We will never finish saying that for create an intriguing narrative adventure, the characteristics that must be presented to the player are different and multifaceted, in addition to that joker, that "je ne sais quoi" that manages to kidnap you and catapult you into another world and you cannot do without it until the end credits. pentiment, which we present to you in review, is an unusual title to say the least, not only for its intrinsic characteristics, but also for the development studio, which over the years has presented us with completely different titles. Let's talk about Obsidian Entertainment (now part of the Xbox Game Studios), who hand in hand with Microsoft and a small team directed by Josh Sawyer has offered us something very tantalizing. A game not for everyone, already from the premises, but very fascinating.
Pentiment is to all intents and purposes a whodunit, set in theEurope of 1500, more precisely in a town of the Holy Roman Empire in the Bavarian Alps, Tassing, alongside a famous and respected abbey, Kiersau. The game deals with thematics and conflicts based on historical situations and facts, filtered and reproduced through fictional characters and places.
Pray and Work
The story that we will live in Pentiment begins in April 1518 and evolves in 25 years and is divided into three acts. Our protagonist is Andreas Maler, a Nuremberg miniaturist who came to Tassing to work as an artist in the culturally rich Kiersau Abbey. We won't say too much about the story of the game, not only because of its importance to the narrative and gameplay, but also because you know that the choices what will you do they will have strong impact on the continuation of eventseven years later.
As you know, that historical period was very important politically and religiously at the gates of the Renaissance, and everything said or done in a community rooted in spirituality will have its strong consequences. Change will be an integral part of the adventure, as will the generations that will pass, the characters you will see born, grow and die. There religion will be one of the main focuses of Pentiment, as well as the dialogues and your actions. Indeed, you will be called to manage your time, to talk with the farmers, with the brothers and sisters of the abbey, exchange views on rural life, on faith, and likewise to to investigate... its a murder. Will you choose to follow one lead over another? Who do you think is the culprit? The time it passes and you can't stop it, handle it at your best.
Also know that the adventure will take you some time to complete, especially if you are scrupulous and try not to miss any line of dialogue. Playing it this way might actually slow down the general pace, which already often struggles to accelerate by itself, but it is also in the smallest details that the truth is hidden, and we therefore invite you to grit your teeth and not lose anything along the way.
However, Andreas will not be a pre-set character, or rather, not entirely: during the very first stages of the game we will go to outline his profile based on to its past, such as his cultural preparation and his habits (for example we chose to give it a background which saw him living in Spain, with law as a form of study). All the interests and attitudes that we will choose, as well as her culture, will open up new opportunities for us every time unique dialogue options, different and dedicated, to which the characters can respond positively… or negatively: exploiting them is not always a wise move, because characters in Repentance remember, also years later.
Last noteworthy part of the gameplay concerns i minigames present: these are often an integral part of the story, but there is not always a need to successfully complete them to continue. Some will be gods puzzle, others of the very small tests of skill, but in any case there will never be something so complicated to block you.
A game to read and to see
Pentiment is a game that does its thing artistic side one of its flagships: the work in its entirety is created literally as if it were a book, so all drawing, writing and scene changes are handled this way. The designs were handmade and created ad image and likeness of medieval books, just like those that Andreas enriched with his miniatures. It doesn't end there though, because even writing ei font themselves have been made an integral part of the game: these are different depending on who is speaking or what we read about, the peasants will have their own font, then there are those who will have the scribe's, monastic, typographic or humanist style. It goes without saying that for one excellent fidelity, many of these may not be easily readable by players, therefore Obsidian, among its many options for accessibility, has also included the possibility of choose between lighter and more stylized fonts. Clearly the latter guarantee an even more total immersion.
The text is also dynamic, or can change in intensity, or be stained ... in short, thanks to some absolutely ingenious tricks, combined with the facial expressions of the characters, we will be able to understand what their mood or their tone thanks to written words. Which is not only welcome, but also essential, given that in Pentiment there are no dubbing or voiceovers. The audio part of the game is therefore entirely entrusted to colonna sonora, absolutely fitting, created in a workmanlike manner with instruments of the time, and with the right peaks of intensity. Do not despair, because Pentiment is available also in Spanish, and with perfect translations and adaptations.
The story, played
Before closing this review of Pentiment, in which we have tried to talk as little as possible about the evolution of the plot great protagonist of the game, we cannot fail to underline how important the cultural and historical fidelity that the game offers is. From every pixel, from every dialogue, from every fact told, from every book and anecdote, check the passion e study that the small development team has imprinted on the game: a meticulous research that has spanned centuries, from religious knowledge and more, From medicine to the impending boom of the press, from the reproduction of the artistic style (not only of the characters, but of the structures, the frescoes of the churches and so on), up to the historical and cultural influences earlier than the Middle Ages, since the ancient Romans. Everything in Pentiment has been researched and put there for a reason.
Review- Pentiment (Tested on XBX/S) 8.5 Final Vote
Pentiment is an incredibly inspired and intriguing narrative adventure, a mystery that will never get boring between twists, time that passes and history and religion lessons. Artistically sublime in all its forms, it is lost only in some excessively slow game sections, which despite benefiting the longevity of the game, seem to almost fill the time with superfluous notions. Nothing that affects the experience, above all because even those parts are small tiles that make up a coherent and historically accurate mosaic.
