Even though Obsidian Entertainment has never been afraid to try something new, its upcoming adventure game Pentiment is something else. Obsidian is generally known for its work on RPGs like Pillars of Eternity and The Outer Worlds, but lately, it's been trying different genres with different aesthetics and finding success. Grounded is a hit so far, attracting lots of survival game fans during its early access period, and Obsidian seemingly hopes to find another offbeat success in Pentiment, which features a striking medieval art style and tasks players with solving a mystery in 16th century Germany that spans more than two decades of the protagonist's life.
The 500-year-old setting of Pentiment already makes it stand out in the mystery field, but a broader concept of the game is arguably more important in defining its unique identity. Naturally most crime-solving games see players uncover the culprit if they make the right choices and pick up all the clues, but Pentiment's crimes aren't quite so cut and dry. In this way, it puts a lot more pressure on the player's own senses of judgment and justice. Even if Pentiment doesn't end up being an impressive game, Obsidian Entertainment can't be faulted for creativity when it comes to crafting its story structure.
Why Pentiment's Murder Mystery is Special
The main mind behind Pentiment is Josh Sawyer, who rose to prominence at Obsidian Entertainment as the director for Fallout: New Vegas. Now the director for Pentiment, Sawyer has shared a lot of valuable insight on the game's approach to crime-solving. In a conversation with IGN, Sawyer stated explicitly that Pentiment never provides an official, canonical answer as to who is responsible for the murder that kicks off protagonist Andreas Maler's journey. In other words, it's entirely up to the player to decide who, if anyone, should be punished for the game's events.
Other murder mystery games like Persona 4 Golden may have an official culprit who can be captured or defeated to get a happy ending, but Pentiment is entirely different. Players will seemingly be at liberty to choose a perpetrator based on whatever criteria they want at the end. For instance, if players think one immoral character deserves to be punished, but they don't have any connection to the crime, Andreas can still accuse that person to force them to face justice. Alternatively, players working hard to solve the mystery will never know for sure if they accused the right person. Either scenario puts a ton of pressure on the player's notions of right and wrong, since ultimately, Pentiment will forever leave the players in doubt.
This could make Pentiment a really refreshing crime-solving experience. Sawyer has de-emphasized the "detective" side of Pentiment, but regardless, Andreas' quest is a central part of the game, so ultimately Obsidian needed to make that experience unique somehow. The lingering sense of doubt that Pentiment will reportedly conjure is just the right thing. The game will seemingly be more focused on the morals of Andreas and his community, as well as the player's own input, rather than the crime itself, which is a clever reversal of games that focus on a major crime while exploring the beliefs of characters on the side.
If the mystery genre takes anything away from Pentiment, it ought to be this approach to crime. More games would benefit from keeping the truth shrouded in mystery, instead pushing players to think very carefully about all of their decisions while asking questions about the consequences of both crime and criminal justice. While it's always satisfying to see a mystery solved, Pentiment gains a lot by setting the answers aside and instead asking players to sit with their uncertainty. Obsidian Entertainment definitely has another creative idea on its hands, so hopefully Pentiment delivers.
Pentiment releases November 2022 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.