I'll keep this review short and sweet, very similar to this DLC. As a huge fan of the base game, I was really looking forward to getting to experience The Marble Nest. In many ways, the DLC was exactly what I wanted it to be, and in other ways it disappointed me.
The best part of this DLC was how it gave me a taste of playing as the Bachelor. I haven't played Pathologic Classic HD yet (I think I need some time to mentally prepare for that one), so I didn't know much about what I could expect to experience when playing as Bachelor. The game's incredible writing allows for the game to make him feel so much different than the Haruspex. I felt like I was an entirely different character, not just experiencing a different storyline but maintaining the type of character I wanted to be.
I also loved the opening of this DLC and how it has its own self-contained story. I have no clue if the events of this DLC happen in the Bachelor's route in the original Pathologic, but this premise was incredibly dark and interesting to experience. While it isn't as perfect as the base game by any stretch of the imagination, I was intrigued the entire way through.
As for the cons, this DLC is incredibly short. It will take a veteran player only around an hour to complete, maybe even less if you know what to do. The DLC has 4 different endings to achieve, so that is a plus. But the DLC just lacks any kind of challenge or threat. Bachelor's bars simply never deplete. I think I only had to eat once in the entire DLC, let alone drink water or worry about my immunity. There are a handful of required texts throughout the DLC, all of which were engaging and interesting. But there's a tooooooon of interesting side missions that you can easily miss. Some of this content was pretty cool, and maybe should've been required in the main quests of the DLC.
All in all, this is a good DLC for Pathologic 2 that sort of acts as a demo for the Bachelor route. I have absolutely no clue if we're ever going to get the other two routes from the original Pathologic in this game, but at the very least I can say that this DLC was a great time playing through. Will I ever revisit it? No, I don't see that happening. But a good time and a good reminder of why I adore this game.
The best part of this DLC was how it gave me a taste of playing as the Bachelor. I haven't played Pathologic Classic HD yet (I think I need some time to mentally prepare for that one), so I didn't know much about what I could expect to experience when playing as Bachelor. The game's incredible writing allows for the game to make him feel so much different than the Haruspex. I felt like I was an entirely different character, not just experiencing a different storyline but maintaining the type of character I wanted to be.
I also loved the opening of this DLC and how it has its own self-contained story. I have no clue if the events of this DLC happen in the Bachelor's route in the original Pathologic, but this premise was incredibly dark and interesting to experience. While it isn't as perfect as the base game by any stretch of the imagination, I was intrigued the entire way through.
As for the cons, this DLC is incredibly short. It will take a veteran player only around an hour to complete, maybe even less if you know what to do. The DLC has 4 different endings to achieve, so that is a plus. But the DLC just lacks any kind of challenge or threat. Bachelor's bars simply never deplete. I think I only had to eat once in the entire DLC, let alone drink water or worry about my immunity. There are a handful of required texts throughout the DLC, all of which were engaging and interesting. But there's a tooooooon of interesting side missions that you can easily miss. Some of this content was pretty cool, and maybe should've been required in the main quests of the DLC.
All in all, this is a good DLC for Pathologic 2 that sort of acts as a demo for the Bachelor route. I have absolutely no clue if we're ever going to get the other two routes from the original Pathologic in this game, but at the very least I can say that this DLC was a great time playing through. Will I ever revisit it? No, I don't see that happening. But a good time and a good reminder of why I adore this game.