The Path

The Path is a unique game inspired by the tale of Little Red Riding Hood, set in a contemporary setting. Players control one of six sisters sent to visit their sick grandmother, each with their own journey and encounters. As players explore, they must decide whether to stay on the path or wander off, encountering various items and potentially encountering a wolf. The gameplay shifts upon entering Grandmother's house, with different outcomes depending on the player's actions. Special thanks to GamePhobias for pulling together a lot of the information below.

• Release date: 03-18-2009
• Developer: Tale of Tales
• Publisher: Tale of Tales
• Platforms: MacOS, Windows PC
• Not rated by: PEGI

Triggers for this game

Animals & Wildlife

• Arachnids

  There is a spider web but no spiders

  • Can't be avoided

• Birds

  Dead

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  You come across a dead and mutilated bird

  • Can't be avoided

• Rodents

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Rose has a rabbit that remains alive throughout

  • Can't be avoided

• Wolves

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  During Robin's story, she encounters a werewolf.

  • Can't be avoided

Crime

• Being Held Against Will

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Ginger gets trapped in barbed wire

  • Can't be avoided

• Hangings

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Quite a few images of Scarlet seem to show/reference her hanging, though they're shown more abstractly

  • Can't be avoided

• Road-Related Violence

  Car accident

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Ruby & Charming. Within Ruby's secret rooms, there is a visual of a car crashed into the side of a school gymnasium and her broken leg is result of such incident

  • Can't be avoided

Death & Loss

• Drowning

  Implied

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Although never explicitly shown on-screen, Rose’s incarnation of Grandmother’s House is heavily influenced by water and involves swimming through areas. Some have interpreted this to mean she drowned.

  • Can't be avoided

• Suicide

  Attempts

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Ruby and Charming's car accident may have been purposeful to end both of their lives. Scarlet is heavily implied to have hung herself (or at least attempted to).

  • Can't be avoided

Disturbing Sounds & Sound Design

• Misc. Eerie Noises

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  During Carmen’s story, while she’s in Grandmother’s House, there is an ongoing ambient track. It contains the sounds of sawing as well as a woman’s moans and it is extremely unnerving. It can be heard on the soundtrack, under the track title “Woodsman Wolf”, beginning around the 1:30 mark.

  • Can't be avoided

Drugs & Alcohol

• Alcohol Consumption

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  When Carmen encounters her Wolf, she begins drinking beer, later being described as a "hard drinking party girl." At one point, she is given alcohol by a much older & balding man who preys on her before it's implied that she's assaulted.

  • Can't be avoided

• Misc. Drugs & Alcohol Content

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  A hypodermic needle is on the ground in the forest in which multiple characters make drug references about

  • Can't be avoided

• Tobacco & Smoking

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Ruby smokes cigarettes in a cutscene

  • Can't be avoided

Gore

• Blood

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Blood sometimes appears, especially in Carmen’s story.

  • Can't be avoided

• Body Horror

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  One image of Robin shows her legs seemingly pulled out of shape and disfigured

  • Can't be avoided

Hate & Discrimination

• Dehumanization & Objectification

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Carmen struggles a lot with being objectified by her peers and herself. She also makes reference to boys sexually objectifying Rose and Ruby.

  • Can't be avoided

Horror Themes

• Ghosts & Hauntings

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Rose’s Wolf may be a ghost.

  • Can't be avoided

• Jump Scares

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  During some of the visits to Grandmother’s House, the player character’s shadow may suddenly appear and startle the player.

  • Is avoidable

• Psychological Horror

  • Can't be avoided

Mental Health

• Grief

  Carmen

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Carmen's ending revolves around the emotional trauma that being SA'd gives her and has imagery referential of the assault.

  • Can't be avoided

• Hallucinations

  Unreality

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Many visits to the Grandmother’s House involve shifting or suddenly changing environments. This is especially true in the case of Scarlet.

  • Can't be avoided

• Panic Attack

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  If you stand still characters will begin hyperventilating with increasing fear.

  • Can't be avoided

• Suicidal Ideation

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Ruby makes comments that suggest she struggles with suicidal ideation.

  • Can't be avoided

Non-Sexual Abuse & Violence

• Child Endangerment

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  No parent makes an appearance in the game but some dialogue suggests the girls may have a neglectful mother.

  • Can't be avoided

• Mutilation

  Self

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  There is in text references to self harm but no actions. Some interpret Ginger’s encounter with her Wolf to end in mutilation.

  • Can't be avoided

• Stalking

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  You get followed around and sometimes spied on by a girl in the forest

  • Can't be avoided

Phobias

• Acrophobia

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  During Ruby’s story, the player falls from a great height.

  • Can't be avoided

• Arachnophobia

  There is a spider web but no spiders

  • Can't be avoided

• Claustrophobia

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Grandmothers house has incredibly tight hallways you have to walk through.

  • Can't be avoided

• Hemophobia

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Blood sometimes appears, especially in Carmen’s story.

  • Can't be avoided

• Necrophobia

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  You come across a dead and mutilated bird

  • Can't be avoided

• Nyctophobia

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Some incarnations of Grandmother’s House are very dark.

• Ommetaphobia

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  There's an image of Scarlet with a string inserted in her eyes

  • Can't be avoided

• Trypanophobia

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  A hypodermic needle is on the ground in the forest in which multiple characters make drug references about

  • Can't be avoided

Physical Health & Body Issues

• Pain & Physical Suffering

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  The running interpretation of Robin's storyline is that her ending she becomes bed ridden and breaks her legs in the wolf attack, as the game is mostly portrayed through metaphor this may not be everyone's interpretation and it's barely on screen but it is aided by flashing images at the end of her section of her legs warped and twisted Grandmother, Rose, and Ruby are all implied to have chronic illnesses.

  • Can't be avoided

Sexual Abuse

• Child Sexual Assault

  Overtones

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Carmen’s story has overtones of pedophilia. Carmen is given alcohol by a much older & balding man who preys on her before it's implied that she's assaulted.

  • Can't be avoided

• Grooming

  Overtones

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Carmen’s story has overtones of pedophilia

  • Can't be avoided

• Sexual Assault

  Threats

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  Carmen’s story seems to explicitly revolve around the threat of sexual assault.

  • Can't be avoided

Traumatic Events

• Accidents

  Car

  • Can't be avoided

• Structure Fire

  ShowHide potential spoilers or triggers

  The last hallway in Carmen’s incarnation of Grandmother’s House is lined in fire.

  • Can't be avoided

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