An ingenious and almost rudely stylish mystery adventure effort, Obsidian’s latest single player title looks set to provide wannabe Renaissance detectives with an absolutely cracking sleuthing yarn when it releases next month. So naturally to get you ready, we’ve got everything you need to know about Pentiment in our handy guide, including the Pentiment release date, latest trailer, gameplay details, platforms and much more besides.
Just What Is Pentiment All About?
Developed by Obsidian, that ridiculously talented conclave of RPG minded folks has brought us the likes of Pillar of Eternity and Fallout: New Vegas, Pentiment is a mystery driven narrative adventure that is quite unlike any other game out there. Unfurling in a startlingly detailed illustrated world across twenty-five years, Pentiment plonks players into the shabby sandals of one Andreas Maler, a talented artist who unwittingly stumbles into a web of scandals and murders deep in the Bavarian Alps during the 16th century. Suitably educated and silver of tongue, Andreas must use his keen eye and intellect to discover the true underlying threat against the backdrop of great socio-religious change that is sweeping across the continent.
What Is The Pentiment Release Date And What Platforms Can I Play It On?
The Pentiment release date has been confirmed as November 15, 2022. On this date, Pentiment will be available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and also on PC via Steam. In addition, Pentiment will also be free to download for Xbox Game Pass subscribers on day one which, you know, is nice. Oh and PC owners need not worry about having a beefy PC to run Pentiment either, as Obsidian’s latest joint can be happily played on pretty much any rig from the last decade or so thanks to its technically modest visual presentation.
Will Pentiment Come To PlayStation Or Nintendo Switch Platforms?
Sadly no, Pentiment will not see a PS4, PS5 or Nintendo Switch release. This is because developer Obsidian is owned by Xbox Game Studios and as such, Pentiment will be jointly exclusive to PC, Xbox One and Series S/X platforms for the foreseeable future. Sorry folks, but a PlayStation and Nintendo Switch Pentiment release just isn’t on the cards right now.
Latest Pentiment Trailer
The latest official trailer for Pentiment actually happens to be something of a corker as it turns out. Deftly narrated by game director Josh Sawyer, the latest Pentiment trailer goes behind the scenes on Obsidian’s inventive narrative mystery offering, waxing lyrical on everything from the painterly art style to the non-linear, detective beats that sit at its core. You can catch the latest Pentiment trailer above.
How Exactly Does Pentiment Play?
With the adventure largely split between the hallowed halls of Kiersau Abbey and the sleepy Bavarian town of Tassing, Pentiment’s mysteries unfold from a side-on, two-dimensional perspective. Put in control of talented but beleagured illustrator Andreas Maler, players must direct him around Pentiment’s painterly realm, engaging in non-linear dialogue with the various villagers, tradesmen, monks and envoys as he seeks to unravel the mysteries, murders and scandals that are plaguing the area.
In a fashion that echoes the freewheeling narrative creativity that previous Obsidian titles have embraced, Pentiment gives the player no shortage of ways to affect the overall story. From electing to sneak into a monastery to nab some important texts, to simply just choosing to talk your way into the building and gain access to previously unreachable NPCs, Pentiment’s numerous mysteries and storylines provide ample fertile ground to accommodate player choice.
Though the notion of player choice won’t be new to folks who are au fait with Obsidian’s previous offerings, Pentiment uses the concept of time to put a neat spin on things. With the events that are chronicled in Pentiment unfolding across a timeline that stretches across a quarter century, this can affect proceedings in a number of ways. For instance, an individual that has been falsely accused by Andreas in the past, might be reluctant to aid him in the future and so on and so forth.
Does Pentiment Have A Character Creator?
Why yes, it does. Kind of. Though you can’t materially change Andreas’ appearance to any great extent or provide him with a class or role as you might expect to do in a more traditional adventure or RPG, Pentiment’s character creator does allow you to choose particular traits and skills that can both open and close various avenues in Pentiment’s overall narrative. Choosing a background in philosophy might provide Andreas with more dialogue options when speaking to a nervous, introverted philosopher. Picking a background in the sciences meanwhile, will help Andreas more accurately diagnose autopsies, chemical compositions and more in his tireless search for the truth.
Will Penitment Have Voice Acting?
Pentiment will not have any voice acting whatsoever. Instead, its narrative will be imparted through the deeply old-fashioned means of text and, well, reading. Thankfully being an Obsidian game, Pentiment’s script looks set to have wit and verve by the truckload, making all that reading much more digestible as a result. Also, reading is great!
What Are The Influences Behind Pentiment’s Unique Art Style?
Arguably the most striking aspect of Pentiment is its art style and as you might well expect, its influences reach back into times of yore. Deeply informed by the illuminated manuscripts of old and some of the very first books, Pentiment’s painterly aesthetic provides a portal of sorts for players to fully immerse themselves in its novel 16th century Renaissance setting. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Pentiment just looks plainly excellent to boot as well.
What Accessibility Options Does It Have?
Given the large amount of text and menus that Pentiment casually lobs around the place, it perhaps shouldn’t be quite so surprising that the game boasts a pleasing number of accessibility options. In addition to a whole bunch of accurately authored localisations for different languages, Pentiment also provides users with accessibility features such as precise text to speech and clearer fonts for players that might be visually impaired, or have difficulty reading Pentiment’s otherwise eccentrically styled typefaces.
