
Pentiment is an exceptional Adventure/Casual that raises the bar for the genre.
91
Verdict
95%
Steam
85
IGDB
Verdict score based on confidence-adjusted Steam reviews?
Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam (95% positive from 9K reviews)
Critically acclaimed (85/100 critic average)
Compelling narrative and story
Rich open world to explore
No significant drawbacks reported
Pentiment is a 2022 adventure role-playing video game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Xbox Game Studios. The game was released for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on November 15, 2022. The Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 versions were released on February 22, 2024. It received positive reviews from critics and won a Peabody Award in 2023.

Runs well on modern hardware.
Last updated 18d ago
Pentiment tells the story of a small town in the early 16th century, set over a period of 30 years or so. It's a very slow burn and has basically no gameplay to speak of, but anyone who enjoys history (or simply a well told story about the lives of the characters) will find a lot to enjoy. Some of the choices in the game (especially at the climax of the story) made me really think about how I, the player, would even try to approach a complex moral dilemma like the characters are facing. It's not often a game does that, and I have to give props to the writers for pulling that off. I also appreciate that the game shies away from shallow characters: with very few exceptions, everyone is more complex than they appear on the surface, though depending on your choices you may not see the things that humanize those characters. Overall, I highly recommend this game. It's really unique, doesn't overstay its welcome, and has a lot of heart. Just don't expect it to be action-packed, because it isn't, and you won't be disappointed.
What a beautiful story to experience. Absolutely amazing. The graphics are nice, and the atmosphere is captivating. The only downside is having to walk back and forth quite often, but that's a minor issue in this mystery-solving gem. The story completely drew me in—it felt like reading a really well-written book. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.
The game is very engaging, and I really liked what I got to play, but... The lack of hints on when the time will pass, or will not pass, or explaining to you the rules beforehand is a killer. I had to restart the game 2 times learning when the time does pass. And then I hit a situation where I had been assuming the time would pass (the scriptorium during work hours) but apparently the game changes the rule at some point and that place where the time forcefully passes, no longer does. I'm not restarting a third time. This UX problem combined with the impossibility to save is a killer combination. I will also add that the game requires too much backtracking. You must re-visit every place in the map for every moment of the day. If feels more like a chore and not a game So yeah, negative review. The main issue is UX design and respecting the player's time
Reviews sourced from Steam. All reviews belong to their respective authors.
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