Pentiment

I find it ignorant when video games are all lumped together. Some titles are made for entertainment only, and that is fine, but there are also those that can change your perception of the world, of history, or of reality itself. ​The melancholic story of Pentiment will stay with me forever. The entire game was made with so much heart, and so much understanding of the nuances of European history, that I was at times positively overwhelmed. Its story may be small geographically speaking, but it speaks of concepts relevant to every single person on Earth, despite being anchored mainly in Christian culture. It is a masterpiece in more ways than one.

Absolutely adored playing Pentiment. Really loved how it layered history, religion, mythology, art, as well as human connection in such a compelling and beautiful way. I'm just so glad this game exists, especially with its regional and historical focus.

This has to be one of my favorite narrative games in recent years. It kind of reminds me of Disco Elysium, but at the same time it's completely different, even less pure-mechanics-focused. I never considered myself a history nerd, but oh boy, this game pushed me hard in that direction. It bought me with its mystery, believable characters and lots and lots of discussions about philosophy, theology and art. Running around is sometimes a little annoying, and at first I didn't understand how time works, and what's the best way to optimally spend it and now miss an important conversation (game is very open in that way). I was afraid I would miss something, and I wasn't sure when and how it can happen. I don't consider myself a completionist, so I guess it also speaks volumes about how much I cared about the story. I also appreciate the option to have a bit of Polish background, it's a nice detail. The amount of research that seems to have been done for this game is so impressive, that it can be seen and smelled from miles away. I just love, LOVE this game.