Ice-Pick Lodge made quite the impression with Pathologic 2, a psychological horror survival game set in the decaying town of Haruspex. Though it received mixed reviews from critics, a cult following quickly developed around the game, praising its punishing survival mechanics. The developer is now working on the next chapter, dubbed “Bachelor’s scenario“.
In a recent update, it said that, “The continuation of Pathologic 2 should not be treated lightly. The first chapter showed us all the pros and cons of our game design. We’d want to take into account all the mistakes we made and raise the bar higher. But this takes some time.
“We’re looking for a way to make the Bachelor’s gameplay quite different from the one you’ve experienced during the Haruspex. And we want to achieve this goal using the instruments we already have. Nikolai is writing the script. Everyone’s busy doing their own thing. You will see the game in the foreseeable future.”
The developer is also working on a number of other titles, including Know by Heart. Coming to Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch before iPhone and Android, the story is set in the Russian province and focuses on Misha who reunites with his childhood friends. Everything seems to be going great until the reunion is “ruined by something beyond their control.”
Other titles include Neuro Skazka and Franz, both coming to iOS and Android. The former is about a universe growing within the brain of a sleeping god. The brain is described as the “equivalent of a solar system, and planets are its neurons. The player will have to turn the celestial bodies into full-fledged anthropomorphic creatures endowed with mind and identity.” It’s described as a twist on the “‘evolution’ genre through the prism of bio horror.”
On the other hand, Franz is more of an experiment, created from mechanics that could possibly appear in Bachelor’s scenario. It’s a “variation of a Chinese room argument that was first presented by philosopher John Searle” that focuses on “criticism of artificial intelligence and how it is being perceived by a neutral observer. Is it true that we have full control over the game? Or is there a chance that it just gives us such a feeling?”
As interesting as all these projects sound, Ice-Pick Lodge isn’t announcing release dates yet. The good news is that more details and information will be made available through the year. Stay tuned in the meantime.
