Pentiment (2022)
Finally, a game about the protestant reformation
Reviewed on Xbox Series X
Pentiment is a strange game to describe to someone who has never played it before. Calling it a visual novel doesn't feel quite right. But calling it a RPG also doesn't seem to be the most accurate either. And don't compare it to Disco Elysium or Obsidian will blackball you (according to Windows Central, Jez Corden). So what is the best way to describe it?
Set in 16th-century Bavaria in the Holy Roman Empire, an area that's now part of Germany, Pentiment unfolds into what is a captivating murder mystery that plays out over 3 acts and 18+ years. In the beginning, there is a bit of character creation. As the main character, you speak to a townsperson who asks you questions about your background. Here you can select some history for your character which will open up specific dialog options later in the game. These options could either help or hinder your influence over conversations.
As a Presbyterian and a bit of a theology nerd, I love all the bits of "lore" that Obsidian threw in. Speaking to people about Martin Luther during the beginning of the Reformation was a total geek out moment for me. I understand that this niche is incredibly small, but it was very refreshing to see very accurate dialog options presented from a Christian perspective.
The writing of the story is fantastic and really makes you feel connected to these characters. I felt that I was a citizen of Tassing and that I really could influence how lives unfolded. Each character seemed unique, no copy and pasted NPCs in this Bavarian town. The feuds between the characters felt real, and neither side felt 100% right or 100% wrong. Pentiment did a great job of making sure you know there isn't an absolute right or wrong choice.
As each of the first two acts come to a close, you are forced to share your finding from your investigation. Assuming you followed all the clues you wanted to and collected evidence, you get to accuse someone you felt was the perpetrator. However I never felt absolutely sure, and I think that is on purpose. You have to wrestle with the thought, maybe you accused the wrong person.
Act 3 is a bit different, as you are wrapping up the overarching story. My main compliant is that no matter your choices in the first two acts, the main outcome of the story remains the same. Had I accused Person B instead of Person A of a murder, I would have stilled ended up at the same point in Act 3. That's not to say the conclusion of the story wasn't well written or satisfying , it absolutely was, just seemed like we were railroaded to the conclusion when the first two acts made it feel that our actions had long-term consequences.
The end of the game serves as a sort of epilogue for the citizens of of Tassing. And here is where previous choices really shined. Depending on what you tell a little girl in Act 1, she could end up being burnt alive at the stake as an adult. Marriages can take place depending on how you treat certain people. This was really well done and gave me some closure on characters that I had grown to really care about over the previous 10 hours.
Conclusion
While not quite a visual novel, and not quite an RPG, Pentiment carves out a nice little niche that shows off the best of both of these genres. With flushed out characters and a well thought out story, Pentiment tells a very unique story that probably wouldn't have been made without Gamepass. If you're a fan of shorter, story-based games, do yourself a favor and download Pentiment.