Pentiment

90%
Game Brain Score Based on 7,900 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
Pentiment Game Cover
Pentiment’s incredibly compelling characters, immersive ambience and impactful choice and consequence make it a masterfully crafted RPG. Josh Sawyer and the team at Obsidian have created a truly special game.
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"Pentiment is a single-player mystery platformer set in 16th century Bavaria, where you play as Andreas Maler, an illustrator investigating a series of murders with far-reaching consequences. With intriguing storytelling, good mechanics, compelling graphics, and wonderful music, each decision made will draw you closer to an underlying conspiracy, providing a wholesome story with good replayability and a dense atmosphere."

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Cloud
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
  • Xbox Game Pass
  • x_box_cloud_gaming
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

90%
Audience ScoreBased on 7,900 reviews
story1,816 positive mentions
grinding80 negative mentions
  • The graphical style is excellent, resembling a medieval book scribed by monks, with superb art direction and stylistic touches.
  • The story is engaging, following a 16th century painter investigating murders, with strong writing and character development.
  • The game offers a unique experience with meaningful choices that impact the narrative, encouraging multiple playthroughs.
  • The gameplay is weak, with limited investigation time and opaque dialogue choices that can lead to missing important clues.
  • The third act feels drawn out and less engaging compared to the first two acts, with a rushed and unsatisfying conclusion.
  • The lack of a manual save system can be frustrating, as players may lose significant progress due to the auto-save feature.
  • story4,138 mentions

    The story of *Pentiment* is a richly woven narrative set in a fictional Bavarian town during the 16th century, exploring themes of art, faith, and community through the eyes of its protagonist, Andreas Maler. Players navigate a murder mystery while making choices that impact character relationships and the unfolding of the story, although the overarching plot remains largely fixed. The game is praised for its stunning art style, deep character development, and thoughtful writing, making it a standout example of storytelling in video games, despite some critiques regarding pacing and the limited impact of player choices on the main narrative.

    • “Amazing game with a crazy story, deep characters and twists that left me speechless.”
    • “The story is engaging and actually allows you to fail in certain ways if you're not paying attention, which is rare for story-driven games.”
    • “Pentiment is a stunning piece of work, with a rich story, gorgeous artwork, and fleshed out characters that keep you hungry to learn more.”
    • “Unfortunately as you progress through the story you find out that it was always hopeless to find the actual killer on your own accord.”
    • “Now the final end of the story doesn't have this problem thankfully, but that's also because you don't get any meaningful choices affecting the plot at the end of the game.”
    • “The story is long and meaningless, the dialogue is lifeless, the choices aren't cool, the pacing is just bad, and the themes are barely there.”
  • graphics1,543 mentions

    The graphics of *Pentiment* are widely praised for their unique art style, which draws inspiration from medieval manuscripts and illuminated texts, creating a visually stunning experience that enhances the narrative. Reviewers highlight the meticulous attention to detail in the artwork, character designs, and the use of typography, which collectively immerse players in the historical setting of 16th-century Bavaria. Overall, the game's visuals are described as a beautiful and integral part of its storytelling, making it a standout title for fans of narrative-driven games.

    • “Pentiment has a unique art style inspired by medieval paintings and manuscript art that is not only gorgeous, but also helps further draw you into the experience and aids in giving you a greater sense of what life might have been like back then and how people viewed the world.”
    • “The art style, inspired by medieval manuscripts, is breathtaking and perfectly complements the intricate storytelling.”
    • “The visuals are gorgeous -- it's designed to look like you are inside a late medieval/early modern work of art, and various characters are drawn in the style of medieval illuminated manuscripts or early modern woodcuts depending on their ages.”
    • “It's a story about an artist visiting a tiny village in 1500s Germany to work on a commissioned art piece, with no voice acting included among its heaps of text and the visuals looking like a drab version of the era-specific illustrations if compared to the more flashy and whimsical Inkulinati.”
    • “The ye olde art style doesn't look that thrilling in the pictures and loses its novelty after the first in-game hour, but the magic is in all the little details.”
    • “There are some good mechanics and absolutely stunning artwork, but an incredibly boring first act and some annoying gameplay decisions just make the game not worth the price.”
  • gameplay778 mentions

    The gameplay of "Pentiment" is primarily dialogue-driven and consists of simple point-and-click mechanics, with players mostly walking around, interacting with characters, and making choices that influence the narrative. While some players appreciate the immersive storytelling and unique art style, many criticize the gameplay for being minimal and lacking depth, often comparing it to a visual novel rather than a traditional game. Overall, the experience is heavily reliant on its narrative and character interactions, which may not satisfy those seeking more complex gameplay mechanics.

    • “The gameplay is simple but thoughtfully designed; the story, setting, and dialogue are fantastic!”
    • “Pentiment's vivid art style, tight narrative, and choice-driven gameplay are a treat to experience.”
    • “The minimalist gameplay allows the story to shine, drawing players into a complex and enthralling detective thriller.”
    • “The game side, however, is a bit weak, with the gameplay essentially being boiled down to walking around, talking, and choosing where to spend your somewhat restricted time, making it more of a visual novel with dialogue options than anything else.”
    • “The gameplay itself is minimal; with the exception of a few filler mini-games, it's really all dialogue choices.”
    • “Unfortunately, the actual gameplay leaves a lot to be desired while some pacing issues and bugs diminish the overall experience even further.”
  • music631 mentions

    The music in *Pentiment* is primarily composed by the medieval music group Alkemie, featuring period-appropriate pieces that enhance the game's historical atmosphere. While the soundtrack is praised for its beauty and emotional impact during key moments, many players noted that music is sparse throughout the game, often replaced by ambient sounds, which can create a sense of emptiness during exploration. Overall, the music is considered a significant asset to the game's immersive experience, though some players wished for more frequent musical accompaniment.

    • “The music is genuine to the time period and beautifully done.”
    • “The music helps to sell the suspense or the peace or the melancholy of a situation perfectly.”
    • “The music is exceptional, cleverly used more sparsely than most games.”
    • “My two main points of criticism are that the music is a bit off - not the sound itself, but there's many sequences where there's no music playing at all, which can create a bit of an awkward atmosphere.”
    • “It's kind of sparse on the music which sometimes makes scenes awkward (there's a particular scene in the 2nd act where people are dancing and clapping and it is really awkward with no music whatsoever).”
    • “Pentiment really needed more music, what little is in the game only occurs during events or set-pieces but it's usually quite powerful.”
  • emotional377 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is profoundly impactful, with many players reporting unexpected tears and deep connections to the characters and their stories. The narrative weaves together humor, tragedy, and heartfelt moments, creating an immersive experience that resonates with themes of history, faith, and human relationships. Overall, players describe it as a beautifully crafted emotional journey that leaves a lasting impression, often prompting reflection on personal choices and their consequences.

    • “I was not prepared for the emotional and intellectual sucker punch this game inflicted on me.”
    • “It's a game so unapologetically human, equally funny as it is tragic, as heartwarming as it is bittersweet, mysterious yet enlightening.”
    • “The story, dialogue, and overarching mystery were written and crafted so beautifully and meticulously, and I was amazed at how emotional I got over things that happened so suddenly in the story, or over certain characters I didn't expect to burst into tears over.”
    • “Ultimately, I'm getting so frustrated because the story isn't even that interesting, and when you have boring gameplay with a boring story, it gets incredibly unbearable.”
  • replayability236 mentions

    The game boasts significant replayability, with many choices leading to different outcomes and character paths, encouraging players to explore various scenarios. However, some players find the limited save options and linear aspects can hinder the experience, leading to mixed feelings about replay value. Overall, the combination of character customization, branching narratives, and engaging storytelling makes it a title that many are eager to revisit.

    • “The replayability of this game is amazing, with almost every choice leading you down a different path.”
    • “The game offers great replayability as you will no doubt be left wondering how things might have turned out had you made different choices.”
    • “Endlessly replayable, you will never see everything on any one playthrough, and lastly a shockingly good length for what it is!”
    • “Throughout the game you have to make a lot of choices which advance time and lock out other options, while having only autosave and one save slot - this means there's replayability, but it might frustrate you if you're a frequent save-reload type person.”
    • “There's definitely replay value here in the form of finding out what results my other choices could have, but in all honesty I am not going to be racing into my second playthrough because I know I am going to have to sit through a lot of repeated content to get any new stuff, and for me going through the same dialogue tree multiple times is so much worse than, say, replaying a level of a 3D shooter (especially when the option to just pull up a wiki and read the other endings exists).”
    • “The game's pacing is just too awfully slow to have any replayability.”
  • atmosphere172 mentions

    The atmosphere in "Pentiment" is widely praised for its rich historical detail, stunning art style, and immersive sound design, effectively capturing the essence of the medieval and early modern periods. Players appreciate the game's ability to create a unique, engaging world that feels alive, with a calming and reflective ambiance that enhances the storytelling experience. Overall, the combination of visuals, music, and narrative depth contributes to a captivating atmosphere that resonates with those who enjoy historical themes and narrative-driven gameplay.

    • “Pentiment is visually stunning and the sound design only helps set the atmosphere and stage for the story to unfold.”
    • “The atmosphere, the monastic and folk songs sprinkled throughout, the illustrated scenery as you walk through, around, and beneath Tassing, watching and interacting with the lives of the villagers and seeing the changes throughout the decades, and being able to tailor your decisions in a plethora of morally gray scenarios are just some of the reasons that I enjoyed my 20 hours of playing this game.”
    • “The intricate art design, the minute details in the animation, the overall atmosphere, the writing, the music and the themes... everything fits nicely.”
    • “Crucify me or burn me as a witch - the game's core story is mediocre at best, and loosely held together by the fluff the game offers look- and atmosphere-wise.”
    • “My two main points of criticism are that the music is a bit off - not the sound itself, but there are many sequences where there's no music playing at all, which can create a bit of an awkward atmosphere.”
    • “Despite having a somewhat relaxing atmosphere about it and technically not being 'timed', your story-important actions do take in-game time, and there's never enough of it to complete them all, and since most of them are red herrings with just bits of useful info, and some have very non-obvious consequences, again, expect your first blind playthrough to feel like a constant failure throughout.”
  • humor153 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as a blend of authentic wit and poignant moments, effectively balancing comedic elements with deeper emotional themes. Players appreciate the clever dialogue, situational humor, and memorable character interactions, which contribute to an engaging narrative experience. While some comparisons to other games highlight a perceived lack of humor, many find the writing to be both funny and thought-provoking, making it a unique and enjoyable journey.

    • “It's a super fun, interactive history lesson, with super fun, often hilarious dialogue, interesting characters, and a rather unique setting.”
    • “The writing is charming, funny, and often gut-wrenchingly sad, and the puzzles/mini-games are infrequent enough to provide a breather from what is a text-heavy game in a thematic way.”
    • “The game gracefully balances serious themes, soap operatic twists, and some very funny moments, revolving around a large cast of diverse, complex characters.”
  • grinding90 mentions

    The aspect of "grinding" in the game is frequently described as tedious, with players noting repetitive mechanics, excessive backtracking, and lengthy dialogues that can detract from the overall experience. While some appreciate the immersive atmosphere and storytelling, many feel that the gameplay loop becomes monotonous, especially during replay sessions or later acts, leading to a sense of frustration and fatigue. Overall, the game requires patience, as the enjoyment of the narrative may be overshadowed by the grindy nature of exploration and interaction.

    • “Time for grinding will be required.”
    • “You'll be grinding a lot.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “There are just a few choices to make and running around in the world to find clues was tedious and felt quite random - you had to visit each and every part of the map and stumble over parts of the story you would've missed otherwise.”
    • “Act two gets tedious, and by the final act, I am constantly trying to stay awake and just want to have this game done.”
    • “As soon as I became aware of the fact it's unsolvable, it became a grind – a sanctimonious and tedious visual novel that falls over itself to project 21st-century sentiments onto a medieval story.”
  • character development52 mentions

    Character development in the game is widely praised as a standout feature, with many reviewers highlighting its depth and emotional impact, often feeling that player choices significantly influence the narrative. The writing is described as masterful, creating believable characters and engaging storylines that encourage replayability to explore different outcomes. The art style complements the character development, enhancing the overall storytelling experience and immersing players in a richly detailed world reflective of the historical context.

    • “Incredibly well written, a masterclass in character development, and one of the first games in a while where I actually felt like my choices did have an impact on the world of the game.”
    • “Character development is fabulous and some events actually made me tear up a bit.”
    • “It has some of the best character development I've ever seen in a game.”
    • “Most games are quick to write-off or throwaway character development once a plot-point has convened.”
    • “There's plenty of character development choices with varying degrees of importance, but most seemed a matter of style preference.”
    • “This game is more about choices and character development than solving an actual mystery.”
  • optimization21 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised, particularly on the Steam Deck, where performance is described as flawless for a 2D game. However, some users noted that there is still room for improvement in optimization, despite the impressive narrative and gameplay elements. The controls are responsive, and the game runs smoothly across various platforms, showcasing the developers' attention to detail.

    • “The game's performance in each subchapter is amazing, from the ancient Roman-style multiparty pulpit in the palace of ideas to the imaginary dialogue in the labyrinth to the scenes where things change and people change. The mini-games inserted into the plot are also very ingenious, which shows the creators' thoughtfulness and intention.”
    • “The text is nice and large, and the controls work just fine. Performance is flawless since it's a 2D game.”
    • “Top-notch writing serves up a delightfully involving mystery, incredible amounts of detail in the worldbuilding, clever art style that feeds into and affects the gameplay, immaculate sounds and vibes. You might even learn something, with perfect performance in docked and handheld.”
    • “It's great and all, but the optimization could use some work.”
    • “This review is based only on the performance of the game on the Steam Deck.”
    • “SDHQ is a website made for curating Steam Deck news, guides, and providing optimization/builds for games on the deck.”
  • stability12 mentions

    The game generally runs well, especially on the Steam Deck, but players have reported various glitches and bugs, including issues with dialogue boxes and control problems that can often be resolved by restarting. While the aesthetic and graphics are praised, the presence of minor continuity errors and visual or sound glitches detracts from the overall stability.

    • “This game is a beautifully crafted, historically accurate narrative adventure game, and it runs great on Steam Deck.”
    • “A few glitches though -- sometimes dialogue boxes appeared upside down and backwards, then would flip upward and be from left to right.”
    • “It’s not free of - sometimes big - bugs, minor continuity errors, or visual or sound glitches.”
    • “I've experienced a few glitches in the controls (restarting the game solves them).”
  • monetization4 mentions

    Reviewers appreciate "Pentiment" for its refreshing approach to monetization, especially in an industry increasingly dominated by large-scale projects that often employ exploitative practices. The game is noted for being part of Xbox Game Pass, which allows access without additional costs, contrasting sharply with the prevalent monetization trends.

    • “What a treasure it is to have a game like Pentiment in this era, one where it feels like the industry is rocketing towards increasingly massive projects riddled with exploitative monetization.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

85% average critic score

Buy Pentiment

Play time

16hMedian play time
19hAverage play time
6hMain story
10hCompletionist
13-24hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 26 analyzed playthroughs

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