My Pentiment sentiment: A great historical game!
I've been a long time fan of the games developed by Obsidian Entertainment. Games such as Fallout: New Vegas, KOTOR 2, Pillars of Eternity, South Park: The Stick of Truth, and many more.
Having just finished their 2022 game Pentiment, I have to say: To me, this is one of their best! Pentiment is a narrative driven game taking place in 16th century Bavaria, in the fictional settlement of Tassing. Very soon, your character gets wrapped up in a murder investigation that is not as straightforward as it seems. The game has an interesting art style, which is showcased very well on the official website.
Being purely narrative driven, the game does not feature the usual deep RPG and combat mechanics that I'm familiar with from Obsidian games. I can imagine it serves a more niche audience than their other games. It still very much feels like an Obsidian game however: The story is well written, the characters are interesting, and the game reacts to the choices you make.
Thanks to the game's focus on narrative, with no combat encounters to drag it out, you spend a lot of time getting acquainted with Tassing and its inhabitants. At the same time I am very grateful for the little puzzles, minigames and animations that are sprinkled throughout the game, which allow you to take a break from all the dialogue reading.
I felt totally immersed in the setting and its characters. What helps is that the game takes place entirely in the settlement of Tassing, and the story is split across three acts spanning 25 years. This means that you get to see the characters and Tassing change over time, and witness how their lives were impacted by the important choices you made earlier. And while I had some regrets in how some things turned out in my game, I was never tempted to use a online guide or anything in order to get the 'best' outcome.
Another detail I liked is that one of the minor characters, Lijsbet, is originally from the city I live in (Utrecht, The Netherlands). Like the game's fictional settlement of Tassing, Utrecht is also built on top of a Roman settlement. In the city center there are markings indicating where the walls of the former Traiectum fort used to be. You can also still find traces of the city's Roman history underground.
Watching the NoClip documentary The Making of Pentiment on YouTube, it is clear this was a real passion project, especially for the game's director and narrative designer Josh Sawyer. I can really recommend watching this documentary, even if you don't intend to play the game. It was interesting to watch the team talk about how the project got started, how the characters were designed and animated, and how they figured out the game's eye catching art style.
Josh Sawyer also has a Tumblr blog where he answers people's questions about the games he's worked on.
I can imagine Pentiment was somewhat inspired by the success of the game Disco Elysium three years earlier, which had a similar narrative focus (but featuring more in-depth character stats). That game will likely be next on my list to play, after a few spooky games that are on my list for October!