A pentiment is an image hidden in a painting. As it ages, paint can turn transparent and reveal earlier versions of an artwork. People switch positions, details change, eyes look in different directions. Sometimes there's a political motivation for these changes, other times it's just a matter of personal taste. It's a curious name for a game, but a perfect metaphor for the kinds of malleable interactive narratives made by veteran RPG studio Obsidian.
Set in 16th Century Bavaria, at the transition point between the medieval and modern ages, Pentiment is a historical murder mystery. Journeyman artist Andreas Maler is working at Kiersau Abbey, a monastic scriptoria, when a man is brutally murdered and his friend and mentor is wrongly (as far as he knows, anyway) accused of the crime. The murder is officially being investigated by the archdeacon, but Andreas takes it upon himself to solve it.
Obsidian makes great role-playing games. Pillars of Eternity, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2, Alpha Protocol, and Fallout: New Vegas are just a few of its greatest hits. But Pentiment is something very different for the developer. It's primarily a narrative adventure, compared by director Josh Sawyer in an interview to story-driven games like Night in the Woods and Oxenfree. But true to Obsidian's house style, choice, consequence, and reactivity will feature heavily.
It's a game about studying evidence, interviewing people, and figuring out who has a motivation for murdering your friend. You talk to monks, nuns, scholars, and villagers—and according to Sawyer, who you accuse is entirely up to you. If you point the finger at someone, he says they'll likely be killed—so you better make sure your case is airtight. This kind of agency is the mark of a great detective game, so I'm already encouraged by Pentiment's take on the genre.
I'm also intrigued by the fact the story takes place over 25 years. This first murder is one of several, and Andreas is pulled against his will into a decade-spanning conspiracy. The choices you make will apparently echo through the ages, with consequences that can bite you in the ass years after you make them. In its games—particularly the Pillars of Eternity series—Obsidian is great at making choices feel meaningful, and it seems this will be a part of Pentiment too.
Pentiment is being developed by a whole team of people, but I do have to single out the involvement of Josh Sawyer. If you follow him on Twitter or read his Tumblr, you'll know that he's incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic about history—a passion I'm excited to see translated into a video game. He's a talented game designer too, and I get the feeling that this is a dream project for him. All signs point to Pentiment being something very special indeed.
If you don't know anything about the society, culture, and politics of the 16th Century (I certainly don't), Pentiment will feature a handy in-game glossary. I'm not sure how it works yet, but I expect certain names, places, or important phrases will be highlighted—similar to the system used in Pillars of Eternity—which you can then click on for a bit of historical background. I'm really looking forward to learning more about this time period as I play detective.
I love the art too. It looks like the pages of a medieval manuscript come to life, and it was the most visually interesting game at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase. While not strictly an RPG, there will be some role-playing elements—such as choosing the education, background, and lifestyle of Andreas. As a fan of detective games, murder mysteries, history, branching narratives, and Obsidian RPGs, I feel like Pentiment was made specifically for me. I can't wait.