In Ice-Pick Lodge’s upcoming title, players can unleash their ideas without fearing irreversible consequences.
Pathologic 2 was an immersive and punishing plague simulator. Mistakes didn’t lead to immediate failure, but to a slow, drawn-out decline over several hours—something that could frustrate players. It seems Ice-Pick Lodge took this feedback to heart, as Pathologic 3 turns that entire premise on its head. Instead of starting with a desperate attempt to cure the plague, the story begins at the point of failure—and from there, players are granted the ability to travel back in time and try again.
In a Steam post, Ice-Pick Lodge outlined the new structure and narrative system behind the third entry, and why they’ve been implemented. The story centers on the interrogation of protagonist Dankovsky, which the developers describe as the narrative midpoint. Everything has already gone wrong for him. He is forced to justify his past actions, and in doing so, gains the power to shape a narrative that makes him appear more heroic—or far more damning. This setup allows him to jump back in time and explore new approaches, changing the outcome.
“Players are often so afraid of making mistakes that they reload saves, follow guides, watch YouTube essays, or abandon the game before reaching the end. In Pathologic 3, we flipped that notion—what if mistakes could be reversed? No one trusted you. People barely understood hygiene, yet you had to violate their privacy with forced quarantines and curfews, burn down neighborhoods, and punish those who disobeyed decrees. Imagine jumping from Day 5 to Day 3 to save a doomed character, then returning to Day 5 in a changed reality. If one choice unsettles you, you can go back and only alter that decision—leaving the rest of the day intact—provided the events aren’t causally linked. Our goal was to eliminate obviously good or bad choices,” the studio explained.
Two key systems drive this mechanic. First is Amalgam, a material that enables Dankovsky to jump through time. It must be earned by completing missions, shattering mirrors, or euthanizing terminal patients. Once acquired, it allows changes to past events. The second is the Mind Map, which visualizes how discovered decisions interlink, helping players deduce how to reroute the narrative toward different outcomes.
Ice-Pick Lodge emphasizes this isn’t just a gimmick—it’s the core of the experience. Some locations, endings, and major plot beats will only become available through specific chains of cause and effect in the still-developing game.
Leave a Reply