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Sand, Nazis and cultists. Review Pathway.

You can relate to the figure of George Lucas in different ways, but it is pointless to deny his contribution to the genre of adventure cinema. All for the reason that it was from under his pen in 1981 that a cult picture came out Indiana Jones: In search of a lost ark. The film itself went down in history as one of the most cash register, and its main character eventually became a visual image of a groove-adventurer, safely pulled out his type outside the cinema.

Against this background, the setting of the 30s of the XX century itself has recently gained popularity. In 2018, a cooperative shooter from a third person already invited us to such decorations Strange Brigade. Look at the same era in 2019 offers Pathway, And it is she who is dedicated to today’s review.

“We Do Not Follow Maps to Buried Treasure, and X Never, Ever Marks The Spot."Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Mirages on the horizon

Considering a new project Robotality As an independent product, you should still keep in the head of the developing of the previous game of the studio – Halfway, The review on which is here here. Like the predecessor, Pathway offers to solve conflicts by step -by -step battles in manner Xcom, However, most of the gaming time is now allotted for traveling on a global map and studying locations.

The continuous storyline went after the great rulers of antiquity, and separate scenarios came to replace it. The passage of each of them is opened by the following, longer mini-jue, the total of which there are only five in the game. Despite the fact that they are at the very least trying to tie the events of the game together, it turns out they, frankly, not very. Those who expected from Pathway The intriguing narrative will remain disappointed: before us is no longer a plot-oriented action movie, but quite openly talking about his genre belonging. Rather, even Rogue-Lite.

You can always return to any already completed script, additionally twisting its difficulty and starting conditions.

Following the plot, they sunk into oblivion and at least some developed characters’ characters. “Archaeologists” differ only in abilities and characteristics, and the opening of each new adventurer is tied to the implementation of certain actions. Some of them are openly given by undisguised grind, such as the requirement to raise fighters who have fallen on the field 100 times. Others are tied to find any objects or passing the script with a certain composition of the characters.

Cards, money, four wheels

In the starting detachment, they allow you to get up to three adventurers. The trio moves on the SUV, which consumes fuel is the main and only resource necessary for moving on a global map. The purpose of the trip is always the same – to get to the opposite end of the card, to the location marked with a flag or icon x. We got to the first – welcome to the next stage of the route, to the second – the end of the adventure and a compulsory script scene with sometimes an indiscriminate step -by -step battle.

Fans of meticulous study of each backinger here will clearly be uncomfortable. To explore all locations on the global card, as well as to constantly make up for gasoline supplies, no one will give. In this regard, it makes sense to estimate the route in advance and adhere to it, without turning too much from the course and ignoring part of potentially interesting places. Otherwise, there is a risk of being left without transport, and you will have to continue the journey on your two, which does not have a very positive effect on the health of our daredevils.

Some events are displayed on the global map immediately, allowing you to plan the most saturated route in advance. The rest open as locations visit.
Arrival for each new location is accompanied by various kinds of random events. Some of them, such as ambushes, move us into battle without the possibility of choosing. Others propose to carefully escape from under the nasal of the enemy, or even do not at all imply the presence of a battle, playing before us a scene with the participation of friendly NPCs or the study of the tomb.

A set of available https://ternobetcasino.co.uk/ actions, as well as the outcome of the situation as a whole, very often depend on which characters are in our team. The fact is that each of them has a set of perks, which absolutely do not show themselves in battle and are intended exclusively to solve situations on a global map. For example, a character with knowledge of ancient languages ​​(Orig. Ancient Languages) will open hidden rooms in the tomb, and the presence of the daredevil among adventurers (Orig. DareDevil) will arrange sabotage in the camp of the enemy, reducing the number of opponents before the start of the battle.

If the right character was not at hand, then you can choose the option designed for luck. According to the law of Murphy, such a venture will rather turn out to be a failure, but there are no strong fines for transferring responsibility to the aunt Fortune. At best, our detachment will remain with his nose, and in the worst one of the characters will receive lethal damage and will have to be resurrected in the nearest camp. According to the classic of Rogue-Lite, the heroes do not die forever and become short-lived inaccessible only in the event of the failure of the entire script. Before the adventure is over, they can always be lifted to your feet by rest by the fire, in specially designated places.

Not all events are decided by the use of only one perk. Very often, it is possible to approach the problem from different sides.

Radiant tin cans

Increase the survivability of fighters, increase the damage they do and add perks will help the foundings found, during adventure. All the local luts are divided into several types. Just trinkets, like silk nasal scarves of the Nazis, are converted into currency immediately after selection and do not take up place in the inventory. But weapons, armor and consumables, which include, for example, bandages or sets for repairing equipment, are sent to the trunk of our four -wheeled desert ship. In addition to them, there are three more global resources, stored absolutely separately from everything else: already mentioned gasoline, cartridges and supplies. The latter are necessary in order to use consumables and thereby restore the health of wards of adventurers. They are responsible for the repair of the armor and the opportunity to throw a grenade at the enemy, so that it makes sense to monitor their number no less carefully than the residue of fuel. What is not at all about cartridges that are showered in such quantities and so often that the corresponding counter is always spinning in the area of ​​the maximum, almost never dropping below the middle.

All of the above in battles with opponents or from rare merchants scattered on the map is extracted. The latter not only willingly sell you a couple of canister with gasoline or a new gun, but they will also take all the valuable and not very trash with pleasure. Generally engage in management of the acquired Pathway will have to often, especially at the beginning. Lack of inventory slots makes itself felt already at the second adventure, since no one prevents you from constantly getting into a skirmish and going out from there hung from head to toe. In this regard, it makes sense to immediately aim at accumulating a sufficient amount and increasing the capacity of the car luggage. Prices for his upgrade are pretty bitten.

Unnecessary items can be thrown into a bag with values ​​in order to free up space in the inventory and not forget to sell them from the merchant. In rare cases, the same bag can be used as an additional inventory slot – the last object added there, the game allows you to pull it back.
In this regard, I would like to scold the game for not allowing it to display several screens at once and does not have the opportunity to put an object on a character immediately from a window of trade or production. All that we find or buy during adventure first gets into the vehicle trunk and only there. The need to constantly switch between the windows of trading and equipment of the detachment begins to naturally annoy over time, which in the game with an emphasis on the microenjection of the detachment is definitely difficult to call a plus.

A storm in a glass

But an undoubted plus Pathway can be called step -by -step battles, which compared to the predecessor were pretty gained in tactical weight. At the heart, as before, the formula lies Xcom, However, it is worth refreshing the creation in memory Firaxis, how a number of differences will pop up.

The first of them concerns the beginning of the battle and the presence of a preliminary phase of the force in the arena in the game. The width of the area available for placement varies depending on the state of the skirmish began. They used a perk on a global map and were able to get to the Nazis unnoticed – get the advantage of the first move and a wider zone. Well, if they took you by surprise, then the heroes will have to use almost on each other, in addition, content with the restriction of actions for the first move. Both events, however, are not found so often, and usually the parties enter the mess in the so -called confusing state (Orig. Tumult), getting an approximately equal advantage at the beginning of the battle.

Green squares mean a zone in which we can place our fighters.
From the previous game studio, Pathway inherited a more flexible system of behavior in battle. Like fighters Xcom, Our characters are limited only by two points of action, but unlike the legislator of the genre, the attack here does not complete the move, and you can move strictly once. Shoot, by the way, too. System of hits from Halfway, tied to the opportunity to put both points in an accurate shot went into oblivion. Now, for a guaranteed hit, you need to get around the enemy from the flank, which encourages a more active game and forces to constantly analyze the area for the most protected positions.

The abilities of characters and enemies, in comparison with the previous game, have become much more. They are now divided into three types. Part of the attacking abilities, such as a double shot or a queue on the area, are tied on a type of weapon in the hands of a character. Thus, only sniper rifles allow you to get into combat readiness regime (Orig. Overwatch) and only shotguns apply a powerful shot at a close range. The next type of abilities is protective, tied on the armor class, which is rigidly assigned to the character. Light allows you to douch and cover longer distances, the average helps guaranteed to evade one enemy attack, and the heavy opens the ability to come up (Orig. Hunker Down), reducing damage inflicted and providing protection against critical hits. Finally, the third type of abilities is tied directly on the character’s skills and does not change depending on the reliable equipment.

For the use of all of the aforementioned you need courage points (Orig. Bravey), which are replenished in case of successful attacks, evasions or help to allies in battle. There are no familiar rabulating timers here in principle, but they will not give specialists one after another: there are too few points. Thus Pathway Additionally stimulates aggressive behavior and does not give bonuses for an overly moderate game.

Pressing on the Tab button allows you to find out from what probability the character will hit the enemy from a certain point and on this basis plan his actions.
As a result of a skirmish in Pathway swift, do not offer to sit in thought and at first glance may seem completely devoid of tactics. At the beginning of the game, our own fighters have much greater than opponents and almost always kill them from one shot. This, in turn, perfectly creates the atmosphere of an adventure action movie. Here is one of our “archaeologists” throws a grenade in the thick of enemies. At the same time, the second bypasses another group of opponents from the flank and covers them with a shot from a shotgun. The douching physician jumps over the barricades and cuts down the Nazi grenade half -dead after the explosion. And completes the entire adventure a well -aimed shot from a sniper rifle. For everything about everything – 3 minutes of pure time, after which we reload the trunks of all members of the detachment by pressing one button and continue the path.

Violet Fedora dexterity

Of course, over time, the difficulty grows and the game throws up more weighty in the form and content of opponents. The Nazis begin to sparkle more and more often with more durable armor and sharp teeth, as well as apply the abilities aimed at helping allies. In such conditions, the pumping system and more powerful equipment will help to increase the survival of the detachment in such conditions.

There are no revelations with the latter. Weapons steamed with armor are divided by the criterion of rarity, which symbolizes the color of their name and the number of additional properties in the description.
Equipping a “legendary” rifle or armored vehicle is allowed immediately by finding: there are no restrictions on the level here. Everything that is required of the hero is to be able to use the necessary weapons or armor class. The chance of a rare object is influenced by the complexity and duration of the script, so in the best traditions of the genre to go for more steep guns will have to be in longer “Dange”.

Pumping, in turn, reminds more Xcom. Each level increase is accompanied by the choice of one of several available skills, without the opportunity to pump everything over time. Both new abilities and bonuses to characteristics or skills allow you to choose, and the character’s level is allowed to raise up to five times. Expect from pumping some depths, not worth. Directly, abilities are not allowed to choose so often, plus they often duplicate those that other characters have from the start. This allows you to expand available tools, but not enrich it in terms of uniqueness. It is also worth noting that as in Halfway, A greater sensation of the growth of the characters is not brought by the skills themselves, but by a new equipment, the benefits of which are felt right away.

Rare samples of weapons and armor affect not only the characteristics of the characters in battle, but also add new perks that are useful on the global map.

***
As a result, Pathway – A very beautiful and fairly whole project, perfectly understanding what he wants to be. There is no excessive hardcore here. No fines for errors. Characters do not die forever. All this is done for the sake of the spirit of adventurism and certainly this approach is not suitable for everyone. Those who expect from a new creation Robotality tense tactics and depths in terms of expedition management will clearly be disappointed. All the rest, it is recommended, at least, try: a couple of pleasant evenings spent on the search for ancient treasures are provided with you. And there, you look, and get into the unsteady sands, bogging in the project with your head.

It is worth paying attention to if:

• You like balanced and honest step -by -step tactics that do not suffer from the “hits syndrome” Xcom
• You are tired of hardcore, dental projects and do not mind spending a couple of relaxed evenings in the setting of the thirties of the XX century
• You love games with procedural-generated cards and simple management of camping resources by type FTL or Renowned Explorers

You can safely pass by if:

• You are looking for a deep horned with high reiglable – all the content Pathway Studying quite quickly and the game does not offer special reiglable.
• You prefer the strictly adventures that are more strictly adventure and do not really like games in which the creation of interesting situations is entirely on the player’s shoulders.
• You do not really prefer games with a low amount of action. Most of the time in Pathway It is allotted to pokatushki on a global card with the study of events, while the battles are given much less attention.

At the time of writing this review, the average rating of the game in Steam dangled in the region of 68%, while recent reviews reach 90. Most likely this is due to a large -scale update 1.1, which, according to the players, made the game work the way it was initially and was supposed to. For this reason, if you suddenly come across Pathway And you have been pushed away by a low user assessment, it makes sense to return to the game and give it a chance. When writing a review, the author relied on sensations from a newer version, and therefore the text reflects the current state of affairs within the project.

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