Pathologic 2 is easily the best written game I've played, and whether that notion inherently correlates to something being the peak of the medium is your choice to make. For me, that is not the case; but Pathologic has an insistence on backing up its strengths thematically with extremely rich gameplay.

The root of all things in life is contrast (and by extension context) which Pathologic delights in applying to its mechanics and flow to imbue them with more life than you'd be able to decipher from a mere surface level analysis. Getting an item of value is contrasted only by having something without value, so naturally Pathologic puts the economy in a constant state of shift and uncertainty that enforces the meaning of victories; even if they're only to be met with more suffering. The context part is more relevant to the game at large; Pathologic adds context from its excellently written and thought-provoking narrative to the act of walking. A constant timer ticks down as quest chains are divided into separate days with separate events within that day, thus requiring the player to always be thinking both about what they can do (to assess its value, in contrast to the less valuable) and what they will do; not an easy choice to make in a game with extremely abstract and nuanced writing that demands you think before you act. Your contextual expectations may prove to be your downfall as you can't create a new context to predict things approaching in a vacuum, as the days get darker and more hopeless with time.

The beauty of Pathologic 2's game design is that it builds a game out of expectations and thoughts, even when it's actually not all that complicated. Sure, there are definitely mechanics at play that absolutely intertwine in excellent ways, but they're not always much more complicated than your average survival game. Pathologic insists on tricking you and scaring you; it likes to tell you things will be worse than they truly are, and it wants you to struggle for thinking you dared to know how things will be. Only via remaining in a state of constant questioning and preparation can you be ready to take on the games heaviest days, when bodies fall left and right and you just can't deal with it. This is also effectively my takeaway on a deeper story analysis. There is extremely nuanced theming here, but if I am to state what I think it's trying to say: nothing. Not literally nothing, but rather I don't think it wants one to take away a strict impression; it's a game of much detail and you even get the opportunity to take on different roles, where you fail and succeed either way. Every character speaks in riddles that make you question yourself, and yet it doesn't matter if you did the opposite anyways, things still go wrong. However, I think if I am to touch upon themes it wants you to start having something to say about: individuality versus collectivism, industry versus environment, reality versus mythology, supply versus demand... I could keep going, but everything is connected here. The theme of connection, thread and the Lines (as the game puts it) is impossible to ignore; there is a tie between everything, and almost every interpretation will feed into every aspect no matter what. It has a multitude of direct concepts it tries to state: that man does not belong in civilization, that civilization is a tumor that is hurting Gaia, that collectivism is to achieve true immortality by feeding into the greater force than you that can never truly die, but then is quick to convey that; no matter what, man is to become a hivemind regardless and that this is not always positive, as the town descends into madness solely by the unintelligent hands of its own citizens. About the only thing truly wrong one can do in this situation where "right" is a mere theory, is think they know it all; no one does. Don't get me started on the meta-theatrical elements.

The strongest critiques likely land squarely in technicalities (it's a slavic studio so I cut them some slack; the game is still refined enough to have good menus) and areas of failed interactivity: I think there are large possibilities for characters to possibly get more involved in some questlines, I think there was more room for interesting stealth, I think the soundtrack is a little lacking in memorability, I think a more punishing save system ala Resident Evil could have added more pressure and I think structurally the sense of escalation actually eases a bit through the later days as you run out of questlines to fail and characters die regardless, but still, point gets across. The best argument I could have is that Artemy is inconsistent in choices you're given, since sometimes it seems like you can steer him in your "own" direction and sometimes it seems like you're forced to roleplay as a stubborn Artemy with little choice; but it's also a play with commentary on fate, so maybe it's all intentional? All in all, no matter what I say, it does what no other does. I praise games not usually for their writing quality, but how well they convey their thematical concepts through the gameplay, as truth be told, I think we almost never see games with truly incredible writing that still manage to be engaging. For every game that steps closer to being a book/movie, it steps away from embracing what makes it good as a game as you begin to feel strained from the fact that all the interaction you're doing really is just taking you away from digesting what actually matters by a certain point. Pathologic is an amazing game with amazing writing, and it doesn't slack on integrating genuinely strong storytelling all on its own with genuinely strong gameplay all on its own, and through context and contrast, the udurgh strengthens both. It's got some holes, but come on guys: this is what we need.