Pentiment

 PC
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 140 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 93 out of 140
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 140
  3. Negative: 29 out of 140

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  1. Leonard_Meta
    Nov 18, 2022
    7
    I like the idea of the game, but the execution felt somewhat lacking and it drags on for a few hours too long. Gives a good mood of a period, but somewhat fails as a game, and many scenes suffer from over-extensive unnecessary dialogues, and the minimal gameplay feels unsatisfying. Realistically, it's more of a visual novel, with a handful of simple puzzles and minigames thrown in. II like the idea of the game, but the execution felt somewhat lacking and it drags on for a few hours too long. Gives a good mood of a period, but somewhat fails as a game, and many scenes suffer from over-extensive unnecessary dialogues, and the minimal gameplay feels unsatisfying. Realistically, it's more of a visual novel, with a handful of simple puzzles and minigames thrown in. I enjoyed the overarching storyline, but it feels watered down by being spread over too long of a game, could use some editing… Expand
  2. drlowdon
    Jan 20, 2023
    7
    When artist Andreas Maler finds himself caught in the middle of a mystery, it sets in motion a series of events that will ultimately shape the future of a small town in 16th century Bavaria.

    Taking place across a 25 year period, Pentiment is a great looking game that tells an interesting story full of memorable characters. Some scenes do drag on for a little too long, which can make it    When artist Andreas Maler finds himself caught in the middle of a mystery, it sets in motion a series of events that will ultimately shape the future of a small town in 16th century Bavaria.

    Taking place across a 25 year period, Pentiment is a great looking game that tells an interesting story full of memorable characters. Some scenes do drag on for a little too long, which can make it feel a little too slow at times, but overall it made for an enjoyable experience.    … Expand
  3. gentlebenno
    Dec 10, 2022
    6
    This is probably the most historically immersive game I've ever played. You really feel drawn into this world, and as a history guy I can't get enough of the character & historical depth. The game makers bring a dead world alive with such vibrancy and art.

    The problem is in a game that should be about your decisions, you're never really in the driver's seat despite what the game makes    This is probably the most historically immersive game I've ever played. You really feel drawn into this world, and as a history guy I can't get enough of the character & historical depth. The game makers bring a dead world alive with such vibrancy and art.

    The problem is in a game that should be about your decisions, you're never really in the driver's seat despite what the game makes you think. This is a "choices matter" style game where your decisions only matter in the cosmetic sense. You'll get to the same ending no matter what you do. It leaves me with one of the most moving gaming experiences I've ever had. But it's just that, an "experience". As a "game", it fails.

    There is a healthy debate about how much of the plot, the choices, the ending of a game should be in the hands of the player, or in the hands of the game makers. The game makers hold this game's outcome by the throat, they go too far, and it leaves the player feeling a bit empty at the end, as moving a journey as this was.    … Expand
  4. Jt0429
    Dec 2, 2022
    7
    Good-
    Great writing; interesting detective gameplay that actually requires you to pay attention to the details; gorgeous yet minimalist art direction.
    Bad- Puzzles could have been more engaging; the simplistic gameplay loop might not be everyone's cup of tea. Thoughts- The game is based around the concept of design by subtraction, which is a philosophy where elements and mechanics    Good-
    Great writing; interesting detective gameplay that actually requires you to pay attention to the details; gorgeous yet minimalist art direction.

    Bad-
    Puzzles could have been more engaging; the simplistic gameplay loop might not be everyone's cup of tea.

    Thoughts-
    The game is based around the concept of design by subtraction, which is a philosophy where elements and mechanics that don’t contribute to the central premise of the experience are stripped down to the bare minimum or removed entirely. While that can result in a game that’s pretty focused on its goals, it also means that anyone who does not latch on to that central hook or premise might not enjoy that game at all. And this circles back to the original point that I put forward at the start of this feature; Pentiment is not everyone’s cup of tea. There are no combat encounters, character progression in terms of statistics, boss fights, or anything of that sort – so it might be best to skip it if that’s what interests you. But if what you are looking for is a game that tells a story with engaging characters, Pentiment might just be the one. The game paints a gorgeous world with stellar art direction, and the game’s story explores serious topics related to righteousness, and the corruption that may have settled in some people – and it manages to do it justice for the most part.    … Expand
  5. Crimson9
    Dec 3, 2022
    6
    Pentiment is essentially 'The Name of the Rose, the game.'

    It draws heavily from that novel, although with enough distinctions to not be derivative. I'm not knocking anything from it for doing so. The quality of writing in games is so low that I really hope more are influenced by classical literature. And the effect of the novel on this game is obvious. No other game reaches    Pentiment is essentially 'The Name of the Rose, the game.'

    It draws heavily from that novel, although with enough distinctions to not be derivative.

    I'm not knocking anything from it for doing so. The quality of writing in games is so low that I really hope more are influenced by classical literature.

    And the effect of the novel on this game is obvious. No other game reaches levels of historical accuracy and immersion that this game does, and it really is wonderful.

    Unfortunately while the writing is great for transporting you to 16th century Bavaria, it is not consistently wonderful. There's a lot of bloat in the dialogue that doesn't really achieve anything. Also the game suffers from the 'illusion of choice' that is present in most 'choices matter' games. The game has a great story, but you dont REALLY influence it at all.

    Which means you are mostly just playing a graphic novel.    … Expand
  6. amg297
    Jan 5, 2023
    7
    Es un juego bastante bonito, personajes chulos y un mundo muy inmersivo. El estilo artístico me encanta y en lo que respecta a la jugabilidad es muy sencillo y básico. La historia es buena y hoy en día no se hacen juegos así.

    Algunas cosas malas que puedo decir son que los puzles son, quizás, demasiados sencillos y hay conversaciones con personajes que he sentido un poco "woke". En    Es un juego bastante bonito, personajes chulos y un mundo muy inmersivo. El estilo artístico me encanta y en lo que respecta a la jugabilidad es muy sencillo y básico. La historia es buena y hoy en día no se hacen juegos así.

    Algunas cosas malas que puedo decir son que los puzles son, quizás, demasiados sencillos y hay conversaciones con personajes que he sentido un poco "woke". En general recomiendo este juego, la música es fantástica.    … Expand
  7. Trixxstrr
    May 21, 2023
    7
    It was nice. Definitely a slow game, but nice story. A text adventure game set in the 1500's.
    It's showing that I took around 18 hrs to finish.
    Definitely a passion project game without being focused at the masses. Perfect for Game Pass to give it a wider audience.
    Only 8% got the finished the game achievement.
  8. rexwrexwrecks
    Nov 19, 2022
    6
    Here's a mild spoiler that I got mid-game, and helped me come to terms with the rest of the game. This is a mystery game where you resolve 3 mysteries, the first two of which have limited time to assess all evidence, etc. You'll end up condemning someone in both those cases, and the game does not have a canon/accurate answer. It leaves it to you to determine if what you chose was right orHere's a mild spoiler that I got mid-game, and helped me come to terms with the rest of the game. This is a mystery game where you resolve 3 mysteries, the first two of which have limited time to assess all evidence, etc. You'll end up condemning someone in both those cases, and the game does not have a canon/accurate answer. It leaves it to you to determine if what you chose was right or wrong. If you can deal with that, the ending will not be a slap in the face. But if you can't, drop this game.

    ++ Beautiful and evocative art-style, character models move as if they are puppetized
    ++ Rooted in historical accuracy (I believe) with a reliable depiction of life during that period, and language used as well
    ++ Choices matter ... boy, do they matter!
    ++ Especially true for some characters whose lives change based on your recommendations to them
    ++ You can form a bond with some characters, especially those that are present throughout the multi-decade duration of the story

    -- Game feels quite unpolished. Switching from keyboard to mouse feels easy on the surface, but is actually kind of clunky
    -- Glossary texts (especially about people) sometimes describe them in their future state, before events have happened (for example, it lists Char A as husband of Char B in Act 1 itself, though that has yet to happen in Act 2)
    -- The "big twist/mystery" that gets resolved in the end just feels like you can see it coming, and it didn't really hit me too hard
    -- Writing actually feels quite inconsistent. In some places, quite good, but other areas kinda meh. Act 3 feels like it's written by an entirely different team
    -- Too many characters, and all of them are represented by first name, making it difficult to figure out who's related to whom, and thus you find it really difficult to care about them
    -- Grammatical mistakes in a text-only game!
    -- There could/should have been more music used
    -- Historical accuracy is great, but .... boring?    … Expand
  9. creatureofthenN
    Nov 29, 2022
    5
    I was hoping for a nice little game with a nice style that would be an opportunity to express the beauty of the medieval period.

    Stylistically, it's very good, the gameplay, however is repetitive and uninteresting, the choices don't matter, the dialogues are uninspired, more than history lecture, they rather resemble of loosely linked Wikipedia clippings and made with no effort. And as    I was hoping for a nice little game with a nice style that would be an opportunity to express the beauty of the medieval period.

    Stylistically, it's very good, the gameplay, however is repetitive and uninteresting, the choices don't matter, the dialogues are uninspired, more than history lecture, they rather resemble of loosely linked Wikipedia clippings and made with no effort.
    And as for the beauty of the period... at some point we're dealing with a manifesto scene taken completely off the top, being an anti-historical, primitive feminist training, the only thing missing here is a scene with a pregnant Jesus woman on the cross, all the immersion and enthusiasm went to hell, I don't recommend paying for it.

    Imagine candy in a very nice package.
    You unwrap the candy, but there's nothing inside but a small speck of poop. Everyone around, accustomed to the shallow content and taste of poop, eats the whole candy together with the packaging, praising what a "delicious candy!".
    That's what Pentiment is. Wasted potential due to the laziness and pathologies of modern times.    … Expand
  10. WaraWana
    May 4, 2023
    7
    I was excited to see how amazing they could do a game like this with Microsofts backing. Was pretty disappointed when it felt like an indie game. Thats said I did enjoy the story. Something that I do not usually care for in a game. So I will give it that for sure. Wish there was a "speed up" button for when you are replaying through to get the rest of the achievements. Felt very grindy toI was excited to see how amazing they could do a game like this with Microsofts backing. Was pretty disappointed when it felt like an indie game. Thats said I did enjoy the story. Something that I do not usually care for in a game. So I will give it that for sure. Wish there was a "speed up" button for when you are replaying through to get the rest of the achievements. Felt very grindy to go through it all so slowly on the second playthrough.
    Thank you for reading. Enjoy Gaming.    … Expand
  11. methodyy
    Aug 29, 2023
    7
    Looked, liked what i saw, but the game is difficult to get through as someone who does not enjoy this style of games

Awards & Rankings

12
#12 Best PC Game of 2022
45
#45 Most Discussed PC Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 43 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 43
  3. Negative: 0 out of 43
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 24, 2024
    100
    If you like the late Middle Ages, detective stories, interesting stories, don't mind reading, this is the perfect game for you. [Issue#324]
  2. Adventure Game Hotspot
    Apr 14, 2023
    85
    Pentiment is a captivating Renaissance adventure that challenges players to unravel both a murder mystery and the many enigmas of history.
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  3. Adventure Gamers
    Jan 3, 2023
    90
    Overall, Pentiment is a fantastic game with minor flaws that still impresses, even if the twist at the end of the second act is very difficult to accept. Despite being developed by a small team, Obsidian has demonstrated its ability to create an immersive and demanding game that blurs the line between art and gameplay.
    Read full review
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