Pentiment PC game takes you back to sixteenth century Bavaria

Historically rammed good and also fun to play. The adventure game Pentiment quickly helps snobs who see computer games as infantile entertainment to get rid of their prejudices.

Pentiment, adventure game in medieval atmosphere

Pentiment was developed by game studio Obsidian as an adventure game without the usual fighting between scenes. Instead of that, you get a game that is completely medieval-inspired. This varies from the letters used for the text bubbles and animated images, to medieval background music and background sounds.

The creators also paid attention to details such as the social class of the person you are talking to. Members of the clergy, such as monks and priests, speak in Gothic letters, while peasants and craftsmen speak in cursive script.

Naturally, customs, dishes and the interior of houses are also completely attuned to the late Middle Ages in what was then Bavaria, so historically accurate. The makers have done their homework well, which makes Pentiment an attractive game for people who know a lot about medieval history.

The world of Pentiment

Pentiment is set in late medieval southern Bavaria, in the fictional town of Tassing. The story begins in the year 1518 in Kiersau Abbey, where a bleeding corpse of a visiting nobleman is found. You take on the role of the main character Andreas: a student who works in the scriptorium on his masterpiece.

The scriptorium is the special room in a monastery where monks copied books letter by letter. Monk’s work, which in 1518 is actually no longer necessary. Because the printing press has just been invented. This was also the library of the monastery, so an ideal place to start an exciting mystery.

And Pentiment will certainly be exciting, because the sleepy village of Tassing turns out to be home to many blood-curdling secrets. You, as Andreas, have to unravel these secrets by asking smart questions or providing answers in dialogues and examining objects. The villagers want to blame your friend and mentor for this sinister murder. Time is running out to find the culprit before it’s too late.

Fortunately, you can choose the background of the character. This gives Andreas special knowledge and skills that will help you unlock the mystery.

20 hours of gameplay, but many alternate timelines

The overall storyline of Pentiment takes place over three different eras, spanning a quarter of a century in total. The total playing time is 20 hours, but the game is so deep that you probably want to try alternatives several times, with different choices. The purchase price is €20 on Steam and a similar amount on Xbox. No version for Sony PlayStation has been released yet.

Is Pentiment a fun game?

Pentiment is quite different from other adventure games and therefore it depends very much on your personality and your interests whether you like this game. Do you like history, deep mysteries and do you find the late Middle Ages an interesting period, and are you a bit introverted? Then you’re probably going to find this game all the way to the end. Would you prefer a lot of incentives in a short time? Then you probably find this game boring and difficult.

In general, highly educated people with a cultural interest find this a fun game. To give an impression of how the gameplay goes and the way the game is made, below is a behind the scenes video clip.