I think the gaming audience in general needs a bit higher standards for storytelling because we often feel like we're combining production value and fidelity with good writing. Maybe that's why I can't get on board with claims about games like Horizon Forbidden West and Mafia: The Old Country with amazing stories; in my opinion these games have fantastic visual and art design, not fantastic writing. Most of the time they look and move like movies, but lack the substance of a truly great movie, novel, or TV show.
If you feel similarly disaffected by the current flood of “story” games, I've got good news for you: there are plenty of critical video game stories out there, they just don't always look like something hot off the PlayStation Studios press. One such game that never gets enough love, in my opinion, is PentimentObsidian Entertainment's RPG 2022 is, pound for pound, the developer's best written project. If you like history, literature, and choice-based gameplay, not to mention storytelling that actually feels mature, nuanced, and complex, then Pentiment is the game for you. Many have missed it – don't be one of them.
Pentiment is a must for history buffs
One of my favorite novel series is Ken Follett's Kingsbridgealso commonly referred to as The Pillars of the Earth. Each book is several centuries apart, but the first few entries are set in the Middle Ages and Middle Ages and follow the nuns, priests, and monks of a fictional English town. Crucially, this series brings an empathetic, nuanced, human perspective to the lives of these religious servants, and thus becomes a useful tool for better understanding this period of history beyond sanitized facts and figures.
Pentiment is quite similar in that respect. It takes place in 16th century Bavaria, during a period of immense economic and religious upheaval in Europe. Players take on the role of Andreas Maler, a humble painter who visits the fictional town of Tassing to complete his apprenticeship. Andreas is charming and affable (depending on how you choose to play him), but despite that, he's embroiled in a confusing murder plot involving ecclesiastical conspiracy, ancient Roman history, and entrenched social strife.
Click or tap the games that match the category
Start
Infinitely more multifaceted than meets the eye, this story spans several decades and allows players to fully absorb the depth of this fictional world. The counterbalance to this large scale is its relatively pedestrian nature Pentiment's characters, none of whom have significant power except for Tassing: most of the cast members are monks, artists, nuns, and laborers who keep Tassing functioning and thriving. This focus on ordinary people Pentimentlike Kingsbridgea useful supplemental tool for learning about this period of history. But more than that, it makes the story that much more emotionally powerful and engaging, especially when you consider how much of an impact you can have on it.
Not just a picture book: Pentiment's choice-based storytelling is deep and compelling Those familiar with other Obsidian creations, especially games like Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternitythey probably already know what level of freedom to expect Pentiment.
Without going too deep into spoilers, suffice it to say that a player like Andreas can decide the ultimate fates of several different characters, causing the larger narrative to shift and settle in response to their presence or absence. Andreas' background is also highly customizable at various points in the story, and these elements will have a significant impact on how he, and thus the player, interacts with the world. For example, you can choose which languages Andreas speaks, allowing you to understand dialogues in that language in the game; if Andreas doesn't understand the language, neither do you.
in a word PentimentThe whole game is about consequences. Choices rarely feel trivial or contrived, and you really feel like you're untethered in a sense: the game never steps in to stop you from making the “wrong” choice, even if it means sending an innocent person to their death. It's this bold and unflinching approach to choice-driven storytelling Pentiment stand out against other impressive or perfectly written story games like Disco Elysium, Citizen Sleeperand even some of Obsidian Entertainment's own RPGs, which are superbly robust, flexible and well-written in their own right.
I hope I did a competent job of conveying Pentiment's strengths that are so numerous and varied that it is rather difficult to capture them in plain English. But here's the thing Pentiment it's only $20 and “free” if you have Game Pass, so it's not a very risky investment. Chances are you'll find something to appreciate in it – doubly so if you're looking for a killer story. No pun intended.
- Released
-
November 15, 2022
- ESRB
-
M For adults 17+ // Blood and gore, sexual themes, strong language, violence
- Publishers
-
Xbox Game Studios
