Info about Pathway:

Official game description:
Just Updated
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Adventurers Wanted is a free update to Pathway which introduces exciting changes and all new content to the game.
Changes in V1.1.4 - Hardcore Mode Update:
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Hardcore Mode is a new and challenging way to play Pathway! All adventures play in one long sequence one after the other. Everything carries over to the next adventure and you have to survive with only the equipment and characters you find during your travels. Beware: If a team member dies, they are gone for good!
Changes in V1.1 - Adventurers Wanted Update:
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*   Tactical Improvements: The update adds 18 new unlockable character abilities bringing a range of new tactical options to the combat. The AI as well as the general balancing have received lots of tweaks.
*   New Loot System: The loot and item system has been reworked to be more rewarding and satisfying!
*   New Combat Arenas: Adds more variety in combat scenarios including farms, airfields, nubien pyramids and other fun surprises.
*   More To Explore: The update adds numerous new adventure-specific events to better flesh out the story context. A lot of existing events have been reworked to present more interesting (and dangerous!) choices.
*   New Languages: Pathway is now also be playable in Chinese and Japanese!
Join Our Community
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About the Game
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The year is 1936...
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In a time of global turmoil, Nazi influence spreads inexorably across Europe and the Middle East. Rumors are abound of secret excavations, mysterious artifacts, and even the odd whisperings and tales of gruesome occult rituals...
It's up to you to assemble a team of bold adventurers to journey through the desert. Explore bunkers and temples of Northern Africa to discover their hidden treasures and secrets before they fall into the hands of Nazi forces.
Pathway is a turn-based strategy game designed to provide players with approachable, fast-paced and fun squad skirmishes in an early 20th century pulp-adventure setting. Quickly run for cover, flank enemies and utilize your team’s special abilities to turn the tide of battle in your favor!
On the way to the mission objective, your team will trek through a randomized map, encountering a series of brief, ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ stories. The key to a successful mission will be to manage the risks that you take during these encounters, but remember that missions can be repeated at any time - with a new series of events to encounter each time you restart.
Features:
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*   DYNAMIC ADVENTURES - Discover 5 different campaigns of varying difficulty, each attempt generating a new web of events...
*   TOUGH CHOICES - Explored locations often present a brief, hand-crafted story event. Search the well? Save the villagers? It's up to you!
*   DECISIVE CONFLICTS - Use cover and positioning in exciting turn-based squad combat. Learn to make the best use of your team's abilities and equipment in order to defeat the enemy!
*   BUILD YOUR TEAM OF ADVENTURERS - Each of Pathway’s 16 unlockable characters has their own set of skills and quirks which can impact combat and story encounters.
*   HIDDEN TREASURES - Trade-in your high-value loot in order to upgrade your team's arsenal with increasingly rare weapons and armor.
*   RECOVER & REPLAY - Experiment with different team combinations until your foes have been vanquished!
*   THRILLING VISUALS - Classic 16-bit pixel art enhanced with unprecedented depth, lighting and shadows using Pixel/Voxel Hybrid Technology.
With soundtrack by the critically-acclaimed composer, Gavin Harrison of Halfway fame!

Release date: Apr 11, 2019

Categories: Turn-based Tactical, Roguelike, Exploration, Character Progression, Procedural Generation, Resource Management, Multiple Endings, Pixel Art Style

Feature scans:
- Steam Deck: score 70; verdict: Playable with Significant Issues; summary: The analysis of user feedback reveals several key issues impacting the Steam Deck experience. The most severe problem is the frequent crashing, which significantly affects gameplay. Additionally, users have reported difficulties with the control configuration and the complexity of the interface. Despite these issues, the game is praised for its engaging storyline, variety of enemies, character development options, graphics, and overall enjoyable gameplay.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Praised pixel art style (weight 0.68): Players consistently praised the game's pixel art style, highlighting its quality, beauty, and the effective use of light and shadow effects. The graphics were described as well-made, gorgeous, and reminiscent of SNES games, contributing to a nostalgic atmosphere.
- Indiana Jones-inspired adventure (weight 0.36): The game captures the essence of Indiana Jones, with players noting the ambiance, story, and setting as reminiscent of the iconic adventure movies. This theme was well-received and contributed to the game's nostalgic feel.
- Fun and enjoyable gameplay (weight 0.3): Players described the game as fun, casual, and enjoyable, with a mix of adventure and tactics. The light and engaging nature of the game was highlighted as a positive aspect.
- Unique character abilities (weight 0.29): Players appreciated the variety of characters and their unique abilities. The game offers a diverse cast of characters with different skills, adding depth and replayability.
- Progression and unlocks (weight 0.19): Characters retain experience and items between runs, allowing for progression and unlocks. Players noted that this feature adds depth and encourages continued play.
- Great atmosphere (weight 0.17): The game's atmosphere was praised for being strong and reminiscent of 1990s adventure films. Players appreciated the immersive and nostalgic feel created by the game's ambiance.
- Fitting and decent music (weight 0.16): The music in the game was noted to fit the theme well and was described as decent. Players appreciated the soundtrack for complementing the game's atmosphere and visuals.

Common complaints:
- Combat is repetitive and boring (weight 0.97): Many players find the combat system to be dull, repetitive, and lacking in strategic depth. The frequent and monotonous battles contribute to an overall uninspired gameplay experience.
- Limited content and variety (weight 0.6): The game offers too little variety in terms of content, events, and character abilities, leading to a lack of excitement and replayability. This issue is compounded by the limited number of adventures and the repetitive nature of random events.
- Lack of enemy variety (weight 0.33): The game suffers from a limited variety of enemies, leading to repetitive encounters and a lack of challenge. This issue is compounded by the limited tactical options available during combat.
- Lack of tactical depth (weight 0.32): The game lacks tactical and strategic depth in combat, making battles feel simplistic and uninteresting. This is a significant drawback for players seeking a more challenging and engaging experience.
- Shallow story and characters (weight 0.25): The story and characters lack depth and interesting backstories, resulting in a shallow and unengaging narrative. This is further exacerbated by the lack of character growth and development.
- Game is too shallow and simplistic (weight 0.23): The game is criticized for being too shallow and simplistic, lacking depth in various aspects such as combat, story, and character development. This results in a less engaging and less satisfying gameplay experience.
- AI and cover mechanics issues (weight 0.22): The AI exhibits logical problems and poor strategy, while the cover mechanics are counterintuitive and pointless. These issues detract from the overall gameplay experience.
- Lack of exploration and customization (weight 0.21): The game lacks real exploration and character customization, limiting player engagement and personalization. This issue is further exacerbated by the lack of incentives to explore maps.
- UI and load time problems (weight 0.16): The game suffers from a glitchy UI and long load times, which can be frustrating for players. These technical issues negatively impact the overall gaming experience.
- Difficulty and challenge issues (weight 0.14): The game is criticized for being too easy and lacking challenge, particularly in normal mode. This can make the game less engaging and less satisfying for players seeking a more challenging experience.
- Odd leveling system (weight 0.07): The game has an odd leveling system that some players find confusing or unsatisfying. This can impact the overall progression and development of characters.
- Lack of mission variation (weight 0.07): The game lacks mission variation, with missions not changing between runs. This can make the game feel repetitive and less engaging.
- Frustrating achievements (weight 0.07): Achievements can be frustrating to find, with event achievements being rare and hard to find. This can detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- Repetitive music (weight 0.07): The orchestral score repeats so often that it becomes mind-numbing and extremely repetitive. This can negatively impact the overall gaming experience.
- Camera and post-combat issues (weight 0.06): Some players dislike the camera focusing on a unit after giving a command and the immediate opening of a window forcing separation after combat ends. These issues can be irritating and detract from the gameplay experience.
- Limited item usefulness (weight 0.06): The items found or bought do not significantly aid progression, and healing items are scarce until found. This can make the game more challenging and less enjoyable.

Gameplay feedback:
- Turn-based tactical combat (weight 0.66): The game features a turn-based combat system similar to XCOM, with tactical gameplay and grid-based strategy. Players engage in slow-paced, strategic combat with a focus on turn-based mechanics.
- Rogue-like and RPG elements (weight 0.41): The game incorporates rogue-like elements such as randomized events and gear systems, along with RPG elements like character progression and skill trees.
- Exploration and resource management (weight 0.3): The game includes elements of exploration and resource management, allowing players to gather resources and manage inventory while exploring various map designs.
- XCOM and FTL influences (weight 0.14): The game draws influences from XCOM and FTL, offering a combat system and gameplay mechanics reminiscent of these titles.
- Procedurally generated maps (weight 0.11): The game includes procedurally generated maps, adding variety and replayability to the exploration and events.
- Pixel art graphics (weight 0.1): The game features pixel art graphics, contributing to its visual style and aesthetic appeal.
- Multiple story campaigns (weight 0.1): The game offers multiple campaigns, each with different stories and maps, providing varied gameplay experiences.

Performance notes:
- Long load times reported (weight 0.19): Multiple players have reported extended loading times, with some mentioning minutes to load and others describing it as excruciating.
- Frequent game crashes (weight 0.16): Several reviews highlight frequent game crashes and shutdown problems, significantly impacting the gameplay experience.
- Stability and performance (weight 0.09): The game is reported to be very stable and runs at 60 FPS at 1080p resolution, indicating good performance on certain systems.
- Frequent patches and bug fixes (weight 0.09): The developers are actively releasing patches to fix bugs and improve the game, with some players noting daily updates.
- Optimization issues remain (weight 0.09): While some players note fewer optimization problems, others still report remaining issues that need to be addressed.
- Scrolling and visibility issues (weight 0.08): Some players have experienced scrolling issues and poor management of lines of sight, affecting enemy visibility.
- Minor glitches and bugs (weight 0.08): Players have encountered minor glitches such as frozen animations and occasional health update issues, but these are less severe.
- General call for polish (weight 0.05): Players are urging developers to continue working on bug fixes and polishing the game to improve overall quality.
- Readability problems in confrontations (weight 0.05): There are issues with readability during confrontations, making it difficult for players to navigate these scenarios.
- Control configuration issues (weight 0.04): There are reports of control configuration problems, specifically on Steamdeck, affecting the game's playability.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for turn-based and tactical RPG fans (weight 0.16): The game is highly recommended for players who enjoy turn-based games and tactical RPGs, particularly those who are fans of XCOM and FTL-style games.
- Highly recommended for its price (weight 0.12): The game is considered highly recommended and worth the price, offering good value for its cost.
- Worth it for a couple of hours of fun (weight 0.12): Players looking for a light game to pass the time or entry-level strategy game players might find this game enjoyable for a few hours.
- Wait for updates or sales (weight 0.08): Some reviewers suggest waiting for a few months or picking it up on sale, indicating that the game might improve with updates or be better valued at a lower price.
- Recommended for its vibes, art, and challenge (weight 0.05): The game is praised for its atmosphere, artistic style, and the challenge it offers, making it a recommended experience.
- Desire for a sequel with co-op (weight 0.05): Players have expressed a strong interest in seeing a sequel that includes cooperative multiplayer features.
- Suggestions for character customization (weight 0.05): Some players suggest allowing the creation of a single custom character that can be used throughout the campaign.
- Risk-reward balance issues (weight 0.05): There are concerns about the game's risk-reward balance, with some players feeling that the risks are not worth the rewards, affecting the overall enjoyment.
- Consider other games for roguelike exploration (weight 0.04): If you are specifically looking for a roguelike exploration game, other titles like Renowned Explorers might be a better fit.

Other player notes:
- Community translation efforts (weight 0.05): The game has seen participation in official Chinese translation and community translation efforts, indicating a focus on accessibility and localization.
- Mouse-based controls (weight 0.05): The game primarily utilizes mouse controls for gameplay, which may affect players who prefer different control schemes.
- High disk space requirement (weight 0.05): The game requires a significant amount of disk space, specifically 1,000MBs, which could be a consideration for players with limited storage.
- Java-based game engine (weight 0.04): The game is built on a Java-based engine, which might impact performance and compatibility on certain systems.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.32): Players feel let down by the game's repetitive combat and lack of depth in both gameplay and story. The late-game content and endings are particularly criticized for being shallow and uninspired, with many mechanics feeling too simple or poorly balanced.
- Frustration (weight 0.18): Players are frustrated by the game's counterintuitive mechanics, such as cover systems and UI issues. Frequent crashes, glitches, and a steep difficulty curve also contribute to this frustration, along with repetitive and tedious gameplay elements.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.14): Players enjoy the game's pixel art, music, and overall atmosphere, finding it fun and engaging. The variety of characters, abilities, and enemies, along with the game's casual and family-friendly nature, contribute to a positive experience.
- Boredom (weight 0.07): The repetitive nature of combat and overworld events leads to boredom. Players find the gameplay loop monotonous and uninteresting, with combat being particularly shallow and dull.
- Appreciation (weight 0.03): Players appreciate the game's balanced progression and atmosphere. The graphics and combat subtleties are also highlighted as positive aspects.
- Disappointed (weight 0.03): Players are disappointed by the lack of tactical depth and intensity in the combat system. The overall gameplay feels shallow and unengaging.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.03): Players are enthusiastic about the game's art style and mechanics. The detailed analysis and appreciation of these elements contribute to their excitement.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.03): Players are satisfied with the game's enjoyable gameplay and beautiful aesthetics. The depth of the gameplay and good developer support also contribute to their satisfaction.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.03): The game's pixelated art style and nostalgic elements remind players of classic SNES games and childhood memories, evoking a sense of nostalgia.
- Excitement (weight 0.03): Players are excited about the game's potential on Nintendo Switch and its theme and story. The game's charm and adventure elements also contribute to their excitement.
- Joy (weight 0.03): Players find joy in the game's design, gameplay, and pixel art. The mechanics and replayability also contribute to their enjoyment.
- Hope (weight 0.03): Players are hopeful for the game's improvement and the developer's responsiveness to feedback. They look forward to potential DLC and more content.
- Excited (weight 0.02): Players are excited about unlocking more characters and items as they progress through the campaign. The variety of weapons and characters adds to their excitement.
- Nostalgic (weight 0.01): The game's retro blend of turn-based tactical combat and RPG mechanics evokes a sense of nostalgia among players.
- Immersed (weight 0.01): Players feel immersed in the game due to its pixel art and music, which create a captivating atmosphere.}