The Path creeps us out with launch trailer
by Justin McElroy 
{ Mar 11th 2009 at 11:21AM }
Is it worth $9.99 to you to lose your sanity in a modern retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood"? It's a decision you'll have to make for yourself when this ... game (if that's the right word) hits Steam and Direct2Drive on March 18.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Shagittarius @ Mar 11th 2009 11:36AM
The art seems to be lacking for a game that needs atmosphere. Also did they steal their animations from the sims?
It looks to me like the overall look and feel of this game is not achived making it look like a bargain bin adventure game.
Gonna skip it.
Roofie @ Mar 11th 2009 11:40AM
It's $9.99 new... how much more bargain bin can you get? Would you like for it to be $5?
I think it looks pretty fun. It's probably worth the $10, considering how much so many people are willing to spend on shitty downloadable games on XBLA or PSN (looking back on my own purchases, I know this is the case).
Shagittarius @ Mar 11th 2009 11:44AM
I meant bargain as in crap, not bargain as in worth the 9.99.
Freeze @ Mar 11th 2009 11:45AM
What is the deal with horror and females? The females are ALWAYS the protagonist in every, if not most, horror movie out there. The little girl thing is stale and played out. The woods thing...yawn. I did like the catchy tune that started at 1:57. Cool bass
Sir Buzz Killington( The Artist formerly known as Jakka) @ Mar 11th 2009 11:51AM
Double standards. Women did finally prove to be good in masculine action roles (look at Alien) but someone at Hollywood still can't stand the idea of a straight non-gay man being mind raped to the point where he's crying like a little girl.
Courtney @ Mar 11th 2009 12:03PM
Buzz, I would say that has to do a lot with the expected target demographic of mainstream horror flicks: young males. I would say that the producers and writers don't think that audience would welcome seeing someone they can legitimately identify with being broken down in such a way.
Freeze @ Mar 11th 2009 12:13PM
Ok maybe I should of said we need more males leads than females in horror movies. I don't think butches constitute anything for actually having a guy as a lead. Wait there was actually one movie I know of that did have a guy as a lead role which was Hellraiser: Hellseeker.
Levi (God Hand Defense Force) @ Mar 11th 2009 3:57PM
There is a subversive sexuality in most horror films (some very overt), and naturally with men being the more violent of the sexes, most plots follow a male aggressor/female victim storyline. Think about the few horror films that focus on male on male violence. Hostel is the only one I can think of right now (I know there is more), and it comes of as very homosexual to me (mainly because the main killer is homosexual).
Another thing to think about is the method of the killing. It is either done with a protruding object, such as a knife (phallic symbol) entering a body or through bludgeoning (thrusting or physical impact).
Sorry to get all Freudian on you guys, but that's just a few of the things in the back of my mind when I watch horror films. I think there is strong psycho-sexuality in all horror films (please don't call the cops).
Freeze @ Mar 11th 2009 6:19PM
No i wont call the cops but I do have a story for you. This is to see if you're a psycho.
A woman and her sister buried their mother on a Saturday. As the woman was crying she looked up and seen a mysterious but handsome guy right on the opposite side of her. She never seen him before and was wondering where he came from.
So when the woman and her sister got home she asked her sister if she seen the mysterious but handsome guy before. The sister replied, "no". So the woman grabbed a knife and killed her sister then buried her on a Saturday.
So my question is...why did the woman kill her sister?
Levi (God Hand Defense Force) @ Mar 11th 2009 11:00PM
Her...sister?...
*Flips out, shoots Freeze through a wall and shoots him again*
Huh, I'm not psycho, I'm a replicant!
Mike @ Mar 11th 2009 11:58AM
The narration in that clip is terrible.
Mayne @ Mar 11th 2009 12:31PM
Yes, it was. It just sounded like they hired a female local radio host or something... someone who can read the news, carry on a conversation and introduce the next song, but who doesn't actually have a knack for narration, much less acting...
Fitz @ Mar 11th 2009 1:33PM
Yeah, amateur hour big time.
Ibere @ Mar 11th 2009 6:05PM
Sounds like the intro for Meatloaf's "You Took The Words Right Out of My Mouth", that talks about a "wolf with the red roses", so I imagine it is probably a reference to it.
Bill Pullman @ Mar 13th 2009 3:17PM
i thought so too; the recording itself was shockingly poor. it sounded like someone speaking thru a 5-dollar LabTech mic, straight into a SB sound card! you'd think someone would at least spring for a pop filter!
C lab Cpn @ Mar 11th 2009 12:09PM
The whole thing made me thing of a Dredg video, or possibly Hot Topic.
aaronx_x @ Mar 11th 2009 12:27PM
i hear a phone sex operator ladi. looks weird :]
player66 @ Mar 11th 2009 1:13PM
That is some of the most Am-Dram VO work I've ever heard. I know this game has a limited budget, but come on. I was considering picking this up on Steam before watching this cringe worthy trailer. Sorry folks, you've got to get professional talent for a modern game.
Levi (God Hand Defense Force) @ Mar 11th 2009 4:03PM
This looks like a lost Dreamcast game. Not to knock the Dreamcast (It was my favorite system that I unfortunately never owned), but come on, this looks bad even for a budget game.
Noldster @ Mar 12th 2009 1:00AM
indeed
BoBoTheChimp @ Mar 12th 2009 8:31AM
W...T...F...
alessar @ Mar 12th 2009 12:29PM
I like the basic idea of the game but the execution looks terrible. If it was a Nintendo DS game ... then the graphics might be acceptable. it looks like machinima made with the Sims engine.
Emriss @ Mar 20th 2009 2:07AM
WARNING: Wall of Text ahead.
Gah, I hate how ToT screwed up on the trailer. It really doesn't give the right impression.
I actually think it's good quality, but give 'em a break if you don't like it. It's two people and a handful of freelancers. The essence of indie games. And don't let the voice thing turn you off it; there's actually only smatterings of text and no speech in the game.
Hehe, it's a 'game' in the loosest sense of the word. Even the controls are strange; you interact with something by just letting go; the only thing you can really affect is where your character is, what they focus on, and what happens to them in the end. Hell, the only 'rule' is to stay on the path where it's safe. Do so, you'll run along for a bit, arrive at grandmothers house, go through that, then get sent back to the beginning with failing marks. You have to break the rules. Leave the path and explore the forest around you. Tale of Tales focuses on using the videogame medium for artistic projects. If you've ever played a game with any depth to it, then I'd recommend checking this out. After all, it's only 10 bucks.
They discard things like puzzles and all that to leave you with what they really wanted to create: something atmospheric and meaningful. Everything that happens in the game is a metaphor. The forest itself may be nothing more than a dreamscape, where absolutely nothing is meant to be taken literally. You won't get much out of it if you insist on taking it at face value, which is what all of you seem to be doing.
Horror: it’s all psychological. There aren’t any cheap two-second and-then-a-skeleton-popped-out scares. It doesn’t make you hesitant to turn out the lights, but it does beat up your brain and leave you to sit back and go, “Ok…what just happened?”
Female protagonists: yeah, bits of the concept are based on Little Red Riding Hood. And there are intentional sexual connotations, if you decide to interpret it that way; after all, the original tale was believed to be about youth and sexuality. But it doesn't focus on it in a 'LOOK BEWBS!' way.
They are stereotypical female roles; they're supposed to be. Each of the six characters you can play represents a different archetype, and...
Ok, look. I could go on for pages. I'm asking you people to not dismiss this as the random ravings of a dedicated fan (which they kinda are, but hey :P) and please at least check out the ToT forum for The Path. Do some research, be wary of spoiler tags, and you might find it's something you'll enjoy. I love this game to death, even if my piece of crap comp can only run it on lowest settings. It makes me think; at the end of each run, I have to take a moment to start figuring out what it all means, and there’s no right answer; interpret it as you will. It fleshes out the characters and makes me feel for them so that I'm sad when I decide it's time to bring about their deaths. Yes, if you explore all aspects of The Path, you character will die, and you're not supposed to avoid it. It's all part of a story being told. And I'm telling you, it's worth it.
/rant