Video Game Review: Pentiment by Obsidian Entertainment

A beautifully painted Renaissance whodunit.

I heard a positive, albeit quiet, buzz surrounding the release of Pentiment and was intrigued by its very existence. A new Obsidian story-based murder mystery game set in the Renaissance era with a story-book art style? Yes, please. Unfortunately, I didn’t own either of the platforms on which it launched, but thankfully that has been fixed by the kind folks over at Xbox Publishing. The first in a new wave of Xbox-published games on PlayStation has been happily received, and I have to say, Pentiment is a treat.

Andreas Maler, like the paintings he creates, is an intricate canvas of possibilities, fleshed out by the player. The character has certain staples to his personality that transcend the options given to the player, but on the whole, player choice feels like just the right touch of impact for a game this size. Choosing between rapscallion and bookworm will open very different dialogue choices. His areas of study at university and previous locations also open up even more dialogue and problem-solving decisions. Particular problems, like reading script in Italian for instance, become simple if Andreas knows how to read Italian. Otherwise, Andreas must hunt someone down who could help with his specific problem. This adds a bit of replay value to this little gem, and even better yet, keeps the dialogue fun. I’ve almost completed Pentiment twice and can see these small tweaks affecting each playthrough.

The visual aspect of this game is a breath of fresh air. A unique storybook style paints characters in vibrant hues, bringing life to these two-dimensional theists. Almost every character is memorable, a combination of brilliant artwork and writing. The animations are clean and simple, and the game always looks fantastic. Pentiment is a treat for the eyes.

On par with the artwork, the dialogue is king here. With witty writing, the characters pop off the page. Especially Andreas. His ability to thread his way between pious and respectful or sacrilegious and scandalous always created engaging options. I loved the sarcastic lines, and loved it even more when other characters picked up on my sarcasm and called me out (much respect to the ever-intuitive Father Thomas). The game lives by the dialogue, as there isn’t anything else here. Players looking for anything outside of the narrative need to look elsewhere. There are small mini-games throughout that bring in a bit of a distraction (a card game, fixing horseshoes, etc.), but they are ever only distractions and don’t add much to the game. Thankfully the writing is strong enough to hold the rest of the title upon its shoulders. Sitting around and having dinner with the townsfolk is just as engrossing as solving murders (well, almost).

All is not perfect in this picturesque storybook though. The game begins at a dawdling pace, creating a bit of a slog. It’s unfortunate because the game isn’t particularly long. I can see how the absence of a varied list of sound effects and music in combination with a slow start could turn people off. Stick with it and you'll be rewarded, but I admit some of the gameplay choices create a monotonous air. For instance, the entire game sees the player backtracking to find out more information or spend time with specific people.

Pausing the game brings up a book-like menu that allows the player to view the town/abbey and what is available to do in these areas, but it’s not always accurate and doesn’t always show who is currently available to have a discussion. What follows (if you want to be thorough in investigating the murder) is that I found myself going into every house in every area of the game to see if the townspeople or clergy members had something to say. Sure I could have just talked to a few people and gone off of inconclusive evidence, but how could I condemn an innocent person to death without as much information as possible? The system for traversal was inconvenient, even if it didn’t take long to get from place to place.

As dialogue exits characters’ mouths in Pentiment, a quill scratching paper makes a sound. It’s a nice touch, but over time I desired more. The music is lacking, and as much as I enjoy the silent aspect, the game’s clever writing had me hoping for some fantastic voice acting. The music is so ambient as to be absent (though it does flare up during important revelations). A more prominent soundtrack or voiced dialogue would have elevated the experience for this reviewer.

Regardless of these annoyances, Pentiment paints a brilliant picture of life in a small town connected to an abbey in the 1500s. Taxes raised on the peasants create cruel times that force bold action. Most characters are fleshed out and are worth learning more about. Deciding who to accuse when the time comes feels like a hefty decision and actions taken in Act I play out in Acts II and III, so the player must choose wisely. Will you ignore the abbot and investigate the abbey against his wishes, thus drawing his ire in Act II? Would you accuse a character you didn’t have enough evidence to convict but simply didn’t like them? The choices are in the player’s hands, and regardless of how the story goes, Obsidian manages to make the hefty decisions feel incomplete. Reminiscent of the actual convictions cast in the Renaissance era with insufficient data, the weight of a character’s life is in the balance, whether you have enough information or not. Spoiler: you never do, and that makes the game all the more brilliant.

When the credits roll on Pentiment, it is easy to consider pressing New Game right away to see the other options. To see how the peasants and townsfolk react to the accusations of different characters. And to see how your choices will play out differently through the acts. The beauty of Pentiment, despite my issues with its traversal and sound, is that it isn’t a long game, so experiencing it more than once is a feasible option. Any fan of a highly story-focused game should give this a look-over. Clever writing and beautiful artwork steal the show and is a great example of what an established developer could do with a smaller side-project. Pentiment is a polished, highly memorable experience.

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The Math

Objective Assessment: 8/10

Bonus: +1 for witty dialogue. +1 for the beautiful storybook art style.

Penalties: -1 for endless backtracking. -1 for lacking some sound effects.

Nerd Coefficient: 8/10

Posted by: Joe DelFranco - Fiction writer and lover of most things video games. On most days you can find him writing at his favorite spot in the little state of Rhode Island.