It’s been a while since a game surprised me in the best way possible. When Pentiment was first revealed during the Xbox & Bethesda showcase, I wasn’t really impressed by the trailer, and in all honesty, I didn’t know what to expect from the game. Later on, I learned it’s an Obsidian Entertainment game and that certainly piqued my interest. I was curious to see what the studio, known for its immersive 3D open-world games, had to offer on a lower budget and smaller scale. The answer? One of the most unique games I played this year!
Enter the Late Middle Ages
In Pentiment, you’ll follow Andreas Maler, an aspiring young artist who found his muse in the calm town of Tassing. He wants to lead a simple life there and finds a job in the nearby abbey where he can combine his love for art and books. Since the game takes place in the Late Middle Ages, we’re right in the center of interesting debates and oldskool printing. It’s an era where books and especially Holy books took center stage and were serious business. Remember those beautifully crafted Medieval books filled with over-the-top fonts and gorgeous miniature illustrations? Well, that’s exactly what’s going on in Pentiment, more so, the entire visual style of the game is based on those illustrations. Think of illuminated manuscripts combined with woodcut prints, these form the beating heart of the style. It’s a rather unique appearance since the storybook sequences during the story will constantly combine the two techniques as one, blending different styles together with some modern contour to ensure the player always knows where the character is. The art style took some serious research and Obsidian really wanted it to be as accurate as possible, with the help of a couple of historians, they ensured Pentiment looks and feels like a moving piece of Medieval art.
It even goes as far as fonts. Since it’s a narrative game, you’ll read a lot of text, if you want to stay true to the era, you can go for the accurate font, but if that’s too hard to read, you can switch it to a more standard font too. It’s an interesting style and it makes the game pop out when you put it next to other games, especially other games in the Xbox library. This isn’t a bloody shooter or fast-paced racer, this is something entirely new but don’t let its colorful presentation fool you, the story and layers of Pentiment run way deeper than what you would expect.
Pretty early in the game, Andreas finds himself in the mids of a murder mystery. His normal life gets disturbed when a monk and good friend of Andreas is accused of murder. Andreas doesn’t believe this and starts investigating his village. Pentiment isn’t an action-packed game where you’ll use a lot of tools to get the job done. Instead, you’ll need to talk to a lot of people, pay attention to what they are saying and find clues in the narrative. By responding in certain ways, you’ll unlock new paths leading to better clues. What’s fun here, is the fact that you’ll have to give Andreas some characteristics before you start playing. You’ll need to set his interest and school career so you can refer to those skills in dialogues or just lie your way through them.
Get your detective on
I think I established the fact that the game is extremely unique visually speaking but what about the actual gameplay? Well, Pentiment can best be described as a narrative-based detective game where you’re looking for clues and putting the puzzle pieces together to find the solution to your problems. It often starts with a conversation. This isn’t your traditional detective game where you need to find several objects and combine them in order to forge a key. The answer in Pentiment lies in what the characters have to say. Finding the right person and convincing him/her to speak the truth is often crucial in order to advance. Of course, you’ll need to compare different answers with each other to find out what lead is worth pursuing. While you’re doing this, the time continues to advance. There’s no time to investigate all the different clues so you’ll need to carefully select the lead you think will lead to the truth. It brings a certain tension to the game and it keeps you on edge while investigating. As an added bonus, it also leaves a lot of room for a second or even third playthrough.
Where other games in this genre often fail, Pentiment thrives. The game isn’t filled with boring dialogues that take way too long to get to the point. Dialogues in Pentiment or short and snappy and always shine a new light on the character’s motives and personality. Take Andreas for example, throughout the game, you’ll go through different parts of his life where he’s always evolving, always adding another layer to his already complex personality. Pentiment is far more than just another detective game. It’s a game about pursuing pointless dreams, searching for true purpose, and above all, personal tragedy. The story is the real star of Pentiment and when it clicks, it’s one of the best stories ever created. It still blows my mind how beautifully crafted the narratives are and how the dialogues flow into one another while still staying true to the memorable characters you meet during your journey.
An acquired taste
It’s no surprise that I fell in love with Pentiment. I wasn’t sure what to expect and I even hesitated to add this game to my review list but boy, am I glad I did! That being said, I do realize this won’t please everyone. Pentiment is as niche as they come and if you’re not a fan of reading a lot of narratives, you won’t find a lot of joy in this game. It’s a slower game where you really need to pay attention to what’s going on, if you’re not focused while reading, you’ll miss important clues. With that being said, it’s amazing to see how the team poured their heart and soul into the world of Pentiment and stayed as true as possible to the period. It’s all there in the details and if you’re willing to look into it, you’ll find countless references and Easter Eggs to satisfy that inner historian.
Conclusion:
Pentiment easily caught me off guard. It’s one of the best games I’ve played this year and even though it’s not my go-to genre, I was blown instantly. If you give this a shot, I’m pretty sure a lot of you will find their hidden gem of 2022.
