History VideoGame / ThePath

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Carmen has violet hair. Also, [[http://gothred.livejournal.com/1319.html on her LJ]] Ruby says that her black hair was originally green. [[spoiler: It may sound like a joke, but after her "success" at Grandmother's house there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot of her with green hair.]]

* FilleFatatle: Carmen is very aware of her sex appeal, enjoys flaunting herself to older men, and the tie-in blogs even refer to her as 'Sexy Red'. She's also sixteen.

* AllWomenAreLustful: [[spoiler:Carmen]]'s end. [[spoiler:She recklessly went and started to seduce her wolf, who just wanted to be left alone.]] At grandma's house, the strong implications of [[spoiler:Carmen suffering a rape]] show that at the end, her wolf gave her what he ''thought'' she wanted, though it ''wasn't'' what she wanted ''at all''.

* BeAWhoreToGetYourMan: Carmen seems to believe in this, but is ignorant of the actual lifestyle. [[spoiler:While her wolf just wants to be left alone to chop his trees, ''she'' is the one making all the moves and seducing him.]]

* TheFairFolk: [[spoiler:Scarlett's wolf seems to be this, as it is named "Fey wolf".]]

* FemmeFatale: Carmen wants to be one.

* GrowingUpSucks: [[spoiler:A common interpretation of the game. The [[Literature/LittleRedRidingHood original story]] has been interpreted by some to be about puberty. In the case of each girl, they more or less are taught a "life lesson" by their wolf before they reach Grandma's house. At the end of their "path" (or life) [[WeAreAsMayflies lies nothing but death]]. So hence, in each case, the girl is more or less losing their childhood innocence; Carmen loses it in the most obvious way, but Robin learns about death (she meets her wolf in a cemetery and has thoughts that are very much not at ease with the nature of death).]]

* VisualInnuendo: [[spoiler:After each girl's encounter with their wolf, they wake up with body language that suggests... ahem... rough treatment; they move sluggishly and limp across the bridge to Grandma's in a torrent of rain. Also, at least two of the wolf encounters seem somewhat sexualized. Carmen essentially seduces her wolf.]]

* LooksLikeSheIsEnjoyingIt: In Grandmother's house for [[spoiler:Carmen]], there are the sounds of saws and chopping, as well as someone moaning. It's either the sound of Grandmother in pain or [[spoiler:Carmen mid-coitus -- consensual or not.]]

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 [[http://tale-of-tales.com/ThePath/ here]]. The game is also available on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/27000/ here]].

* SpiritAdvisor: Possible interpretation of the Girl in White.

* StealthPun: [[spoiler:Scarlet's wolf is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.]][[spoiler:Ginger's wolf is a wolf in sheep's clothing.]]

** And 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 the map whenever you want so you don't get lost.]] The game is a master of mixed messages.

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

* AllThereInTheManual: All six girls have their own [=LiveJournal=] page. And the official website details information otherwise unmentioned in-game, such as the characters' ages.

* DeadpanSnarker: Ruby seems to be this. “A scarecrow. And no birds. Efficient! Wish I had one to keep the idiots away.”

* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: All of them except for Ginger. And Ruby dyed her hair black.

* GrowingUpSucks: [[spoiler:A common interpretation of the game. The [[Literature/LittleRedRidingHood original story]] has been interpreted by some to be about puberty. In the case of each girl, they more or less are taught a "life lesson" by their wolf before they reach Grandma's house. And at the end of their "path" (or life) [[WeAreAsMayflies lies nothing but death]]. So hence, in each case, the girl is more or less losing their childhood innocence; Carmen loses it in the most obvious way, but Robin learns about death (she meets her wolf in a cemetery and has thoughts that are very much not at ease with the nature of death).]]

* SurrealHorror: The woods, especially if it's night. And did we mention Grandma's house?

''The Path'' is not really a game in the conventional sense, in that there are no enemies, no points, no levels, no bosses, and the goals are vague at best; in fact, the only thing that resembles a game in this is a grading system that grades you on how far you traveled and how many items you've collected along the way, though the creators tell you to disregard it. ''The Path'' is [[ArtGame more of an experience]], a combination of atmosphere and ambiguous storytelling to create a sense of real emotion rarely found in other things. It could be seen as a prototypical example of the EnvironmentalNarrativeGame, due to its minimalist mechanics and emphasis on storytelling and exploration. That being said, it is certainly not for everyone. The game, though short, is slow and borders on repetitive. It is not for the impatient. And with its subtle references to violence and sex, it is ''definitely'' [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids not for kids]].

* AllWomenAreLustful: [[spoiler:Carmen]]'s end. [[spoiler:She recklessly went and started to seduce her wolf, who just wanted to be left alone.]] At grandma's house, the strong implications of [[spoiler:Carmen suffering a rape]] show that at the end, her wolf give her what he ''thought'' she wanted, though it ''wasn't'' what she wanted ''at all''.

* [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl Tomboy And Girly Girls]]: Ginger is the tomboy, her sisters are girly girls.

* [[spoiler:WolfMan / OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: Robin's wolf.]]

* DarkReprise: In [[spoiler:Rose's version of Grandma's house]], you can hear her nervously singing to herself the safe song that plays when you're on the path.

* WomanInWhite: The aforementioned Girl in White.

* StealthPun: [[spoiler:Scarlet's wolf is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.]]

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. You can buy it [[http://tale-of-tales.com/ThePath/ here]]. The game is also available on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/27000/ here]].

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* SinisterScrapingSound: The theme song of [[spoiler:Scarlet's wolf]] contains the sound of a knife being sharpened. Perhaps [[{{Main/Foreshadowing}} a reference]] to its [[spoiler:long fingernails]]?

* QuicksandBox: Though relatively small, it's incredibly easy to get completely lost in the woods and find yourself wandering aimlessly for ages if you try to get back on the path.
** The map loops in hard to understand ways. For example, ''WebVideo/TwoBestFriendsPlay'' found the graveyard, then walked in a straight line away from it. They found it again ''three'' more times, even though conciously trying to avoid it.

* BreakTheCutie: Some of the girls, mostly the younger ones, seem to encounter the wolf out of naiveté and innocence rather than knowingly making poor decisions.

** A failed attempt of this happens with [[spoiler: Rose, Ruby and Carmen]] who sing it desperately as they get confronted with [[spoiler:
the horror of post-wolf grandma's house]].

* ShoutOut: [[RubyGloom Ruby]], anyone?

* {{Expy}}: Several. Ginger is modeled after a young NataliePortman, Rose's hair is a variant on [[Anime/SerialExperimentsLain Lain's hair]], and Ruby bears a striking resemblance to ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'s'' Lydia.

* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: All of them except for Ginger. And Ruby dyed her hair black.

* QuickSandBox: Though relatively small, it's incredibly easy to get completely lost in the woods and find yourself wandering aimlessly for ages if you try to get back on the path.