Pathways

Pathways is a game about experimental storytelling. It starts in a house and the player controls a male character. There is a female character in the room and that forms the start of different possible storylines. The player is only able to move right, from screen to screen, until an opportunity is presented to go into a different direction when the paths branch.

Through the player's decisions, there are up to eight different paths to explore, with a completely different background that changes the way the player perceives the male character. When characters talk, the conversation is shown in the style of silent films - black screens with text - before the story is continued. Whenever a path is completed, the game restarts and another route can be chosen. Previous paths are shielded from the player to guide the character into a different direction.

The stories themselves are for the player to explore, but they cover a wide range of topics and emotions, and one of the prominent themes is the experience of absence. There is also a recurring character that is aware of your different paths and talks to you in successive sessions regardless of the game's restart.