History VideoGame / ThePath

If you wish to get the full experience out of the game, stop reading now and play it for yourself. Most of the fun is in not knowing what comes next. It first came out in 2009 on [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PC]], and you can buy it [[https://taleoftales.itch.io/the-path here]]. The game is also available on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/27000/ here]].

* LevelMapDisplay: The game will show the player's trail every 100 meters.

* VideoGameGeography: The forest uses a wrap around mechanic, although backgracking on the path and running past Grandmother's house has some special handling.

%%* DoesNotLikeShoes: Ginger.

* CameraScrew: Normally, the camera follows you from behind, but at certain parts in the forest, the camera will jump to a fixed point, changing the controls from "forward is where the camera faces" to "forward is where the girl is facing". Also, when you run for a few seconds, the camera pans back, giving you a limited view of what's ahead.

* DysfunctionalFamily: The entire family is quite messed up when you look right past the surface. Grandmother's a disabled shell of a women, too ill to get out of bed or move, [[spoiler:and potentially an alcoholic as each sister brings her a new bottle of wine.]] Their Mother is almost never home, leaving a barely adult Scarlet to take care of herself and five sisters. Scarlet's overworked and isolated from her peers, giving up her life too look after her sisters, [[spoiler:she's on the brink of a mental break and attempting suicide, wanting nothing more than to escape her family to become a musician.]] Carmen's a self obsessed teenager with an inferority complex who wants nothing more than to be in a relationship [[spoiler:and is willing to change or do anything to have someone love her, whether its violent sex or becoming a completely different person for her lover.]] Ruby's a disabled mentally ill teenager willing to [[spoiler:do drugs, harm herself and commit crimes if it makes her friends like her]]. Ginger's a loner rebel [[spoiler:always preparing to run away from getting hurt, rejecting femininity and growing up as much as she can despite her oncoming puberty, and is a heavily closted lesbian/trans person]]. Rose is nearly always in her own world, so disconnected that she invented her own worldview where everything is either good or bad, and expects that her life will turn out just like Scarlet's. Robin is extremely sheltered, unaware of any sort of danger but [[spoiler:incredibly aware of her families financial situation, and doesn't understand how close her grandmother is to death.]]

* DysfunctionalFamily: The entire family is quite messed up when you look right pass the surface. Grandmother's a disabled shell of a women, too ill to get out of bed or move, [[spoiler:and potentially an alcoholic as each sister brings her a new bottle of wine.]] Their Mother is almost never home, leaving a barely adult Scarlet to take care of herself and five sisters. Scarlet's overworked and isolated from her peers, giving up her life too look after her sisters, [[spoiler:she's on the brink of a mental break and attempting suicide, wanting nothing more than to escape her family to become a musician.]] Carmen's a self obsessed teenager with an inferority complex who wants nothing more than to be in a relationship [[spoiler:and is willing to change or do anything to have someone love her, whether its violent sex or becoming a completely different person for her lover.]] Ruby's a disabled mentally ill teenager willing to [[spoiler:do drugs, harm herself and commit crimes if it makes her friends like her]]. Ginger's a loner rebel [[spoiler:always preparing to run away from getting hurt, rejecting femininity and growing up as much as she can despite her oncoming puberty, and is a heavily closted lesbian/trans person]]. Rose is nearly always in her own world, so disconnected that she invented her own worldview where everything is either good or bad, and expects that her life will turn out just like Scarlet's. Robin is extremely sheltered, unaware of any sort of danger but [[spoiler:incredibly aware of her families financial situation, and doesn't understand how close her grandmother is to death.]]

* BadassLongcoat: [[spoiler:Scarlet's wolf]].
* BaldOfEvil: [[spoiler:Carmen's wolf]].

* CuriosityKilledTheCast

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Ginger.
* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Maybe so, maybe not.]]

* EnvironmentalSymbolism

* FriendToAllLivingThings: Rose.

* {{Goth}}: Ruby.

* SexyWalk: Carmen tries to pull it off.

* StayOnThePath: Except you mustn't.

* ThereCanBeOnlyOne

* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Ginger is the tomboy, her sisters are girly girls.

* ViolationOfCommonSense: The only way to proceed in the game is to do the opposite of what the game first tells you to do.
** Even then, with all the warnings that you can only complete the game by straying from the path, if you stay on the path and do what you're told multiple times, [[AntiFrustrationFeatures you can access to the map whenever you want so you don't get lost.]] The game is a master of mixed messages.

* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Rose tries to be this.
* WolfMan / OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: [[spoiler:Robin's wolf.]]
* WoobieFamily: The entire game shows this.
* WorldOfSymbolism

* YellowBrickRoad: Subverted; see ViolationOfCommonSense.

* KillEmAll

* DysfunctionalFamily: The entire family is quite messed up when you look right pass the surface. Grandmother's a disabled shell of a women, too ill to get out of bed or move, [[spoiler:and potentially an alcoholic as each sister brings her a new bottle of wine.]] Their Mother is almost never home, leaving a barely adult Scarlet to take care of herself and five sisters. Scarlet's overworked and isolated from her peers, giving up her life too look after her sisters [[spoiler:she's on the brink of a mental break and attempting suicide, wanting nothing more than to escape her family to become a musician.]] Carmen's a self obsessed teenager with an inferority complex who wants nothing more than to be in a relationship [[spoiler:and is willing to change or do anything to have someone love her, whether its violent sex or becoming a completely different person for her lover.]] Ruby's a disabled mentally ill teenager willing to [[spoiler:do drugs, harm herself and commit crimes if it makes her friends like her]]. Ginger's a loner rebel [[spoiler:always preparing to run away from getting hurt, rejecting femininity and growing up as much as she can despite her oncoming puberty, and is a heavily closted lesbian/trans person]]. Rose is nearly always in her own world, so disconnected that she invented her own worldview where everything is either good or bad, and expects that her life will turn out just like Scarlet's. Robin is extremely sheltered, unaware of any sort of danger but [[spoiler:incredibly aware of her families financial situation, and doesn't understand how close her grandmother is to death.]]

* ColourfulThemeNaming: The names of all six girls are associated with the color red, and in fact, "Red" can be used as a surname for all of them to create a small color-themed pun: Robin Red(breast), Ginger Red, Rose Red, Ruby Red, Carmen (Carmine) Red, and Scarlet Red.