Pathways Into Darkness

"Bungie's first FPS, an all-too successful attempt"

I've not played this game for many years. It's available only on the Mac and as of this review no rabid Bungie fan boy has been devout enough to take the effort to emulate Pathways into Darkness over to Windows. Can't blame them, there's the Marathon series, too after all. However, Pathways into Darkness is a classic. This is Bungie's second video game (following Minotaur), and not only their first FPS, but the first FPS on the Mac. Like I said; 'classic', comparable and contrastable in many ways to id's own history and their own Wolfenstein 3-D (hey, they both have Nazis, but the ones in PiD are already dead). Enough bantering though, what exactly does make this game special?

Gameplay: 9/10

Pathways was released in 1993, a time when the most impressive FPS was Doom, and understandably so. Unlike Doom and every FPS I've ever graced, Pathways worked in it's own unique way. For it's time it was a fairly complex shooter, like other games it had it's fair share of puzzles developed in it's own style, but instead of roaming around endlessly finding the right switches to press Pathways offered more. Throughout the game one found different crystals to use, they were differentiated by their color and function. Probably the most interesting one (and a prominent as well as necessary feature in Pathways) was a crystal used to communicate with fallen comrades as well as expeditionaries (in this case, the Nazis). Upon starting communication with the crystal the player is prompted with a box and allowed to ask the deceased questions to either get hints on monsters, progress the storyline, try to solve a puzzle, or you could ask them about their comrades (in some cases they might not consider their teammates to be such great guys, though). All in all, a very impressive feature that I've yet to see replicated in some shape or form in another game.

I haven't even gotten to the action yet. Oh boy the action... there's a great variety of monsters to fight here, from rock-throwing gargantuan's that prance about to mud-slingers to exploding flying creatures to ancient hissing mummies and much more. Each of them worked in their own way and threatened you with their different abilities. Probably the most threatening being the phantoms to which to earthly weapon could damage. Speaking of weapons... as the player you're allowed to accumulate a pretty impressive arsenal. Namely modern American weapons, but also due to Nazi explorations you're allowed to collect German weapons circa World War II. Certain weapons even allow for different types of ammo, the three being normal, HE (high explosive) or AP (armor piercing). A tactician is able to select the different kind of ammo they like to use and apply it accordingly to who (or what) they're fighting.

Pathways also includes other small features in the gameplay. This includes a box that gauges your expertise with each weapon, as well as your progress and how much treasure you've manage to ogle. (measuring your treasure by the $1,000's) Other features among the nifty log allow you to search dead bodies for treasure, accessories and weapons & ammo as well as allow yourself some rest. Resting isn't something one can do at any given time, for a monster can always of course knock you out of your head and back into reality.

Graphics: 6/10

It's been almost ten years since I last played the game, but Bungie needn't provide me screens for me to remember the graphics. As far as establishing a mood goes I'd say that these early graphics easily reflected Bungie themselves. Cartoonish but with a serious side. While the graphics did look cartoonish, they still retained a level of detail that was enough to appreciate. Animations were superb (I love watching the purple floaty things blow up) and it doesn't take much to tell that only a handful of people made this game but put their all into it. Moreover is not just the appearance of the monsters, but the fog. Well, fog's not exactly the right word to use here, but like fog, your depth of perception is limited. Limited by the PATHWAYS INTO DARKNESS!!! (bum bum bum) Seriously, you aren't allowed to see but 20 feet ahead of you. I wouldn't say this is due to lack of technology or knowledge in programming, but more of an aspect of gameplay. (yet I describe it in the graphics)

The game isn't much for a GUI, unfortunately. Pathways supported four child windows (first person screen, inventory, status and log), all of which used the player's default Macintosh GUI. In addition to un-impressiveness the game lets down in environment. While the graphics for the environment aren't bad, it's the lack of variety. Levels seem to only vary slightly as far as graphics are concerned. When there actually are graphics on the floor they're usually the same on the roof, too.

Sound: 8/10

And there's just sound. I may be wrong seeing as how I haven't played the game in oh so long, but if I remember correctly they use ambient sound and no music. There's nothing to complain about for the sounds, they're assigned accordingly and they sound great. Each monster has it's own set of sounds, giving you hint that they're somewhere nearby. Bungie achieves this greatly. I still remember walking through the corridors in the levels and hearing the hisss of a nearby zombie, then quickly bringing up my guard, rotating around trying to find nothing. The pathways carry sound well, leaving you to stray from your path to possibly hunt down a potential threat that could very well disturb you in the future.

Story: 8/10

This is an aspect that Bungie always comes through with. Pathways could have very well been a foreshadowing to the enjoyable and in-depth-ness that Bungie would explore and improve on in later titles (most notably the Marathon series). The story writer in an interview claims he chose one story of many rejects in between his two extreme choices, too simple and too complicated (or rather, too involved, hardcore Bungie fans are probably aware of the rare signs of revitalization of this storyline hinted at various times in the Marathon trilogy, but I'm getting off track). In Pathways you play as a U.S. soldier sent into the jungle to find a temple and destroy it. Unfortunately, the expedition went awry, you're left behind, unconscious and thought to be dead by the rest of your comrades who went forth in hopes to complete the mission. Hours later you wake up, all you have is your knife, a broken M-16 and a .45 without any ammo. (not to mention your wristwatch) As you go along you find out more information as to the temple, the secrets hidden within, the fate of your teammates and those before them, and face hordes of various monsters.

Overall: 8/10

Pathways is a very fun game in the end. If you'd like a FPS that strays from the path, then Pathways is a great choice. Nearly every aspect is easy to enjoy and original to boot. Playing the game goes just beyond the click and shoot monotony of many FPS old and new, and offers interesting puzzles that actually provoke a train of thought rather than just trekking around for minutes for the next switch to unlock the next door. I played this game for
hours on end back when I could and was never let down. For fans of the Bungie FPS, you shouldn't miss the game that started it all. Whereas most predecessors to more successful games seem to lack in all aspects, Pathways rebels in this fashion and offers features not available in other games and allows itself to be veritable enough not to be simply compared as a ''lesser Marathon game''.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/25/03