The game year 2022 has delivered so it will do if you want spectacular action. The adrenaline bombs “Elden Ring” and “God of War Ragnarök” are two examples. 2022 has been at least as rewarding for anyone who prefers gaming experiences of the more low-key kind. Games that drill into the soul in a more devious way. “Stray”, “Immortality” and “NORCO” are examples of this. It is at this end of the game media that you will also find “Pentiment”. We are talking about one of the year’s clear best games, which can possibly be a bit difficult to understand if you look at pictures or video from the game. Straight into the syllabus It’s as if illustrations from a book from the 16th century have come to life in staccato animations. A story told via text bubbles. Long, seemingly everyday, conversations. It probably doesn’t help when I say it takes around twelve hours to get to the scrolling text. That’s a lot of babbling, that! But there are also twelve hours of intense excitement. It’s possibly the best history lesson on 16th century Europe ever created, a game that should go straight into the curriculum. CHILD OF THE HEART: Game creator Josh Sawyer is known for the development of blockbuster games such as “Fallout: New Vegas”. With “Pentiment” he has been allowed to bring his big heart child into the world. Photo: Xbox Game Studios You control the artist Andreas Maler, who moves to the Bavarian town of Tassing at the beginning of the 16th century. There he becomes an apprentice in the monastery’s writing room. Here it takes months, perhaps years, to copy books by hand for rich people from all over Europe. The power of the word is central. The importance of stored knowledge and history and – not least – deliberate falsification of history. You’re also a detective It’s a story about history, quite simply. An experience that powerfully demonstrates how historical events and facts can be determined, bent and falsified by those in power. You bathe in discussions about books and opinions that compromise the church’s official “truths”. Down in the city, the art of printing has just arrived, which popularizes knowledge. A popular uprising is brewing against the church’s harsh taxation of the inhabitants of Tassing. Martin Luther’s desire for reformation of the church is in its initial phase. The echoes of both the area’s pagan background, Greek philosophers and the city’s thousand-year-old Roman history reverberate between the buildings. LUXURY GOODS: Until the art of printing became established, books were handmade works of art – luxury goods for the privileged. In “Pentiment” you get the opportunity to study parts of famous works to find clues. Photo: Xbox Game Studios USEFUL NOTEBOOK: In Andreas’ notebook you will find maps of the area you are in, notes from conversations you have had, information about people you meet and a to-do list for possible tasks. Extremely effectively, a blood-dripping thread is placed through all of this. A murder shakes the town and the monastery, and it becomes your job to find the killer. Out of this grows a conspiracy and a mystery that will take three acts and 25 years – in the game, thankfully – to solve. And here it becomes fascinating so it lasts. You have to make a lot of choices throughout the story that greatly affect your experience. WHO IS THE MURDERER? The story in “Pentiment” offers up to several murders, and it will be your job to find the killer. Photo: Xbox Game Studios Handsome or philosopher? You can be a reckless hunk who waltzes through Tassing with bulldozers, you can be deeply religious, a more down-to-earth realist, a brooding philosopher, an intellectual, a dreamy artist, for or against the reformation of Martin Luther – or a combination of all these. You can even choose where you have traveled and which languages you have studied before coming to Tassing. This will give you an understanding of some texts, while others will be incomprehensible. It may seem like simple moves, but all of these have a dramatic impact on the story being told. What you say and the way you behave affects everyone around you and what they want to share with you. It must be said that twelve hours in an experience like this is a long time. “Pentiment” demands a lot from the player, especially because you get paid well to follow and remember conversations that may have happened several hours ago. eavesdropping: Sometimes you have to sneak up on others to eavesdrop on conversations. Photo: Xbox Game Studios Interactive “The Name of the Rose” Being an active participant in a truly epic history lesson like this is like riding a delicious wave of imparting knowledge and interesting reflections. I have gained a deeper understanding of an era that has helped shape the world we live in, 500 years later. And then the murder mystery in the game is also excruciatingly exciting. “The Name of the Rose” by Umberto Eco is included in the very long source list in the scrolling text, and if you’ve read the book or seen the film, it’s the same nerve here. “Pentiment” is an incredibly well-constructed interactive story that bubbles over with passion for history and the power of words. It brims with nerdy creative joy and reflective wisdom. It is one of the best, strongest and most interesting experiences I have had in a long time. news reviews Graphics: Xbox Game Studios Title: “Pentiment” Genre: Story game Platform: PC and Xbox Developer: Obsidian Entertainment Publisher: Xbox and Game Studios Date: 15 November 2022
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“Pentiment” for PC and Xbox – Reviews and recommendations
