100%PC

Cried like a bitch.

Masterpiece.

65%PC

It was okay. Overall I enjoyed the first few hours the most and then it got kind of repetitive for me. The game has UX issues that need fixing, starting with the menu and map navigation, and the repetitive flipping back and forth when going between maps really annoyed me and slowed down the game.

No proper save system is also an insult to the player.

90%PC

Worth every moment I spent on it. So immersive and historically-accurate without being overwhelming. Such a nice and human "community" experience.
Josh Sawyer my beloved

90%PC

Pentiment is a point-and-click adventure game set in a medieval German town in the Alps. It's picturesque setting is one of it's main strenght. Because it's not so common you see it in games in general much less from a relatively big and known studio as Obsidian undoubtedly is. Speaking of, it's maybe kind of surprising given the studio is known mainly for RPG games. Even more surprising to me is the depth, narrative and thematic, they pulled off with this one. Basically as a player you witness how the town and the locals change across multiple generations. The plot revolves around 2 murder mysteries that you solve (or trying to solve) as Andreas Maler an artist and well educated man. But not everything is as it seems at first sight and soon you begin to grasp a larger conspiracy going in the shadows. Though that mystery, along with others is not resolved until the end. The narrarive is written very inteligently, given that it unfolds through longer time span and gives you clues to keep track in your head only for it to fit into place in the end. It all made sense to me in the end, which is a big praise for a script.
Also the characters that inhabit this town are very colorful and layered. Some you will love, some you will hate, but all are unique in some way. And you influence their fate.
That means, your choices during the investigations and beyond matter. Not just in pretense but for real.
Next the themes that hit close for me. Themes like: the passage of time, dealing with hardships that life sometimes brings, knowing history both yours and your family's and history of places you inhabit. It's fitting that through viewing the complex history and story of Tassing did the main character of chapter 3 finally uncover the truth of who was behind everything.
So I must say, it's not everyday you can witness a game such as this. So well thought- out, well written, funny and sad at the same time. And with this much thematic depth. This is a gem, that is sadly overlooked I think.

90%Xbox Series X/S

This is a good game to play on your phone no matter how bad your phone is.

80%Xbox Series X/S

Pentiment é uma expressão artística que retrata muito bem a Europa na época da Reforma Luterana. O jogo apresenta uma gameplay em formato de leitura, com aspectos iluminados e xilogravuras impressas da época. Toda a experiência de jogo é, literalmente, uma leitura de um grande livro onde você escreve a história. É comum vivenciar dilemas morais e religiosos durante essa jornada. O jogo traz uma reflexão profunda sobre visões destoantes da época, apresentando os pontos negativos e positivos de cada uma delas. Além disso, foram adicionados alguns elementos de RPG. Com certeza, Pentiment é um dos títulos mais distintos da Obsidian, apesar de se tratar de um nicho muito específico. Em resumo, Pentiment é muito mais um livro interativo historicamente inspirador do que um jogo. A todo momento, você vai aprender referências históricas e ver suas ações impactando a vida dos moradores de Tassing.

100%PC

10/10, Pentiment is one of those few unique games that will stay with me forever, always questioning if my decisions will have the impact that they originally intended to have. A masterpiece.

95%Xbox Series X/S

Incredibly well done visual novel/point and click adventure game that shows Obsidian/Josh Sawyer still know how to write incredibly compelling characters.

The setting and main character are a unique take on the medieval genre that start off strong and carry their momentum all the way through to the end of the game. It's apparent within minutes of starting the game that a lot of love and attention went into the research of the era to make things as accurate as possible and providing the tools to understand those things yourself as a player. You're given quite a bit of free reign over how you experience the world and story as the main character which leaves it very fresh to play through the game subsequent times even knowing all of the main plot beats. Every action or inaction that you take feels like it matters even down to the smallest of things like who you choose to share your meals with or the people you haven to chat with in passing. Almost every character has a surprising amount of depths to them for just how many of them their are inhabiting the world and your actions ripple through all of their lives with even the slightest of changes in the course you choose to take. The mysteries of the game are very enthralling and despite the slow start the game has, you'll almost certainly be hooked once you make it through the initial hour or so of the game.

If there is one negative to the game I would say its the final act. Although there is just as much intrigue and mystery, perhaps even more than the rest of the game, not much is actually done with it. Characters introduced in the final act all feel incredibly shallow and stand out dramatically from the rest of the cast that are involved up to that point. Finally, while it isn't bad by any means, the ending of the game is a bit lackluster in both the conclusion to the games mysteries as well as the ultimate finale.

Overall however the game is incredible in many ways. From its artistic stylization to its mostly well written characters this game is absolutely still proof that Obsidian knows how to make a game after the recent string of misses from the studio in recent years, and is absolutely a story worth experiencing at least once.

100%PC

Fantastic story. However I was kinda disappointed after completing the game. I started reading the wiki and I saw that there in no right answer. You are never explained who actually murdered people.

95%PC

This is a very niche game. Most people won't like it because it is a lot of reading and there is no combat. But if you like narrative RPGs like Disco Elysium, then you'll like this one. The choices are very difficult to make and the mysteries are fascinating. The world-building is incredible and there is a huge amount of things to learn about history, art, philosophy, etc. I highly recommend this game, but don't expect a normal game.

85%PC

A fun short little mystery game. Love the historical accuracy!

https://nerdcrash.blog/2023/02/24/pentiment-review/

80%Xbox One

Pentiment's not going to be for everyone. It's a visual novel mystery thriller set within Renaissance-era Germany, as a historical fiction piece. Josh Sawyer really put passion into this, you can tell, since it's a really accurate experience to the era. It has replayability with the different backgrounds you can choose for Andreas, the protagonist, unlocking different dialogue options throughout the game in true Obsidian fashion.

I can't say more without spoiling the game - but if you enjoy visual novels, mysteries, Obsidian's games, Josh Sawyer's games, and/or historical fiction, please give Pentiment a try.

Score: 88

90%PC

Great story. Choices matter. I also like the art style of the game. Really made me care about all people living within Tassing seeing them marry, have children and their children growing up. You can replay this game after 1st playthrough with different choices and ending.

85%PC

great story, just wish it was a little more respectful of the player's time

90%Nintendo Switch

It's a hidden gem, I'm not to much into such games where you have to read so much but I felt connected to the characters, the town and a lot to the player Charakter Andreas.
I Always wanted to know what will happen next.

Just the dialogue bonuses didn't felt too much helpful or that they had much impact.

Great game , hope they do another one.

85%PC

Was a beautiful game that was cool to see how the town grow older through the generations as the main character got older. How every person remembers everything you did was awesome. The little minigames were refreshing.

90%PC

murder mystery with no definitive right answer? sold

70%PC

I enjoyed this game, it was a very well written narrative adventure. What I disliked is the ending, where it seems that everything uncovered and all the choices made in the first two sections are completely useless and they all take to the same conclusion regardless.
I think that I was wrong playing this game as a deductive investigation game, it was just a story, but everything made me think that I had to recover the correct path.
Anyway, I enjoyed the journey.

100%PC

https://niveloculto.com/analisis-pentiment/

90%PC

A game that excels in it's complex world building and overarching narrative.

Pentiment starts a bit slow and meaningless, but after some hours you start to get what exactly you're playing and what you should be doing, and that is when the game really starts. After this, it is a roll, you just want to keep going to see how it's going to end, what you can discover and how the world can change with your actions.

The gameplay is really simple and can get a bit boring, the way the town is designed is confusing at times and I feel like the map doesn't help enough, since with 25h of gameplay I was still not familiar with everything, and sometimes the time system felt a "bit rigged" as I could've done X action but the game wouldn't let me.

But apart from that, I think everything was incredibly well done, the artstyle, the visuals, the whole theme, the world building, the characters and their development, the narrative, the mystery and the plot, everything was on top notch and it paid off.

I think probably that the best thing of the game, is that it isn't lying to you, everything happens without any "intention to hide" and neither to mislead the player into not finding out what is happening, in fact with enough and thorough analysing of certain moments and facts you CAN figure out, and I felt extremely happy about this, in fact I loved it.

In all, a long but worth it narrative that showcases immense cultural and religious knowledge of a past time.

A 9/10.

100%PC

Historiozofia Europy - jej pogańskich, rzymskich i chrześcijańskich korzeni, których nie sposób rozplątać. Życie jako labirynt, gdzie złe decyzje mogą mieć dobre konsekwencje. Funkcjonalność prawdy, którą filtrują materialne i społeczne relacje. Sztuka jako reprezentantka świata. A poza tym o nierównościach między ludźmi, potrzebie emancypacji, nawet o meta-narracyjnym odbieraniu sprawczości graczowi (świat jest większy niż jednostka).

80%PC

Steam Deck

85%PC

Lovers of murder mysteries and history will have a good time here. I really enjoyed the abbey setting, the wonderful art, and the strong writing. I think this game made me feel my choices more than others, which I would say is a positive. The pacing, while sometimes a bit slow, is nevertheless part of a story which ends up being immensely satisfying to read.

90%PC

I enjoyed the story and the characters were entertaining. Solving the murders was fun and the plot twist was enjoyable. If anything I wish there were more minigame activities to mix in between all the dialog since it can be quite a bit overwhelming but still a very good game overall

100%PC

One of the most beautiful, most human, games I have ever played.

80%PC

People that know a lot about history, medieval manuscripts etc... will adore this game, I'm sure. I am not in that category. I do enjoy this games art a ton. The story kept me hooked the whole time. The game never outstayed it's welcome. I wish I had more control over the story though, I don't think my choices really mattered much.

80%PC

Very confident game. The town is extremely well realised, with beautiful 2D art, subtle animations and great use of sound and music. The dialogue is always delightful to read and in very few instances it overstays its welcome (very remarkable for a game that is 90% dialogue). The choices and overall story arc are clearly very well thought out and the ending —while not super suprising— manages to feel logical and satisfying.

80%PC

Truly a gem of a game, and I hope its relative success encourages other studios to make similar games (historical fiction, dialogue heavy, 2D etc.).
I think my main problem, which made it difficult to adore the game, was that I wanted more. More of everything - dialogue, characters, history, art, music etc. I truly believe this would've been a 10/10 experience had it had more meat on its bones, say 5 to 10 more hours or so.
But by all means, pick it up if you get the chance, it's a fun game to discuss and write about. And one can see how much effort and love was put into making it, although there are a fair few rough edges.

80%PC

This game took a bit of time to get its hooks in but once it did we were rocked by it. Act 3 goes so hard.

80%Xbox Series X/S

Rich world with a fun mystery but a lot of it may feel superfluous to the central conflict.

+ Soundscapes of crackling fireplaces, eating sounds, environmental effects, etc. make this visually flat game feel three dimensional
+ Snappy and easy dialogue (turn on instant-reveal text)
+ Enjoyable plot with good twists

- A lot of interaction feels like a distraction
- Ultimately a linear adventure game

80%PC

I was deeply interested in part 1, a little less so in part 2, and then in part 3, I just totally lost interest. I love the idea of this game, and really did enjoy meeting all the people, exploring the areas, and working toward solving the mystery. It's impressive the amount of research that went into making it. But actually playing it for so long just got dull over time. I read the ending and don't think I missed anything. It's worth some time if you like narrative games or, you know, medieval history.

100%PC

A dialogue-based story game where you get to solve a murder mystery, while also getting to grips with the mentality and way of life of a 16th century village.
This game is not for everyone, you need to be a fan of the visual novel genre of games ( another example being Disco Elysium), and derive pleasure from interacting with the world and its characters.
If this does sound like something you would enjoy, this is a very engaging and thought provoking experience that steps way above the norm of even indie games in terms of "how did this game get made omg".

85%Xbox Series X/S

Que trabalho fantástico com a tipografia! O texto é cativante e faz com os personagens ganhem vida e se tornem familiares ao jogador. Conhecer Tessing, seu povo, os conflitos sociais é uma delícia. A investigação poderia ser melhor, mas...

100%Xbox Series X/S

Really, really good story and dialogue. At times I was left a little confused, especially since there are just so many NPCs. Overall, though, the story was exceptional and really compelling. I loved the characters, I loved the choices. I immensely enjoyed the art style and just the heart behind the game. The lack of voice acting, sheer amount of dialogue, and the style just made it more difficult to enjoy than a typical RPG. I still wouldn't have Obsidian change anything about the game though because it was such a masterpiece the way they made it. Just a little difficult to enjoy at times. So good. Highly recommend. Props to Obsidian for one of their best games yet.

95%PC

A huge achievement in games writing, artistic direction, and, you know what, sound design. Total masterpiece.

90%PC

PET SCHLAU

90%PC

Excellent story. Beautiful art style.

100%Xbox One

cried like 4 times and the ending plot twist was fuckin crazyyy

70%Xbox Series X/S

Decent change of pace from the majority of games currently out there. At certain points conversations felt like a bit of a slog to get through, many characters seemed to have very similar personalities and unclear motivations... only existing to further specific plot points. They could have done much more with the script/typeface.

Otherwise, it was very refreshing with an intriguing story.

75%PC

Are you a mature adult? Do you have an appreciation for history? Did you like Disco Elysium?

Then you're SURE to like Pentiment, which is a visual novel masquerading as a point-and-click.

You have some murders to solve in 16th century Bavaria so get your ass to the Old Bailey because it's nearly Nones and if you don't decipher that manuscript you'll be lighting votive candles at Saint Satia's shrine for yourself. You'll learn a lot along the way, and will develop an understanding of history's inherent "pentiment" (a word meaning edits of historical accounts at the whim of the editor.)

It also can be boring. Most of the townsfolk are dull. Half of my 18 hours was wandering around having conversations with people who had nothing interesting to say and who's names and relationships I soon forgot. Although the murder-centric Acts I and II were riveting, things slow WAY down for Act III and at that point I was waiting for the game to end.

You do have some choices to make which affect the fates of a couple characters. Other than that, it's rather an on-rails experience. It's a very good educational murder mystery, but will only appeal to a minority of gamers. 75/100

90%Xbox Series X/S

Historia increible, como tus decisiones van moldeando la historia

80%Android

82

60%PC

Pentiment offers a stylish and well-crafted story. Philosophical, intriguing and unapologetically authentic.

Yet despite its strengths, this game just didn't capture me the way I was so badly hoping it would. For me: easy to appreciate, hard to enjoy.💔

60%PC

A meditation on loss, regret and faith, among a complex blend of other themes, Pentiment defies the conventions of modern gaming. Its pace is deliberate, the story is bereft of triumphs, and much of the characters (including the leads) are drab. In other words, kinda like real life. Too much so.

80%PC

Was a great story based game

90%Xbox Series X/S

90+%

90%PC

A small Alpine town circa 1520 houses a young manuscript artist named Andreas Maler, looking to create his life's masterpiece. Working on a commission in the local abbey's scriptorium, he is soon thrust into a dark reality where he must illuminate the townspeople, not with his art, but with the truth. Pentiment is a game unlike many others, from its illustrative artstyle to its hybrid adventure/RPG gameplay, but inside is a story about legacy, belief, and hope.

Who is Andreas Maler? You begin the game figuring that out as you choose a variety of backstory elements that pose as your skills for unique dialogue options and skillchecks throughout your investigations. You can't upgrade or change the history you give Andreas, but the traits you give him help to flesh out his character and color his words when you make decisions. Choice is the primary function of the game, as you must carefully balance what you do or don't say to the many townspeople you meet during your time in Tassing, Bavaria. Andreas is an outsider who lives in the vacuous space between the holier-than-thou clergymen of the church and the impoverished peasants of the land, and must navigate the religious rhetoric to find the answers he needs. Despite building much of Andreas's personality through player choice, Pentiment highlights our protagonist's POV clearly through UI elements like font changes and notes kept in his journal. An uneducated person will be transcribed into lazy script, and a copyright will be brandished with text straight off the press. The consistent layering of texts as if the story is being written in front of you is a marvelous effect that manages to withstand breaking the fourth wall, even as lettering frequently mistypes and corrects itself (which happens a little too often in my opinion, but it's always a fun beat to realize a word is spelled wrong). References to God are blood red, Mother Mary in a royal blue; Andreas and the townspeople are being watched from up above, and their way of life (as is historically accurate) is so entwined with religious practice and worship that faith begins to turn on itself in surprising ways.

The fancy text is not just for show, the dialogue and story beats in general are top tier. The realism of the period chatter is astounding, but it never slips into the Shakespearean territory where it becomes indecipherable. Many of the NPCs are loving, charismatic souls who all have secrets you are goaded into exploring. Others are not so wondrous, but allow for debates that feel scarily poignant for the setting and our modern times.

Pentiment is split into several chapters, told over different stretches of time. You get to see how people change over the course of your adventure, and how choices you've made will haunt you or others that have suffered at your hands. The game starts off pretty slow, and picks up quickly after the inciting incident. You are on a clock, with major actions passing time, locking you out of seeing everything the town is hiding. This means you must follow your clues wisely and learn everything you can. While I'm not a huge fan of missing content in a game like this, the early pressure from the game to choose your battles was a welcome addition to the mix. Following the first act of the game, you never really recover that same freedom or pace, mostly due to more linear story events that keep you tied to a handful of options. Ultimately, you always end at the same destination, but there are no right choices in between, leaving you to wrestle with the pieces that you are given, whether you agree with them or not.

Pentiment deserves praise for its art, writing, and story, but it isn't without faults. Primarily, I really wish there was a fast travel system. While trudging back and forth through locations is point-and-click standard, by six hours in, I was feeling very over it. While the text of the game was great, I wish more time was spent with the sound, to voice some of the characters or even add sound effects to other things in the world past a frequently grating animal sound loop. Finally, the game definitely isn't for everyone and Pentiment doesn't signal very well how Christian-focused the game really is. 90% of the game's runtime is spent in and around a church and the story heavily deals with religion's effect on community, law, hierarchy, life, death, and other similar weighty topics. If the idea of this seems appalling to you, this may not be the game you will be compelled to finish. Despite its few flaws, Pentiment ropes players in with a period so rarely seen in games and adds a brutal mystery with a satsfying loop of clues, deceit, and tricks to keep you wanting to see more and more. It won't be for everyone, but Obsidian proves its value as storytellers in the best Xbox exclusive in a long time.

90%PC

Fantastic little mystery. Like a pared-down Disco Elysium, very linear but still very good

90%Xbox Series X/S

A wonderful game with a great story, art and a lot of interesting history to be learnt (you can see that a lot of research went into the game). The only downside is the gameplay which consist mainly of walking back and forth through the map looking for clues or people to talk, so it can drag a little bit. It would be great to have some sort of quick travel, but the point-and-click adventure games lovers shouldn't complain about it.

90%PC

Pentiment is a game so good that it made me interested in history. Pentiment takes place in 1500's Bavaria, a time and a place that I've never found myself interested in before; however, you end up becoming so immersed in the characters, the murder mystery and the decisions you make along the way that you find yourself wanting to learn more about this era.
The setting is the crux of why the game is so engaging. You play as Andreas Maler living in the small mountain town of Tassing as a journeyman artist working for the Kiersau abbey. The game explores how life might have been lived back then looking at the relationships between the peasants, tradesmen, and the Catholic church. The brutality of life and the commonplace of death is another theme in place in the game. Between acts there are large jumps of time and many characters end up dying between and during these acts. When talking to other characters about those who have passed many just accept it as the way of life, showing how brutal life could be back then. The major exception is Andreas look at the deaths to those close around him, which is a good way for the player relate more to this look at death.
The gameplay comprises of adventure type game with a heavy emphasis on decision based dialogue in order to persuade characters to reveal information or to act in a certain way. Andreas background choices influence dialogue choices as they allow for more dialogue options. However, as opposed to many other RPG's or decision based games, your specialized dialogue choice based on your background can often times be more harmful than useful. It is important to read what Andreas will be saying and more importantly who he is talking to as sometimes choosing your specialized choice might make whoever you are talking to more angry. For example, members of the church don't like it when you make comments on matters based on Bavarian law.
Another detail of the game I love is how the text font of each character changes based on their ability to read and write as well as what their background is.
While playing my decisions felt impactful but in act 3 they felt less meaningful. While playing through Act 1 I was confident on who I believed the killer was, but on watching the execution scene I thought there was a possibility I made a mistake. Usually I would look up to see who the true killer was but I was confident in my conviction and continued on. The same happened with Act 2. Now that I've beaten the game and know there is no correct answer to who the killer is, I feel my decisions were correct; however, I feel this lessens the impact of the gameplay in the game. Decision based gameplay remains one of the hardest games to design due to the audiences perception of the outcome of their decisions. Pentiment does this well by not making it obvious in game as to if you made a correct decision or not.
Overall I loved Pentiment for making me make decisions I stuck with and I didn't try to cheese the game out of. I really ended up liking many characters as well as learning about this era in time. I recommend this game to anyone who likes decision based gameplay, murder mysteries, or the Middle Ages.