Pentimento (2026)

Pentiment was developed by only 16 members of the Obsidian Entertainment team, which is truly mind-blowing, especially when considering the incredible amount of depth found within its world and cast of characters. Pentiment’s main selling point is its story, and, in this regard, it absolutely delivers. This is a fantastic story with brilliant twists, historically relevant themes, and great writing across the entire 15-hour journey. Pentiment is also very pleasing on the eyes, with a truly gorgeous hand-painted 2D style. However, Pentiment lacks in many other areas, with a lack of gameplay features and a mostly silent audio experience.

Father, forgive me for I have sinned, but I didn't understand this game, or rather, I understood it too well. The point seems to be that History, with a capital H, is unreliable by nature, told by the victors (or those determined enough to push their version), and that regardless of events, the future is always inevitable, giving us only the illusion of choice. Immersing in a community that changes over time, albeit imperceptibly, also due to our influence. But in my opinion, Obsidian erred in pride, focusing too much on excellent storytelling (which becomes heavy towards the end) behind a visually novel-like setup with a sprinkle of RPG elements, giving us the reins of a blinkered horse that refuses to turn when we command.

Pentiment is unforgettable. Every word, every stroke of a digital workstation pen and every scene sell the game perfectly. Massive credit to the developers for their work in steeping you into the seachange occurring in central Europe around the Reformation.

Pentiment is a game that will stick with you for a long time after you play it. Its unique blend of thought-provoking discussion, historical accuracy, and challenging a player’s morals all work to push players to consider everything going on in the game and weigh the pros and cons of heavy decisions that must be made with limited information…It takes a very special work of art to make an observer feel as much as Pentiment does, and the game manages to do so consistently throughout its entire runtime.