First released in 2005, Pathologic carved out a niche by containing elements of the survival and RPG genres with a layer of distinctly surreal horror on top. Its eerie world, strange characters, dense philosophical musings, and often unforgiving gameplay created an experience unlike many others. Pathologic's experimental nature and twists on traditional design subsequently made it a cult classic, with an HD remastered version dropping in 2015. Pathologic 2 then launched in 2019 after being successfully Kickstarted, though it was more of a modern reimagining rather than a full sequel, and focused on a single character's tale out of the three contained in the original.