REVIEW – Daniil Dankovsky attempts to overcome a mysterious plague in a secluded Russian town. Add to that mix nonlinear time mechanics, psychological survival elements, and player decisions, and you have a rather complex experience. This time, you must pay attention to your sanity, and the game is replayable because there are multiple endings.

You don’t need to be familiar with the previous installment, as it stands on its own.

The (Un)predictability of Time

It can be hard to follow as we jump back and forth, but the game still keeps players engaged, even though Daniil isn’t always likable. Time management, mental well-being, and decisions all play an important role. A diagnosis must be made that won’t seem strange. All of this won’t be easy, but it still seems fair, especially compared to the second part. It is accompanied by a cinematic and stirring artistic style. The atmosphere and environment are excellent for storytelling. However, the problem is that, in some places, the cutscenes don’t come together, and the transitions aren’t as polished. The sound design, on the other hand, is quite good as it sufficiently emphasizes the tension. Certain days can be relived. Overall, it gives the impression that the franchise has found its footing despite some minor technical flaws. Our protagonist, also known as Bachelor, appeared in the first Pathologic. The point is that time is running out and resources will always be scarce. With incomplete, unreliable, and misleading information, we, as healers, will be exposed to the worst of humanity.

The game will always make us feel inadequate and exploit this fact. This may seem like a lecture, and that’s no accident. The location may seem familiar, but it won’t be. Unlike Artemy and Clara, Daniil is not from here. This time, we’ll venture beyond the city limits because we’ll see his hometown. This is a nice innovation. Daniil enters the city and is immediately interrogated for allegedly not doing his job well. Right from the start, P3 makes it clear that we are not good. The horror manifests not only in the form of the plague but also psychologically. The maneuvering between apathy and madness is particularly frightening, and the city reflects this. We have to survive two things at once, and our hero falls victim to his arrogance. Here, we must remember what happened to prove our innocence. How we spend our time and what we focus on will be important. This is difficult to discern in the narrative because we relive several days multiple times. We will always know that something is missing. Eventually, the broken approach and grief turn into a kind of development. Thus, the gameplay essentially consists of a continuous balancing act. Finding the immortal man will not be easy, to say the least.

Decisions and Their Weight

P3 isn’t about whether we made the right decisions; it’s about whether we understood their significance. Meanwhile, Daniil’s mental state is deteriorating. He gives up and becomes nihilistic. The burden falls on us to remain functional while preventing Daniil from completely collapsing. A concentration mechanism contributes to this. It identifies people and objects with whom we can interact meaningfully and colors them. The green ones are necessary, while the red and blue ones push Daniil toward madness and apathy. These colors are linked to what we know, so the more we learn, the more effective we become. Sometimes, we also have to make diagnoses. We talk to patients, perform tests, narrow down the possibilities, and use our observations to determine what the problem might be. However, the causes and symptoms are not that simple.

There are even fights, though they are not mandatory. Sometimes, just waving your weapon is enough (unless it’s buggy; sometimes, they attack you anyway). Fighting feels like a failure when an outsider wants to portray himself as a powerful figure. The city can no longer be freely explored because fast travel is now available. We still have to go through the plague areas, so the risk remains. However, the game is not perfect. Technically, the game has some bugs, such as switches not working, scenes stuttering, or not starting at all, which ruins the mood. Once again, we are in for a relentless experience. In some places, we must be much more patient.

12 Days of…?

Pathologic 3 deserves an 8/10. If it were in slightly better technical condition, it could get a 8.5/10. If you liked the previous two games, you’ll like this one too. You’ll suffer just as much, in a good way. The game doesn’t just want to challenge you; it wants to form an opinion about you. It certainly wants to show you the consequences of your decisions. In the end, we can help Daniil reach the end of the story despite the many painful moments. It’s worth sticking with it because it’s hellishly good.

-V-

Developer: Ice-Pick Lodge
Publisher: HypeTrain Digital
Release Date: January 9, 2026
Genre: Psychological Horror