So why am I lamenting rather than lauding its achievements? I'll explain below. The Pathless has received near-universal critical acclaim and it's not hard to see why from the premise it comes from an indie-darling The Pathless has received near-universal critical acclaim and it's not hard to see why from the premise it comes from an indie-darling perspective, touting similar graphics and game mechanics to highly regarded titles such as Journey, Gris and Abzu. But with all of that said, it's a good game, with the spark of greatness flickering inside.

And, of course, a final level that didn't feel so disappointingly empty would have been nice. On top of that, each of the bosses is functionally the same. Most of the game is thrillingly 'pathless' but the boss battles are scripted to hell, and as unsatisfying as the core game is satisfying. Really, the thing this game needed were boss battles which actually incorporated the core gameplay. The final levels are really thin on content, and the final encounter with the boss is beyond unsatisfying.

I'd have gotten past it without much issue, but the game loses a lot of steam in its final hours. Compared to the core gameplay, the boss battles and scripted encounters are so bad that they feel like parts of a different game. Boss encounters and battles feel very plain, kinda wonky, and get repetitive almost immediately. Where the game comes up short (sometimes VERY short) is in its combat and endgame content. Think Journey meets Shadow of the Colossus. The core gameplay is incredibly impressive, the sound and art are impeccable, and the puzzles just genuinely feel good. The core gameplay is incredibly impressive, the sound and art are impeccable, and the puzzles just genuinely feel There's a lot to love here.

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