Pentiment Review

"Murder!"

Campaign

November 14, 2022 at 4:43pm
By Jason Stettner

Every once and awhile you get to play a game that is both fresh and at the same time delightfully charming. Pentiment is the type of game that you should explore without reading or watching anything about it. It’s an experience best felt fresh without any sort of guidance or handholding.

It’s a tale that you’re carving over the decades the game is set within and it’s ever so special to try to figure out the mystery as events unfold. This game came across to me as something that is both the most traditional of gaming designs while also being completely fresh and modern.

It’s an interesting combination. You’ll often hear of games with cutscenes being compared to movies, this was uniquely the first time I felt I was playing a book. It was utterly distinct in that presentation and an absolutely wondrous time. In Pentiment you take on the role of Andreas Maler.

You’re an artist who’s finding his way in the world and has now suddenly been thrust into the deep webs of murder. It’s a strange situation as this artist attempts to be an individual that solves the mysteries behind what’s causing this to happen.

As mentioned, it’s a game of decades taking place in the early 1500’s. What’s neat about this setup is that you see time change. With every adjustment in the time you get to see the town grow, the families change and also understand how your varied choices directly impact this small town.

It’s incredibly dynamic as I really felt as though every moment, every choice and every second ultimately painted a history that I was creating. It’s not openly endless mind you, but it’s so distinct that I feel my chosen path will be entirely different from another’s. The twists, the turns and the social intrigue of the town was magical.

I was trying to gather info to get advantages on others and you never know what you might discover. Will you chat with the town gossip, or listen to the ladies while they spin wool? Every choice takes time, for which you have ever so little. It does all matter though as not getting enough intel can cause the entire scenario go wild. It’s just so distinct and I felt as though I really was carving a path forward for this grouping of people.

I learned of their families, their history and felt as though I was really role playing someone. That’s just insane to witness since the design of this is an old school 2D drawn like concept and it just worked. I spent fifteen and a half hours playing which shocked me as it didn’t feel that long. I was so incredibly engrossed by what was going on. You could also spend more time chatting, it’s just chunky which is insane.

Gameplay

Most of your time is spent reading and then moving between areas. You get small mini games to take part in which were fun and you casually discuss what’s happening. There is of course action, death and mature subjects at play. Nothing is off limits depending on what you discover and it’s really interesting.

It’s a puzzle in terms of you finding information to solve what’s happening but you’ll never get stuck as it’s not designed in that way. It’s just such a surprising and unique setup offering ever so many ways to engage with it. I really did love sitting there and trying to get a grasp on the concept. I will happily note I did get an idea of where things were headed halfway through which turned out fairly accurate. Still, totally surprised me in differing ways.

I don’t believe most will figure it out until the end though, and that’s what’s so neat about this. Your tales will be different based on the type of player you are, or the type of individual you are in how you go about looking at mysteries. So in general the game is aesthetically very pleasing. It comes across as drawn with light bits of animation. There’s incredible audio playing whether that’s in music or the backdrop sounds.

The words are scribbled with fancy fonts, authentic to the design of the time. It’s majestic in presentation, being a very pleasing package with Pentiment providing a 4k resolution at 60fps on the Xbox Series X. You’ll have a variety of skills that you choose through dialogue, and knowledge you’ve gather to make informed choices. Or maybe not so informed, depends on what you’re able to snoop out of course.

The Conclusion

Pentiment is a masterpiece, I’ve never played such a unique game. It combines traditional classic RPG stylings with modern game mechanics for such a perfect interactive atmosphere. The aesthetic, the music and the tone. I was completely captured by its presentation and style.

Every moment counted and I was entirely into everything that was going on. Trying to solve the murders, trying to get a grasp on the town and its people. It was so neat to see the town change over time, to understand differing perspectives and to consistently being thrown curved balls across its lengthy run time. The twists, the turns and the moments were so well done.

It was funny, it was lovely and it felt truly driven by my choice. A true role playing game with fine tuned writing and delightful moments. This may not be for everyone in terms of the style, but if it sounds like something you’d enjoy do give it a try. For certain individuals out there this game will be just absolutely remarkable, and an unforgettable experience.

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Pentiment Review on Xbox Series X
Review Code Provided by Microsoft

Rating Overall: 10