We got a new overview of The Pathless in today’s State of Play, the game coming from Giant Squid, the creators of ABZÛ. The game will be out for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC via the Epic Games Store later this year.
I’ll hand over to Creative Director Matt Nava talks through a decent chunk of the game, showcasing the game running on PlayStation 5.
The Pathless is an open world adventure set in a mythical forest. You’re cast as the Hunter, a master of archery who can bound across the open spaces, filling her dash meter by shooting little talismans. It looks fantastic and is all about timing instead of accuracy.
You have an eagle companion who can help you fly and glide, with its abilities augmented by finding and collecting crystals. You’ll have to care for the eagle in order to keep it in good condition. Also, give it a hug, cos it’s adorable. Be nice to your eagle.
Intriguingly, there’s no map for the open world, but instead the ability to look into the spirit world and see landmarks. This allows you to see where some of the cursed spirits that are the game’s enemies reside. They’ll try to separate you from your eagle pal, which is obviously quite despicable. You can avoid them as they hunt for you simply by staying still as they look at you. To fight them, you must return light to the obelisks of the land, making them vulnerable and allowing you to chase them through the forest and vanquish them in tense battles.
The Pathless debuted at the Video Game Awards in 2018, originally planned for release in 2019. Obviously that release date slipped, but good things take time, and it’s clearly allowed Giant Squid to refine their concept and push the game’s visuals further on the next-gen console. It looks quite incredible and we can’t wait to see more.
