Pathologic 3 stars the infamous Bachelor and adds time travel

The Pathologic games are cult classics, beloved by fans for their deep characters, branching story choices, and punishing consequences. On Monday, developer Ice-Pick Lodge announced the release of Pathological 3which is expected to be released in 2025. While the Pathologic games are notoriously tough, this one offers the player a powerful new tool: time travel.

The original Pathological tells three stories from three very different perspectives: the Bachelor, the Haruspex and the Changeling. Pathological 2 was an expanded and much more accessible retelling of the game from the perspective of the Haruspex, a local healer with deep roots in the small town. Pathological 3 puts players in the shoes of the bachelor, Daniil Dankovsky, a city slicker and doctor obsessed with defeating death.

Like the previous episodes, Pathological 3 orders the Bachelor to save the city within twelve days. However, time travel allows him to go back and influence key events, reshaping the story. The bachelor also has access to more advanced tools than the Haruspex Pathological 2. Players will need to diagnose and treat patients, use a microscope to develop treatments, and deploy quarantines and patrols to control the population.

Pathological 2 was originally funded through Kickstarter, and fans who backed the original crowdfunding campaign will receive the same Pathological 3 free. The Bachelor previously starred in The Marble Nesta gameplay demo for Kickstarter backers. Now Dankovsky gets to star in his own play, which will undoubtedly be just as gripping and gruesome as its predecessors.