The Path (PC game)

Can computer games be art? It’s a question that has cropped up again and again ever since games were first invented.

A recent boom in the independent sector of the industry has seen titles like Braid (reviewed last issue) and The Path putting forward a very convincing case.

If filmmakers David Lynch and Tim Burton teamed up to make a version of Little Red Riding Hood, they’d probably come up with something like The Path. In each ‘level’ you play one of six young women tasked with walking to Grandma’s house. Stay on the path, however, and you will fail the level.

Disobey your initial instructions and head into the woods on the other hand, and you will interact with various objects, places and people. This includes an encounter with a ‘wolf’, which brings the level to a conclusion of sorts.

The game’s self-conscious artiness means that it defies being explained in traditional terms. Genre-wise, the best fit would probably be survival horror, but aside from collecting various items, there’s not much here that resembles the playing of a conventional adventure game.

It’s neither particularly frightening nor gory, but The Path contains elements that are profoundly disturbing and we wouldn’t recommend it to younger players or those who are easily offended.

Whether or not it’s ‘art’ is debatable but if you’re prepared to go with it, The Path can be a hauntingly beautiful experience that stays with you for long after you’ve finished it.

Anyone with a low tolerance level for pretentiousness, however, is best advised to steer clear.

PEGI age rating: 16+