game and a cool poster of Ruby ✨ All thanks to you, so I definitely agree that it's important to talk about those interesting projects from the early 2000s ❤
Do you mind sharing the site you got it from? I’ve been trying to find a physical copy for so long now!
@@poopyploop yes, I got it from the website called Allegro ✨
I don't know how many people will read this but I just wanted to add: I've watched Serial Experiments Lain. Its a pretty obscure and sort of avant-garde cyberpunk anime made around the same time as things like Perfect Blue and Neon Genisis Evangelion. it's a pretty confusing plot for people who might me more into things being explained for them, but it still gets speculated to this day. A lot of themes involve ideas of the impact of the internet intertwining with our society (online shopping, hackers, kids getting sucked into rabbit holes while just trying to play video games, etc), innocence vs maturity, self-identity, and sort of the idea of achieving godhood or immortality through means of technology. Its online on a lot of those random Anime Hosting websites, I'm working on downloading episodes for archiving, but I encourage everyone to watch it. I think its really good and it pretty much accurately predicted our modern day internet all the way back in 1997-1999. Since we all love The Path and obscure little things like this, I was smiling and clapping my hands all giddy when it was shown how Serial Experiments Lain helped inspire Rose Red :D
I don't know if you mentioned this in your first video, but maybe a fun piece of symbolism in the scenery I just noticed:
One of the flowers you see a lot in the woods are umbellate-shaped, meaning they're likely in the carrot family, Apiaceae. There are a lot of possibilities of what species they could be, but one option is poison hemlock! Made infamous by its alleged use in poisoning Socrates.
omg i love this game ive never played it but its very interesting to me and ive loved it since your other video on it. i love horror but i hate stereotypical “ooo spooky character jumpscares you” so this game is perfect. plus i love learning about creation of games and restoring them. it really sucks that adults say “what you post on the internet is permanent it never goes away!” when clearly thats not the case with so much lost media out there
american mcgees alice and it’s sequel alice: madness returns are similar to the path style wise (gothic lolita) , extremely aesthetically pleasing with a haunting story 🖤
I loved discovering this game with my disturbing Iceberg, Its just... weirdly dark yet introspective? I dunno but I enjoyed my time with it.
1:27 literally the reason I'm subbed to you. Long videos about stuff I have no idea about. None, or at least very few, of the videos I watch from you are on topics I would seek out, but when presented to me I go "Oh, hell yeah, new thing!"
YEEEEES
The Path really impacted me as a kid, so Izzy continuing to talk about it makes me so happy!!
When I first learned about The Path and watched all the videos online in one night, my grandfather was dying at the time. The game's concept of mortality and horror themes that weren't jumpscares, but the ambiance and subtle themes are what spooked me to my core and made me crave more. That was the first night in my life I was so scared that I couldn't sleep, but weirdly enough I'm also kinda grateful for The Path scaring me like that, because I got to be awake when my grandfather had passed that very night.
Ever since then whenever I think of The Path I think of that night and how it gave me such a weird mix of emotions and nostalgia.
Thank you for keeping this game alive!
21:00 "I love wandering through the forest at night. It's so silent. Even nature holds its breath. Night is a space where the soul can expand. I guess because there's nobody else around. The world seems so much bigger at night. How come loneliness feels so comforting?" - I will print this text on many small pieces of paper and I will shove them to the face of all extroverted mofos who tell me I should get more sunbath and go see more people.
I knew this game looong ago, but I had no possibility to try it. Thank you for reminding me, I will buy it soon, awesome video as always! :)
pathologic is very similar in vibes and tone, though it can be kind of a beast to get through
Izzy’s The Path video is my hands down FAVORITE video on her channel! I was totally not expecting another video on this topic! The hyperfixations will intensify!!
i thought tale of tales shuttered after sunset didnt do well, its so exciting to hear theyre still working on projects! the path was such an important part of my childhood
I remember when I first discovered this game nearly a decade ago I was instantly hooked. I remember we were on vacation visiting family and I stayed up all night watching gameplay and reading what little info there was on the wiki and dev logs. A LP of it was the first youtube playlist i ever saved (its still there!), and I cant tell you how delighted I was when you covered the game initially! Even more so now im so glad you've showed off all the fantastic extra content as well, the devs really did pour their whole hearts and souls into this thing. RE: the devs releasing the game from their hotel room, they actually also recorded a video of that moment too. No idea where I found it, it was a little odd and more intimate than I was used to seeing (they're both half-clothed sitting in the hotel bed lmao), but they really do talk about the game like its their baby, their actual child. The game is by no means perfect and the narrative isnt the most shocking or impressive, but its still one of my favorites of all time and I really do hope they find a way to better preserve it for the future! If not, thank goodness for lets plays otherwise I wouldve never been able to enjoy this game in the first place.
The Path. Hooboy. I remember when this one came out and a number of people into the artsy side of gaming were pretty fed up with ToT by that time. At least in the circles I was in. They tended to approach gaming with an artistic savior's complex rather than being genuinely interested in expressions of their own.
The video of yours describing the path is my favorite video on RUclips. I constantly go to it as my "comfort video" to make dinner to when I've had a bad day. I've never played it and have watched some play throughs. But, you're specific breakdown and hypothesis of the game is my all time favorite. I've been recently going towards your sims videos as well for comfort, but the path will always be my favorite. Keep being you....PLEASE. Your content keeps me my best self some days
Have you seen Hbomberguy's video on Pathologic? I've yet to play the game, but the video is a beautiful essay as cozy as the art game is miserable.
@@fruitygarlic3601 oooo that sounds amazing! I'll have to check it out !
I think an upgrade and rerelease of The Path would do really great now a days, I hope ToT consider it.
Every time one of her videos comes out I always make popcorn or a meal, get a good drink, dim the lights, and sit on the couch to watch her video!
Your first video inspired me to get the game and I have been obsessed. It’s so sad these games are disappearing
I’m so glad Izzy’s revisiting this game her first video on it is my favorite of hers, I could never get this game out of my head
i think talking about the path in relation to preserving media is perfect in timing with the recent events of cookies bustle. it’s a point and click japanese game from 1999 that was lost, rediscovered, then lost again due to unknown reasons of someone copyright striking anything that talks abt it. of course, i don’t think it’s the right time to make a video about it, but there is a lot of depth to the game! i highly recommend taking a look into it!
I found this game through a cinnamontoastken playthrough. It must've been around 10 years ago now when I was around 10 or 11. The game was so striking to me, I never forgot it. It's sad to me that this game will be unplayable and lost because it's stuck with me for half my life now.
he played it???? i have to find this play through!! thank you for commenting because now i will be able to watch it!!
I really REALLY want them to remake it one day, I hope that it would happen since they are remaking the endless forest. I think that it would be amazing :)
I've never clicked so fast, I love the hat by the way!!
Bruh same
@DontReadMyProfilePicture.7 no, how about you go be original
I really hope they remaster/remake the path, seeing how there is now a dedicated community for the game a Kickstarter could be successful for funding, they could modernise the designs/themes, also consoles nowadays are a lot more accepting of artsy indie games so it would probably make a lot of money and get a whole new audience and fandom. we can just hope for now.
With folks today doing reconstructions of various historical clothing, tools, paintings etc. just for fun, I can totally imagine someone in the future reverse engineering a computer, engine and programs needed to remake pieces of lost media as "historically accurate" as possible
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Izzy must have a feed straight from my brain. For the past couple of weeks I've been watching her original The Path vid almost daily, and was really wanting her to cover more horror stuff. This is pretty much a dream come true
I'd love it if they managed to re-make the path. I'm sure it would be quite popular with the 2000 nostalgia trend going on right now :D
i'm autistic and horror is one of my special interests - i ADORE this game. it's so cool and interesting to me, it scratches the same sorta itch in my head as old RPG-maker horror games. so when i saw u made a second part to this video i absolutely lost my mind, thank u for this /pos
am i too dumb to understand what's going on in this game even after watching explanations for hours?
yes
will i watch this video and think about it for days?
absolutely
Izzy I hope you have played both Pathologic games and all of their dev (Ice Pick Lodge)'s other titles. You would love them!
Yes, especially Tension (The Void)! ❤
i thought this was a repost at first. even better, just more Izzzy content. YES! i really loved the dive into the concept art and how they built the girls stories! another hit, another W
I'd be 100% willing to watch a whole video dedicated to the girl's blogs. This game is just intriguing as heck.
The elegant gothic lolita inspo, serial experiments lane inspo, and just all of the amazing influences this game had just make it so much more fun and as a lover of horror this game is so special to me.
I was so fascinated by this game as a child; turns out I still am.
I’m so glad to hear your passion for this game bc I stumbled on the game by chance in a since deleted playthrough on a gaming channel about a decade ago (I still call the girl in white Darla as the player did) and it’s never left me how truly amazing the direction of the game is. It’s artistic depictions are fascinating and beautiful, so open to interpretation that almost any view can be correct. It’s a milestone in video games as art.
youre extremely lucky to have been born in the anglosphere. i too went through deviantart, mlp fim, weird mmos and the path. but it wasnt until i was like 15 that the whole world of english language internet became available to me. i keep thinking how much i missed
Shoutout to the Olive Garden hostess that asked me what I was watching and then let me ramble about Izzzyzzz for a few minutes.
Izzy this essay is wonderful! I love the way you have structured it, it's really easy to follow. As a historian who reads a lot of articles and essays, this is honestly just so nicely crafted. It will be so easy for historians in the future to find the information in this video. Good job! This is just a suggestion, but dividing this one into chapters would make it super accessible :)
YES! I keep rewatching your original video on this and I’m so excited to learn more
I bought The Path because of your first video and ranted about it to my classmates at the game art college I go to. It's such a curious game that would be such a shame to lose to the endless malevolent Microsoft updates that have already been the bane of my existence for years. I love to see more content about The Path from you and I love your videos in general :3
Also off topic but your make-up and overall outfits are always so goals, my personal favourite is that one that kinda resembles some kind of creepypasta (last time you had it in the webkinz killer vid), it's so *chef's kiss*
I've lost count of how many times I've rewatched your first video on The Path, it was one of the videos that made me fall in love with your content! So happy to get to hear more about it and the effort to keep discussion around it alive
I have never been more delighted at a video announcement. I started following your work with your first video on "The Path," and since then you've revealed so many odd, interesting, and in-depth subjects to me that I never would have heard about otherwise. Well done!
Semi-shoutout to Yahtzee for playing the game back in the day on his Lets Drown Out series, even if he didnt like it that much and was his usual self.
But he did introduce me to it.
MVP (Most Valuable Play-tester), not to be confused with MVP (Most Valuable Player)
Addendum;
i have always loved how these devs seemed to show an incredible understanding of the language of cinema during the grandma house segments, i think that kind of eye is something many developers are missing
your passion for preserving the internet is so lovely and wholesome to see! i always love your videos bc you seem so invested in everything you talk abt
Since I’ve also been obsessed with The Path ever since I stumbled across the game when I was 11, it’s so surreal to hear Izzzy and a bunch of other people in the comments reveal that they’ve been obsessed with the game since their childhoods! This game largely influenced my taste in art (along with other artsy indie horror titles like Yume Nikki), and I often still replay it from time to time. With how historically significant The Path is, it’s incredibly sad to hear that the game may become unplayable in the future. But, I also have hope that even if the creators are unable to get it running again, fans of the game will make sure it stays alive (and I have more hope now that I’ve seen so many people here who have had a similar formative experience with the game)!
I'm a streamer who specializes in retro games, untranslated games and rare-to-find games, and yes, I fully agree -- these things need preservation. Thank you all for your efforts in preserving games and other media!
I got a signed poster of Robin way back when I was in high school, it's behind a protective sheet of plastic still in my childhood room! I still remember I used to go on their official forum and endlessly speculate about all the characters and all the symbols in the game, it must have amounted to hours upon hours haha. That game company changed my life, their ideas about the possibility and artistic potential of games really opened my mind! I really appreciate you documenting all of this, never would have thought their art and legacy would be so easily lost, so sad to see.
It's been ages since I played _The Path._ Very sad to see that it's dying. It was such a unique experience. Even now, it feels like the hazy memory of a strange, tragic dream. I'm lucky to have played it early, and I'll try to get it working again for another run through the woods. Still need to finish collecting all those dang flowers. If nothing else, I have lovely screenshots on my Steam account to document it. Thanks for all your hard work on this essay. I sincerely do applaud your efforts at internet preservation.
Not a horror game, but Gone Home is somewhat similar in tone and aesthetic. Also has a banger soundtrack. Absolutely lovely game! I recommend you check it out (: loved this vid as always
I would not want to play the path, but it seems so amazing and so cool with all of the different types of people and stages of life and struggles, it’s really cool, and deep. I love it!! FEED ME MORE!!
ToT remaking the endless forest gives me hope that they'll remaster the path too, i'd love to play it, but i dont want it to be lost to updates and time, i love the style and story of this game so much and it deserves so much more appreciation
Aside from how hauntingly beautiful this game was, the path dev blog was full of interesting content. The devs would post about movies, art, and music that inspired several elements of the game. It was a gateway for my then teenaged brain. Definitely a modern folk horror piece that deserves an update.
I think the Path is more popular in art spaces! I remember a fashion magazine (vogue maybe?) doing a photo shoot inspired by the game. That’s how I first heard about it :)
For anyone looking for a AAA art game, Dreamfall: The Longest Journey was a criminally overlooked game. I'm sure the gameplay looks easily as archaic as this does or even worse, but it is so beautiful
I think you would really like the game What Remains of Edith Finch. To me, it’s creepy vibes and cool art style are reminiscent of The Path. It is also similar because you are going through the stories/ends of many people in one family and the tragedy of the family’s house and how it holds those stories.
I adore that you cover these obscure games and other topics, I remember I found the Path so fascinating when I first played it back in the day. It was such a treat seeing all the behind the scenes work you dug up! I would love to see a video about the other Tale of Tales game, 8, that you mentioned! Keep up the good work, I love everything you put out
I'd love it if you made a video for the livejournal pages! Honestly, I didn't really know about this game and usually listen to your videos more than watching but the path was the one video that i had to actually sit down and watch because the art and aesthetic was so beautiful. More The Path videos would certainly be welcomed!
Proof that Lain is everywhere
Archiving and preserving internet history is something I’ve seen a lot lately and it makes me very happy. At this point the internet is so entwined with the daily lives of most people that internet history is really just part of human history, and it’s preservation should be taken seriously.
Unfortunately the statement used to scare people into behaving, “what you put out on the internet is there forever!”, just isn’t true. And it’s been rough watching a lot of things from the internet in my childhood be lost, maybe only existing on the original creator’s obsolete computer, and only living on in our memories and storytelling. Keep up the fantastic work.
Aaaaah I loved the first one! So excited to see another one. Hope we get some of Izzzy’s theories in this one too!
I’ve never seen or heard of this game before, and I’m so interested in playing it now. They should remake the game with an updated program. I can totally see it getting a resurgence in fan base