Empathy: Path of Whispers
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Critic Reviews for Empathy: Path of Whispers
If you consider yourself a narrative gaming connoisseur, you'll find some real value here. If that genre doesn't resonate with you, though, you may want to think twice before picking up Path of Whispers.
Pixel Night makes a brave foray into the exploration genre that doesn't quite pan out in the end due to detached storytelling and repetitive mechanics. If you're a dedicated adventure game player, Empathy: Path of Whispers will offer little challenge, except maybe in the way of overcoming boredom. It is, at the end of the day, a walking simulator that knows exactly what it wants to be, but falls a few steps short of actually being it.
While it may not indulge as much on its aesthetic to better hide the distinct lack of gameplay, Empathy: Path of Whispers can't excuse itself for letting its eye go too far a stray from keeping its player both focused and interested in the tale being spun.
Empathy: Path of Whispers has a barely good story, but the lack of gameplay is something really unforgettable.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Empathy wants to be a narrative-first game, that much is clear. But the constant distractions, menial busywork, and tedious puzzles constantly distract from the pacing that's so critical to a story like this, and the end result is something that doesn't really work well as either a puzzle game or a narrative experience.
If Empathy is patched to allow manual saves and I didn't have to start over thanks to an awful glitch, I still wouldn't recommend it. It's too forgettable. Not even the most ardent walking sim supporters would be able to enjoy it.
Empathy: Path of Whispers is a walking simulator with a fascinating world that doesn't quite unravel the way you'll want it to.
Empathy: Path of Whispers attempts to tell a series of intriguing personal stories in a mysterious, abandoned world. The end result however is a visually dated, largely boring, and technically broken game that doesn't deserve your time and money.
