Woohoo! It is a little after Midnight here. Hopefully the best atmosphere to play in.
Thank you again, guys.
Awesome! Have $91 US of stuff I want to get from the store, and I can’t order until 8 am EST. Really hoping you don’t run out of the USB sticks until then. The availability bar is helpful for that.
Thank you so much for all your hard work!
Thanks!
Don’t worry. If we run out, we’ll just make more.
Huzzah! Great job!
I’ll buy it and play it when I get the time. I’ll make a point to play at night with the lights down low.
Getting it from Steam right now.
Can’t wait rus version of this game! So buy english!Yehha!Lets play!
Sweet! Getting it now from direct2drive. Looking forward to playing it! Thanks for all the hard work. The write up on Fidgit was very positive
Waiting for the download feels like a century.
Not as long as it took to make the game, Julie! 😉
I’m writing in to say I found The Path an amazingly well-done game!
Let me first compliment you on the high quality of animations, textures and effects; the way the girls walked had such rare liveliness to them, the leaves shaped like curls were amazing and all the extreme colours were done with impeccable taste! There are so many things that touched me, little details that made me cry out in adoration or freight, all of which I won’t mention as-not to spoil them, but be assured I liked them all
Then secondly let me thank you on breaking the mold! I write as a student of the Utrecht School of the Arts, in the direction Game-Design and Development, and often I wonder whether or not the narrative direction I’m going in will be appreciated; this study is inclined very much the block-buster type of design. Having a game such as this makes me incredibly happy, seeing a wholly different approach to the interactive medium- the medium I’ll continue to call games (promise). At any rate, seeing this game I know there are very promising new paths to take in gaming!
So on a professional level I’d like to say thanks, but more importantly on a personal I’d like to say you’ve done an amazing job and I’ll enjoy scavenging the forest further!
Take care,
-Jeroen
Thank you for sharing this, Jeroen. We have been wondering about the blockbuster-direction that the Dutch games industry is taking. Good to know that there’s people like you up there.
And let’s hope that a project like The Path can prove that an economically viable alternative exists. Tell all your friends to buy the game!
Where do we go for official game support if we bought the game and then can’t get it to work?
Congratualtions for finishing the game, though I have a bit of problem with installing:
I bought directly, via PayPal, downoladed succesfuly and I have no serial key to run the installer. There should be a warning how the buyer gets the serial key (e-mail?) while buying directly!
So there is a key involved…
I have no internet at home. Can I download the installer elsewhere, take it home, and install it there?
Hi,
just purchased it from Steam and played around with it for
a little while. Hmmmm…
I really think it`s cool that this game is so far beyond
the mainstream “thing”, but really – I don`t get it.
I`m planning to get real, real drunk and play it, and then
-maybe- I`l get something out of it.
I think this is far to “Artsy Fartsy” with really no content
whatsoever, with slow controlls and irritating sound.
But anyway, props to you guys getting you`r game out there,
also on Steam!
Next time, what about creating a cind of Adventure / horror
game like “Penumbra”, just more in you`r universe?
Just a thought.
Good luck further.
Best, Alf
What an awesome journey i just had
Thanks guys!
Oh and if you happen to make any “The Path” T-shirts, let me know XD
@ dalekurt: you can email us at reception at tale-of-tales dot com or you can post your message on the forum (which is the preferred method since other players might be able to help you quicker than we can -we’re away from home with limited access to computers at the moment).
FAQ #1: THE SERIAL KEY IS IN THE EMAIL UNDER THE DOWNLOAD LINK!
Good point, p53. We added a warning to the Buy page. Thanks.
@ canuter: yes. The key is just a number, like you get when you buy a game on a CD. There’s no internet activation or anything like that. And you only need it during install.
@ Lurch: we will definitely make T-shirts! They will probably be available from the store. Unless we find an online service with decent quality clothing.
Thanks for the reply, but when I paid by PayPal there was just a web page with the downolad link, and E-mail is just a notification that I paid. I didn’t get the mail with the dowload link.
Was there a serial under the link on the PayPal web page? I didn’t notice it!
Damn, if I knew about these problems, I would buy by D2D, just thought that by direct puchase the payment will go quickly to the acctual game makers…
Anyone else bought the Windows installer by PayPal?
p53, please email us store@tale-of-tales.com so i can look up the problem and send you a new download. okay?
p53, i think i’ve been getting email from you? if you are the same person (you forwarded me your paypal confirmation if you are the same person) your email address is bouncing so i cannot send you a response. not the one you use with paypal but the one you’ve been emailing me on. i sent you a new download link via your paypal email address just now.
Been really looking forward to getting this but now I see it requires an x6xx GeForce card. Why does it need so much grunt?
My less than one year old Dell Vostro only has a GeForce 8400 (256mb iirc and the computer has 3gb) – and that was the premium choice at the time.
Am I going to be wasting my time and money trying anyway? Is there any chance of getting it to run on this setup?
It needs a heavy computer, actually, ultimately, because it’s a low budget game made by a bunch of artists. We make up for the lack of programming skills and budget by leaning heavy on the hardware. Sorry about that.
That being said, we had 2 8400 cards in our beta test (though they had more RAM than yours) and they ran the game at 10 FPS at the highest quality settings. So if you turn the quality down a bit, it might be ok, if not ideal.
Both my boyfriend and I purchased The Path last night and I fell in love with it. I can’t thank you both enough, Michael and Auriea. I can’t tell you how long I’ve been waiting for a game like this to come out.
We’ve both highly enjoyed exploring the forest with our curiosity driving us to want to find more things hidden in the game. We’ve loved seeing how our experiences with each character differs from each other since we have done different things.
We’re doing what we can to spread the word on other sites in hopes of helping it to sell since we’d both love to see it take off, especially since you guys are living our dream.
Much luck to you! Please continue creating masterpieces.
It’s a nice idea, Steph, to have made a game as a couple that is played by you, as a couple. Thank you!
Just started playing it.
I played the first level and I lost! Haha, i didn’t think you’d have added that as a feature, caught me off guard!
Looks great though, good feeling, I like how everything in the game is generated as it goes (mostly), like the music etc. Makes it actually interactive art!
I’m going to write a walk through and put it on gamefaqs, so everyone can win! (just kidding)
Bought it a few minutes ago. I can’t believe it’s finally out.
Ben: I think getting lost is a feature. On the other hand, you can just wait for the Girl in White to find you, or look for a light which denotes a place of interest.
A great game. I declared it as my favorite game after a few minutes! I like the atmosphere and the different charakters with their special needs. I hope you will make more of those games!
Going to purchase this along with ‘The Graveyard’ in just a few minutes, from steam.
@Ilya: Actually I meant I Failed the level. Got lost too, haha.
I have been looking fordward for this game to be released for some time now… and it’s an immense joy to see it finally out!
got it from Steam, and me and my girlfriend have been hypnotically playing it ever since.
The thing I don’t get is: how is it possibile this game makes me want to play it over and over again, though there’s no real gamplay in it, at least not the usual kind of gameplay… it acatually turns the whole game concept upside down. And that’s probably why it’s so fascinating!
The game has a wonderful, catching athmosphere and vivid characters… it’s complex in it’s structure while beeing extremely easy to play (you just walk around and explore). And there’s moments of pure poetry in it! I think you really did a wonderful job here!
Sure the game has it’s flaws… it’s really a bit too slow sometimes, and the fact that the camera pans down when you run makes it a bit frustrating when you have to run from one point to the other…
Whatever… this game is really great! It’s one of those games that should be remembered in the years to come, not because it’s perfect, but because it opens so many ways, it shows us what can be done, and how much more we can do with this medium!
thanks a lot guys!
It’s always good to see couples appreciating the game. As we created it as a couple. Thanks for sharing!
Auriea and Michael, you’ve got courage Placing so much effort and love in such a “different” gaming experience might be a risky undertaking. It makes me smile to see how well you have polished the game and how coherent it is. Nice to know that people still care about the work they do :). In my opinion you’ve managed to revitalise the meaning of an old tale with visual beauty and perfect simplicity in the user interface. Hopefully this sets a path for others to follow; we’ve got so much underused narration locked up in dusty “old tales”, waiting to be retold by the fireplace.
ps. I think it would be interesting to gather some tales told by users experiencing the game; it might show those, that just skip through the experience, that there is a multitude of personal meanings that can be added to a “simple” game; it might give them something to grasp on for a longer while.
Cheers, and good luck in the future.
Congrats, Tale of Tales.
And thank you.
Thank you for unique experience! You will receive 8/10 from our magazine. 1 point down is for camera when running – it’s bad, when camera rises up and you cant see what is before you. Second point is for it seems to be conceptual work, but it could be bigger and amazing game, but it is not. Still, it is almost perfect experience, please do some more games like this. And if you could resolve that “running camera” top-view problem, we will give it 9/10 on games.tiscali.cz. Review will be published approx. in one month, so I will be looking for some updates of The Path on Steam. If there I hopefully someday find fix for that camera, I will be happy like on my birthday. Anyway guys, great great work, and thank you very much!
Thank you mindwarp. But some things are more important than scores. And that camera when running is one of them. 😉
Michäel, I think taht this camera issue can be resolved. I know there is plenty other things to discover, but we must stear-off one point for that camera. But we love this game and we trust, it could be propably better or maybe the best game ever, like Audiosurf, which we gave 9/10
I just ordered it for a friend and for myself. It’s developers like you that keep the genre fresh, so thankyou for that.
(Quick question – does Valve get some of the revenue if it’s bought from Steam? I downloaded the stand alone install just incase)
Yes, Valve gets some of the revenue if you buy it in their store (not if you buy the Steam version here). It’s only fair.
But thank you for buying directly from us
Hi – do you know when the Mac version will be ready? Alternatively, will the Windows version serial work with the Mac version too, so I can buy now and play under OSX later?
The Mac version should be done end of next month.
I’m not sure how the Mac version will install yet. But the sort of “hybrid license” that you’re suggesting is something we need to think about. We haven’t made a decision yet. Sorry.
The Path is a Bad Game. It’s trite, obnoxious, and fundamentally unentertaining. I wish I could say that it was shocking or disgusting or that the repeated rape/murder cuts to black were uncomfortable for any reason other than the awful sound effects, but that would be a lie. The only thing shocking about it is that more than a single person thought it was a good idea in any way, shape, or form.
“Well, you see, it’s exactly like Passage but with a Little Red Riding Hood Fractured Fairy Tale story and Hot Topic sensibilities.”
“Here’s the plan: It’s a horror game in which the player has to progressively unlock the horrific content through unscary gameplay. Once they’ve finished, they’re treated to an uninteractive tour of a house filled with scary things.”
“Every time the player accidentally strays into certain important areas, we should instantly remove their ability to run.”
“Hey Joe, I just recorded a thousand samples of me trying to get my broken lawnmower to work. We should totally put them in the game at max volume. It’ll be so Lynchian.”
Woohoo! It is a little after Midnight here. Hopefully the best atmosphere to play in.
Thank you again, guys.
Awesome! Have $91 US of stuff I want to get from the store, and I can’t order until 8 am EST. Really hoping you don’t run out of the USB sticks until then. The availability bar is helpful for that.
Thank you so much for all your hard work!
Thanks!
Don’t worry. If we run out, we’ll just make more.
Huzzah! Great job!
I’ll buy it and play it when I get the time. I’ll make a point to play at night with the lights down low.
Getting it from Steam right now.
Can’t wait rus version of this game!
So buy english!Yehha!Lets play! 
Sweet! Getting it now from direct2drive. Looking forward to playing it! Thanks for all the hard work. The write up on Fidgit was very positive
Waiting for the download feels like a century.
Not as long as it took to make the game, Julie! 😉
I’m writing in to say I found The Path an amazingly well-done game!
Let me first compliment you on the high quality of animations, textures and effects; the way the girls walked had such rare liveliness to them, the leaves shaped like curls were amazing and all the extreme colours were done with impeccable taste! There are so many things that touched me, little details that made me cry out in adoration or freight, all of which I won’t mention as-not to spoil them, but be assured I liked them all
Then secondly let me thank you on breaking the mold! I write as a student of the Utrecht School of the Arts, in the direction Game-Design and Development, and often I wonder whether or not the narrative direction I’m going in will be appreciated; this study is inclined very much the block-buster type of design. Having a game such as this makes me incredibly happy, seeing a wholly different approach to the interactive medium- the medium I’ll continue to call games (promise). At any rate, seeing this game I know there are very promising new paths to take in gaming!
So on a professional level I’d like to say thanks, but more importantly on a personal I’d like to say you’ve done an amazing job and I’ll enjoy scavenging the forest further!
Take care,
-Jeroen
Thank you for sharing this, Jeroen. We have been wondering about the blockbuster-direction that the Dutch games industry is taking. Good to know that there’s people like you up there.
And let’s hope that a project like The Path can prove that an economically viable alternative exists. Tell all your friends to buy the game!
Where do we go for official game support if we bought the game and then can’t get it to work?
Congratualtions for finishing the game, though I have a bit of problem with installing:
I bought directly, via PayPal, downoladed succesfuly and I have no serial key to run the installer. There should be a warning how the buyer gets the serial key (e-mail?) while buying directly!
So there is a key involved…
I have no internet at home. Can I download the installer elsewhere, take it home, and install it there?
Hi,
just purchased it from Steam and played around with it for
a little while. Hmmmm…
I really think it`s cool that this game is so far beyond
the mainstream “thing”, but really – I don`t get it.
I`m planning to get real, real drunk and play it, and then
-maybe- I`l get something out of it.
I think this is far to “Artsy Fartsy” with really no content
whatsoever, with slow controlls and irritating sound.
But anyway, props to you guys getting you`r game out there,
also on Steam!
Next time, what about creating a cind of Adventure / horror
game like “Penumbra”, just more in you`r universe?
Just a thought.
Good luck further.
Best, Alf
What an awesome journey i just had
Thanks guys!
Oh and if you happen to make any “The Path” T-shirts, let me know XD
@ dalekurt: you can email us at reception at tale-of-tales dot com or you can post your message on the forum (which is the preferred method since other players might be able to help you quicker than we can -we’re away from home with limited access to computers at the moment).
FAQ #1: THE SERIAL KEY IS IN THE EMAIL UNDER THE DOWNLOAD LINK!
Good point, p53. We added a warning to the Buy page. Thanks.
@ canuter: yes. The key is just a number, like you get when you buy a game on a CD. There’s no internet activation or anything like that. And you only need it during install.
@ Lurch: we will definitely make T-shirts! They will probably be available from the store. Unless we find an online service with decent quality clothing.
Thanks for the reply, but when I paid by PayPal there was just a web page with the downolad link, and E-mail is just a notification that I paid. I didn’t get the mail with the dowload link.
Was there a serial under the link on the PayPal web page? I didn’t notice it!
Damn, if I knew about these problems, I would buy by D2D, just thought that by direct puchase the payment will go quickly to the acctual game makers…
Anyone else bought the Windows installer by PayPal?
p53, please email us store@tale-of-tales.com so i can look up the problem and send you a new download. okay?
p53, i think i’ve been getting email from you? if you are the same person (you forwarded me your paypal confirmation if you are the same person) your email address is bouncing so i cannot send you a response. not the one you use with paypal but the one you’ve been emailing me on. i sent you a new download link via your paypal email address just now.
Been really looking forward to getting this but now I see it requires an x6xx GeForce card. Why does it need so much grunt?
My less than one year old Dell Vostro only has a GeForce 8400 (256mb iirc and the computer has 3gb) – and that was the premium choice at the time.
Am I going to be wasting my time and money trying anyway? Is there any chance of getting it to run on this setup?
It needs a heavy computer, actually, ultimately, because it’s a low budget game made by a bunch of artists. We make up for the lack of programming skills and budget by leaning heavy on the hardware. Sorry about that.
That being said, we had 2 8400 cards in our beta test (though they had more RAM than yours) and they ran the game at 10 FPS at the highest quality settings. So if you turn the quality down a bit, it might be ok, if not ideal.
Both my boyfriend and I purchased The Path last night and I fell in love with it. I can’t thank you both enough, Michael and Auriea. I can’t tell you how long I’ve been waiting for a game like this to come out.
We’ve both highly enjoyed exploring the forest with our curiosity driving us to want to find more things hidden in the game. We’ve loved seeing how our experiences with each character differs from each other since we have done different things.
We’re doing what we can to spread the word on other sites in hopes of helping it to sell since we’d both love to see it take off, especially since you guys are living our dream.
Much luck to you! Please continue creating masterpieces.
It’s a nice idea, Steph, to have made a game as a couple that is played by you, as a couple. Thank you!
Just started playing it.
I played the first level and I lost! Haha, i didn’t think you’d have added that as a feature, caught me off guard!
Looks great though, good feeling, I like how everything in the game is generated as it goes (mostly), like the music etc. Makes it actually interactive art!
I’m going to write a walk through and put it on gamefaqs, so everyone can win! (just kidding)
Bought it a few minutes ago. I can’t believe it’s finally out.
Ben: I think getting lost is a feature. On the other hand, you can just wait for the Girl in White to find you, or look for a light which denotes a place of interest.
A great game. I declared it as my favorite game after a few minutes! I like the atmosphere and the different charakters with their special needs. I hope you will make more of those games!
Going to purchase this along with ‘The Graveyard’ in just a few minutes, from steam.
@Ilya: Actually I meant I Failed the level. Got lost too, haha.
I have been looking fordward for this game to be released for some time now… and it’s an immense joy to see it finally out!
got it from Steam, and me and my girlfriend have been hypnotically playing it ever since.
The thing I don’t get is: how is it possibile this game makes me want to play it over and over again, though there’s no real gamplay in it, at least not the usual kind of gameplay… it acatually turns the whole game concept upside down. And that’s probably why it’s so fascinating!
The game has a wonderful, catching athmosphere and vivid characters… it’s complex in it’s structure while beeing extremely easy to play (you just walk around and explore). And there’s moments of pure poetry in it! I think you really did a wonderful job here!
Sure the game has it’s flaws… it’s really a bit too slow sometimes, and the fact that the camera pans down when you run makes it a bit frustrating when you have to run from one point to the other…
Whatever… this game is really great! It’s one of those games that should be remembered in the years to come, not because it’s perfect, but because it opens so many ways, it shows us what can be done, and how much more we can do with this medium!
thanks a lot guys!
It’s always good to see couples appreciating the game. As we created it as a couple. Thanks for sharing!
Auriea and Michael, you’ve got courage
Placing so much effort and love in such a “different” gaming experience might be a risky undertaking. It makes me smile to see how well you have polished the game and how coherent it is. Nice to know that people still care about the work they do :). In my opinion you’ve managed to revitalise the meaning of an old tale with visual beauty and perfect simplicity in the user interface. Hopefully this sets a path for others to follow; we’ve got so much underused narration locked up in dusty “old tales”, waiting to be retold by the fireplace.
ps. I think it would be interesting to gather some tales told by users experiencing the game; it might show those, that just skip through the experience, that there is a multitude of personal meanings that can be added to a “simple” game; it might give them something to grasp on for a longer while.
Cheers, and good luck in the future.
Congrats, Tale of Tales.
And thank you.
Thank you for unique experience! You will receive 8/10 from our magazine. 1 point down is for camera when running – it’s bad, when camera rises up and you cant see what is before you. Second point is for it seems to be conceptual work, but it could be bigger and amazing game, but it is not. Still, it is almost perfect experience, please do some more games like this. And if you could resolve that “running camera” top-view problem, we will give it 9/10 on games.tiscali.cz. Review will be published approx. in one month, so I will be looking for some updates of The Path on Steam. If there I hopefully someday find fix for that camera, I will be happy like on my birthday. Anyway guys, great great work, and thank you very much!
Thank you mindwarp. But some things are more important than scores. And that camera when running is one of them. 😉
Michäel, I think taht this camera issue can be resolved. I know there is plenty other things to discover, but we must stear-off one point for that camera. But we love this game and we trust, it could be propably better or maybe the best game ever, like Audiosurf, which we gave 9/10
Bought.
I just ordered it for a friend and for myself. It’s developers like you that keep the genre fresh, so thankyou for that.
(Quick question – does Valve get some of the revenue if it’s bought from Steam? I downloaded the stand alone install just incase)
Yes, Valve gets some of the revenue if you buy it in their store (not if you buy the Steam version here). It’s only fair.
But thank you for buying directly from us
Hi – do you know when the Mac version will be ready? Alternatively, will the Windows version serial work with the Mac version too, so I can buy now and play under OSX later?
The Mac version should be done end of next month.
I’m not sure how the Mac version will install yet. But the sort of “hybrid license” that you’re suggesting is something we need to think about. We haven’t made a decision yet. Sorry.
The Path is a Bad Game. It’s trite, obnoxious, and fundamentally unentertaining. I wish I could say that it was shocking or disgusting or that the repeated rape/murder cuts to black were uncomfortable for any reason other than the awful sound effects, but that would be a lie. The only thing shocking about it is that more than a single person thought it was a good idea in any way, shape, or form.
“Well, you see, it’s exactly like Passage but with a Little Red Riding Hood Fractured Fairy Tale story and Hot Topic sensibilities.”
“Here’s the plan: It’s a horror game in which the player has to progressively unlock the horrific content through unscary gameplay. Once they’ve finished, they’re treated to an uninteractive tour of a house filled with scary things.”
“Every time the player accidentally strays into certain important areas, we should instantly remove their ability to run.”
“Hey Joe, I just recorded a thousand samples of me trying to get my broken lawnmower to work. We should totally put them in the game at max volume. It’ll be so Lynchian.”