Pentiment

Pentiment is a fantastic adventure RPG that revels in a studious approach to history and immaculate recreations of the styles and traditions of 16th-century Bavaria. There's a super smart, funny, and engaging murder mystery to investigate here, but it's how that mystery is so fully rooted in the world that's been lovingly crafted around it that really elevates this experience. It's one of the best games of the past decade, hands down, and to have that experience running and performing perfectly on Switch is a joyous thing — it feels like it was made for Nintendo's console. This is about as ess...

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A masterful tale of murder and history, Pentiment's strong narrative and choices make this beautifully illustrated game one of 2022's best releases.

Pentiment is a shining example of committing fully to an idea without worrying about where it fits in today's gaming market. The result? One of the best games of the year, narrative and otherwise.

I can't say enough wonderful things about Pentiment. The narrative coaxes out a full spectrum of emotions, with its impeccable writing delivering the story with bold strokes, and the visual style is just a pleasure to watch.

Pentiment is a gorgeous text-heavy adventure that fits so well on Steam Deck, it feels like it was made for it.

Pentiment goes all in as a dialogue-heavy historical murder mystery that you won’t want to stop playing. You will question your actions throughout the game because your choices truly matter. No two endings will be the same, which makes you want to replay the game to delve deeper into the mystery. How will your story end?

A brilliant murder mystery that understands class, community, and the march of history.

“Pentiment impresses with its amazing dialogue, intriguing themes, and gorgeous visuals.”

Still, while Pentiment doesn’t make the best first impression, and the lack of music robs it of atmosphere and character, it’s well worth digging into if you’re a fan of well-written narrative adventures or games that require you to conduct investigations. You’ll soon come to love – or loathe – its cast of characters, and with plenty of fun puzzles to solve, minigames to engage in and meaningful choices to make, it’s rewarding in ways that other games in the same genre space rarely ever manage.

A brilliant narrative adventure that is filled with intelligence and heart.

Pentiment is an enthralling murder mystery that uses the rich backdrop of 16th-century medieval Europe to masterful effect.