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. Deadheadbill
    Nov 19, 2022
    10
    In a world of Call of Duty and Destiny we need a game like this. I can see why some might not like it due to the amount of reading and the style of gameplay but for the targeted playerbase it is a masterpiece.
  3. SolRacRG
    Dec 27, 2022
    10
    The good:
    -Beautiful and consistent visual style
    -Fitting sound design, with amazing music and ambience sounds -Interesting and captivating story, and perfectly told [SPOILER AHEAD] The bad: Choices don't affect the final, just the road. [END OF SPOILER] The Ugly: -Lacks better handling of events. Sometimes, you can start conversations with NPC's after have done activities    The good:
    -Beautiful and consistent visual style
    -Fitting sound design, with amazing music and ambience sounds
    -Interesting and captivating story, and perfectly told

    [SPOILER AHEAD]

    The bad:
    Choices don't affect the final, just the road.

    [END OF SPOILER]

    The Ugly:
    -Lacks better handling of events. Sometimes, you can start conversations with NPC's after have done activities that make said conversations be out of place. I hope they fix it in the future.

    Overall, I would give it a 8/10 but because there is people who give it a 0 just becuase it isn't what they expected, I had to give a 10/10 to even things a little bit, as it deserves better that those haters.    … Expand
  4. 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
  5. Frankie321
    Nov 17, 2022
    8
    I've given it a game because it's a good game, with no action combat. Nice graphics. Good story. However, this is a comment to the developers, please add an optional auto text advance feature. In text heavy games it is so tedious to constantly have to press a key to advance the text. I've played other auto text advance games, and now I'm spoiled in the sense that I love it.
  6. Xenon_54
    Nov 22, 2022
    8
    Just for the sake of its innovation Pentiment is worth a look. The setting and style are completely unique in gaming. Unlike most other historical games that merely seek superficial authenticity this game delves deeper. After a slow start the story is captivating for most of the game though the final act felt a little lengthy. Even without any real gameplay so to speak and unfortunatelyJust for the sake of its innovation Pentiment is worth a look. The setting and style are completely unique in gaming. Unlike most other historical games that merely seek superficial authenticity this game delves deeper. After a slow start the story is captivating for most of the game though the final act felt a little lengthy. Even without any real gameplay so to speak and unfortunately lacking some comfort features I would strongly recommend this game to anyone interested in history who isn't spooked by reading the many lengthy dialogs.… Expand
  7. 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
  8. Urbanebula
    Nov 27, 2022
    8
    Let me start by saying that Pentiment isn't for everyone. What you have here is essentially a point and click adventure game with simplistic puzzles and VERY light RPG elements. Above all else, this is a VERY dialogue heavy title. You're going to have to enjoy a little reading... or a lot of reading. If the first two hours don't draw you in then I would personally say don't bother stickingLet me start by saying that Pentiment isn't for everyone. What you have here is essentially a point and click adventure game with simplistic puzzles and VERY light RPG elements. Above all else, this is a VERY dialogue heavy title. You're going to have to enjoy a little reading... or a lot of reading. If the first two hours don't draw you in then I would personally say don't bother sticking with it.

    However, do not overlook this game as basic GamePass shovelware as I've seen some people doing. If you're into narrative adventures and have a soft spot for player choice and consequence, you'd be doing yourself a HUGE disservice by skipping this game. The game leans heavily on its historical setting and you will spend long sections of gameplay running from place to place, engaging in conversation with a diverse cast of well realised characters. I was absolutely hooked by the end of the first act and by the time the third act had started to feel a little stale it picked right back up again. The story comes to an end with a couple of twists I absolutely did not see coming.

    Regrettably, though the players actions certainly do have far reaching consequences, I cannot see how the overarching story can change to any real degree with the major plot twists seemingly out of your control. I'm still willing to jump back in and replay the entire game to test this theory, at least once more.    … Expand
  9. 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
  10. mister_emu
    Jan 24, 2023
    10
    What would happen if Agatha Christie wrote Andre Rublev and set it in Bavaria?
  11. jimkaddi
    Feb 2, 2023
    10
    Gamers need more games like this! a masterpiece of story, music, graphic design, and vibe. Refreshing to see XBOX is supporting such studios to inject their creativities into making games and bringing new tastes to the market. I had a definite blast playing this game and I got to learn a lot more about medieval Germany as a person who lives in Germany himself! Well done Obsidian.
  12. Lysterao
    Nov 17, 2022
    10
    Now this game isn't for everyone, it's slow paced, cerebral, nuanced and about time period that many people will care little for and know even less about. However, in terms of the Genre it comes from and what it's trying to achieve it's a masterpiece. Brimming with thoughtful artistic choices, good puzzle design, well written characters and an intriguing murder mystery than never holds your hand.
  13. Cryheme
    Dec 14, 2022
    10
    One of the best games in the genre. Disco Elusium meets Medievil (without skeletons).
  14. Cjm_cola_cole
    Nov 23, 2022
    10
    Great narrative game. Love how people are review bombing it for not being something it ever claimed to be
  15. Nondas
    Nov 17, 2022
    10
    an incredible adventure full of twists and turns and with an outstanding story, I recommend it to everyone who likes an incredible narrative
  16. Pplatt
    Nov 21, 2022
    9
    Not for non-reader kiddies and mindless bros who only think CoD and other twitch shooters when they think of video games.
    This is an excellently written slow NARRATIVE experience. It's all reading, all of the time. And it's pretty wonderful.
  17. 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
  18. OceanUla
    Nov 15, 2022
    10
    Отличная игра, сюжет и детективная составляющая 10/10. Ролевая игра с отличными диалогами. Тут нет боевки как в Disco Elysium, но игре это не мешает. В общем советую.
  19. PenetratorGod
    Jan 16, 2023
    4
    It's just one of dozens of games in recent years that create the illusion that choices affect the story. There is nothing special about it. The game can be extremely boring most of the time. Too much unnecessary dialog to extend the gameplay. You are forced to interact with everything because you don't know what will or won't affect the missions. In short, it also has a very long gameplayIt's just one of dozens of games in recent years that create the illusion that choices affect the story. There is nothing special about it. The game can be extremely boring most of the time. Too much unnecessary dialog to extend the gameplay. You are forced to interact with everything because you don't know what will or won't affect the missions. In short, it also has a very long gameplay due to the lack of variety in the gameplay and the lack of choices. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. Likewise, if the Windows language is Turkish, it is not possible to play the game, the game is broken. You have to translate it to English. It's 2023 and this is the first time I've seen such a ridiculous problem in this game. The gentlemen still haven't bothered to release a fix patch or something. The only interesting part of the game is the period it is set in and the extremely cute art design. I endured and finished it for that, but I would never go back and look at it a second time. The story is ridiculous anyway. Nothing we do throughout the whole game serves the main story. The game constantly distracts you from the main objective and makes you make irrelevant choices.… Expand
  20. Bavari-90
    Nov 17, 2022
    10
    Just to make ponies sad.
  21. Bonnily
    Nov 16, 2022
    10
    I‘m really enjoying the story of this. Took a while to get into, but once I did I was blown away. So many choices, amazing music score and interesting mystery at the middle. Can recommend this for anyone who likes point and click type of adventures and games where your choices matter.
  22. reidou
    Nov 20, 2022
    0
    probably the greatest game with no gameplay

    it's sad this'll go so underappreciated, but a game of this type never would have been popular anyway
  23. p0k3m0n
    Jan 10, 2023
    3
    This is bad game, with bad gameplay and not actual historical situations and reality. Boring plot, boring characters, boring dialogues. Terrible in game mechanic.

    And it is full of bugs: so many bugs, that I lost count. Right now I soft-locked game in II act (yes, I am sure) and this is the summary of this product.
  24. Bianconeri1897
    Nov 16, 2022
    0
    Overrated trash game, pathetic and horrendous piece of **** Overrated trash game, pathetic and horrendous piece of ****
  25. JairoAntonio85
    Nov 16, 2022
    0
    Pentiment es un juego aburridisimo con gráficos de hace 25 años, todo esta mal con este juego, la música es inexistente, solo cuentas con el sonido ambiental que parece hecho por un aficionado, la historia es un asco, la jugabilidad es peor que la de un cd rom interactivo y por si fuera poco la animación parece hecha por niños de primaria. Es el peor juego que he visto en toda mi vida. NoPentiment es un juego aburridisimo con gráficos de hace 25 años, todo esta mal con este juego, la música es inexistente, solo cuentas con el sonido ambiental que parece hecho por un aficionado, la historia es un asco, la jugabilidad es peor que la de un cd rom interactivo y por si fuera poco la animación parece hecha por niños de primaria. Es el peor juego que he visto en toda mi vida. No cabe duda que este ha sido el peor año de Xbox y Microsoft. Ya perdieron la generación de nuevo.… Expand
  26. Endymion_Var
    Nov 17, 2022
    1
    Que es esto. Que basura de juego. gráficos de dibujos estáticos y es que hasta el control va mal
    En serio quien le pone nota 88 a esto.
  27. Fatmandu
    Dec 1, 2022
    0
    This game is very bad and the story is bad and the writing is bad and it's boring
  28. Archound
    Dec 15, 2022
    9
    Act 1 and 2 deserve a solid 10/10. Not sure what happened with Act 3, but the game's pacing was disrupted and the writing got worse. Unique, beautiful tale in a historical setting. All in all, it's 2022 GOTY, slightly better than Immortality.
    Don't start me with Elden Ring, a copy-paste from DS with a repetitive and boring open-world and quest design that would be bad in the 90s. GoW is    Act 1 and 2 deserve a solid 10/10. Not sure what happened with Act 3, but the game's pacing was disrupted and the writing got worse. Unique, beautiful tale in a historical setting. All in all, it's 2022 GOTY, slightly better than Immortality.
    Don't start me with Elden Ring, a copy-paste from DS with a repetitive and boring open-world and quest design that would be bad in the 90s. GoW is fine, but it already won GOTY 2018. It's 2022, hello!    … Expand
  29. Samnity
    Nov 29, 2022
    10
    Amazing game. The narrative, the characters, the design, the music, a trully masterpiece.
  30. epelpaj
    Nov 23, 2022
    9
    One of the best games this year. Outstanding visual style, with a great story, dialogue and characters. The sound design is great, but I would've liked some more music in the background. Also some voice acting would've been nice, atleast a few words to help give the players some aid in differantiating the characters. The gameplay is simple, but perfect for this game.

    Tl;dr: One of the    One of the best games this year. Outstanding visual style, with a great story, dialogue and characters. The sound design is great, but I would've liked some more music in the background. Also some voice acting would've been nice, atleast a few words to help give the players some aid in differantiating the characters. The gameplay is simple, but perfect for this game.

    Tl;dr: One of the best games this year, lacking music/voice acting.    … Expand
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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.
    Read full review
  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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