Launch Date: November 15th - OUT NOW!
Price: £15 or whatever the Price of Gamepass is
Dev: Obsidian
Specs: Some people wear them in this game, yes. 
Platform Gimmicks: Did you know it's on Gamepass?
Enemy Design: Er, frumpy?

Next Gen OP time again, and this time it is for the delectable Pentiment. Pentiment is a love letter to the humanities made by a small team within the GoaT RPG Dev House Obsidian, a love letter written by one Josh Sawyer. 

Josh Sawyer is a Black Isle old hand who worked on the Icewind Dale titles, before becoming Lead Designer on Neverwinter Nights 2. His chops were well and truly certified, though, with the excellent one-two punch of working on Mother Fucking Alpha Protocol and Mother Fucking Fallout: New Vegas - the latter project as Director. He then went on to lead the Pillars of Eternity titles both. Point being, the guy knows Good RPG, and this project is one he has wanted to make for a long time. Given how niche it will be, though, it's been positioned as a side-project for a small team within Obsidian, while they work on the likes of Grounded, Avowed and Outer Worlds 2.

The other name worth knowing (and not to reduce the contribution of the whole team) is Hannah Kennedy - the art director on the title. Her choice of style here is bold, and will render the title instantly recognisable for decades to come. Leaning on 16th century art, manuscripts and engravings, the visuals of the game reflect both the time and themes. 

So, anyway, lets talk about Pentiment...



The Turn of the Century 

It is the early 16th century and Andreas Maler is an artist currently serving an apprentice at an Abbey. Each day he travels from his lodgings to the Abbey to work in the Scriptorium, drawing out and transcribing manuscripts commissioned by the rich. 



This is a world and time of change. The echoes of the Holy Roman Empire still reverberate around this part of Europe, while the Protestant Reformation beckons. The Church and it's teaching, the rules - they are the law of the land and are inseparable from Reason. And yet, increasingly questions are being asked and social structures long though unshakable are revealed to be on less steady foundations than previously realised.

When scandal strikes, it is up to you to get to the bottom of it all...

A Character Canvas

There are things known about you, about Andreas Maler. We know he is an artist, we know he is not from Tassing, where the game is set. We know he is set to return home and be married, once his apprenticeship is completed. But beyond that, not much is known, for it is up to you to shape who he is. 

Unlike many RPGS, where you are tasked with deciding you character background at the character creation screen, or given a completely prescribed character, Pentiment allows you to sculpt who your Andreas is as you move through the game. What did he study in University? What languages does he speak and where was he before he arrived in Tassing? What were his interests while he studied? His vices? How does he view the Church? 



All of these things come up naturally within play, and are then reflected in future choices and outcomes. And there are choices - a kinetic visual novel this isn't. 

Choice and Consequence

This game is no Epic RPG, instead straying closer to a 15-20 hour visual novel in the vein of a Phoenix Wright or Telltale Game. But despite that, it does offer players choice, and lets them decide how to approach situations within the game. The way you flesh out your past, the way you interact with your internal dialogue, the previous experiences you have with characters in the world - all of these things can influence outcomes and choices, and not every choice is a world-shaking one. 

Obsidian have long placed the emphasis on character interactions, and this continues that tradition, hedging most closely to the Alpha Protocol level of character dialogue granularity. And yes, you can be an absolute asshole.

Art Imitating Life Imitating Art

This, for me, is one of the highlights of the game, and one I won't dive too deep into as I believe it is best experienced yourself. But the art within this game - and by that I mean the art discussed by the characters in this game, the books people talk about in this game, the manuscripts they write in this game, rather than just the game visuals - are shown and analysed with absolute reverence. This is a game about society, and love and hate and God, and every piece of art, every text is immersed in that reality. When the game dives into that, it doesn't hold back, instead having some of the most evocative, the most moving, the most straight up beautiful depictions of art, and art history, I have ever seen. 



If you like art, or history, or theology - you owe it to yourself to at least give this game an hour or two. 

A Dense but Accessible Glimpse into the Past 

This is a game full of dense terminology and a lot of comparatively obscure historical detail. There are place names, and movements and systems and characters and...well, there's a lot. The game understands this, and catalogues it through a gorgeous map and glossary system, with all details scrawled onto paper which folds and bends and...it's amazing. 



Character dialogue text as well, varies from person to person, reflecting their status and position - and when I say vary, I mean the literal font varies - the monks at the Abbey having their words rendered in a way completely unlike the farmhands in town. As text is scrawled out, typos are erased and replaced, while words denoting key places, characters and concepts are underlined and selectable - giving further explanation if needed. It's truly wonderful, and an absolute treat to use even after the 50th time.

But, for those who struggle with font legibility, there are options on startup to render game dialogue in more readable formats. 

FAQ

1. Will I like this?
No, you won't. (You know who you are)

2. You listed out options for Extra Capitalism in the Metroid Thread. Pentiment owners are consumers too, what are my options?
There's a handful of physical goodies on the Xbox Gear Store (not available on Gamepass) though my personal pick is these physical playing cards.



There's also a soundtrack available on steam for about 8 quid. 

3. Are there animals? Nuns? Pageans? Zealots? Artists? Thieves? Debauchers?
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes and yes. 

4. I only play games that deal with the analysis of power structures and...
It's fine, Jon, there's plenty of Class Struggle here. 

5. Is it playable on Steam Deck?
Yes.

Videos

Launch Trailer



Behind the Scenes