Time keeps moving in Pathologic, even when quests remain unfinished. Over 12 in-game days, you investigate the sand plague devastating a remote steppe town while managing scarce resources in a fluctuating economy. At midnight, unfinished quests disappear from your notebook.
Each day brings one main mission whose outcome determines whether a major character survives; losing that person can also mean losing information they would have revealed later. Side quests earn money and items. The three playable characters follow the same catastrophe from different perspectives, with some secrets accessible only to particular characters. Those you do not choose remain part of the story, interacting with your character and discussing their progress.
