Review: The Deadly Path (PC)

If you ever get the urge to be the boss of a nightmarish corporate hellscape run by ancient gods who want nothing more than chaos, then “The Deadly Path” might be your thing—though, honestly, why? Anyway, it’s a roguelike strategy game (whatever that exactly means sometimes) where you’re this Custodian dude. Or dudette. You’re basically trying to keep these almighty beings happy by building dungeons, juggling resources, and keeping out unwanted guests. It’s all base-building, resource managing, survival vibe, but with a twisted sense of humor. Probably.

First thought? The whole concept is intriguing in this weird, can’t-look-away kind of way. I mean, managing demands of finicky deities while growing your underworld power—sounds like something out of a gothic executive’s fantasy. And there’s this board game strategy feel with the tile-based system. Oh, and the artwork? Spooky and moody with a side of eerie—like the soundtrack that’s practically begging you to start a summoning circle at midnight. Not that I’ve tried… yet.

But, let me tell you, the cracks start showing pretty quickly. The user interface is a downright disaster. Info that you need is hidden so well you’d think it’s part of the game’s challenge. Things clutter the screen like a garage sale gone wrong. And there’s this super annoying glitch where the game just unpauses itself when you’re navigating menus. Seriously, who thought that was okay? It’s bad enough you’re racing against a clock, but then this nonsense? The anxiety goes from zero to panic fast.

Oh, where was I? Right. The difficulty—it’s not even a curve. It’s more of a brick wall covered in spikes. If you think you’re getting a gentle nudge with new mechanics, think again. They throw you to the wolves. Didn’t read the manual (or Reddit forums)? You’re toast. Learning is basically the school of hard knocks here—fire and brimstone style.

And the grind… don’t even get me started. Early progress is like watching paint dry—while carrying a boulder uphill. Unlocking anything meaningful needs way too much time and effort. Those first few hours? Might as well be dragging yourself through a sandstorm—glitches and all.

Pacing? Who knows what that even means in this game. You’re waiting forever for resources, and then bam! All chaos breaks loose because some cosmic deity’s in a bad mood. It’s like a drummer who can’t stick to one tempo. There’s potential here if everything didn’t feel like spinning plates while riding a unicycle.

In a nutshell, “The Deadly Path” is all creepy charm and campy potential, but it’s kind of stuck in this purgatory of frustration right now. If you enjoy being punished or micromanaging disasters, jump right in. For everyone else, maybe wait till the developers iron out the kinks—or at least some of them.

Anyway, that’s the gist. This whole review, by the way, comes from a retail copy provided by the publisher. So, yeah, there it is.