Humdinger
Gold Member
I've been playing Pentiment on the PS5, thought I'd share some impressions.
I wouldn't say I'm thrilled with the game, but I am enjoying it enough to keep playing. I just completed the second act, which I think means I'm two-thirds finished.
This is not a game for most people. This is an extremely narrative-focused game. It involves a lot of reading. It is more dialog-based than any game I have ever played before. There is puzzle solving and simple mini-games, too, but the game is based almost entirely on reading and responding to dialog. I like reading, so that's okay with me. But it does get to be a bit much sometimes. I sped the dialog up to maximum, and I click through a lot of it quickly.
The game is very well-crafted. You can tell that the developers (Obsidian) took care with it. I like the time period in which it is set (the Middle Ages) and the religious themes. I appreciate that you learn things about the Middle Ages as you play. There are plenty of choices and significant consequences that play out in the story.
You get a little modern messaging here and there. Nuns make feminist speeches about their oppression by men. Homosexual priests get it on in the abbey library. It's nothing too over the top, but it does stand out.
I find it very relaxing to play. Nothing is rushed. The ambient sounds are pleasant - sounds of nature, etc. The artwork is nice to look at.
I don't feel particularly connected to the main character or anyone else in the story, though. That's a problem when your game is so narrative-focused.
So, I don't know. I have mixed feelings. There are times I feel annoyed with all the reading, and I feel like stopping. I think to myself, "If I am going to do this much reading, I might as well pick up a novel about the Middle Ages. I'll probably get more out of it." But I keep continuing, so the game must be doing something right. I have to give it credit for being creative and unusual. They had to have known it would not sell well.
I wouldn't say I'm thrilled with the game, but I am enjoying it enough to keep playing. I just completed the second act, which I think means I'm two-thirds finished.
This is not a game for most people. This is an extremely narrative-focused game. It involves a lot of reading. It is more dialog-based than any game I have ever played before. There is puzzle solving and simple mini-games, too, but the game is based almost entirely on reading and responding to dialog. I like reading, so that's okay with me. But it does get to be a bit much sometimes. I sped the dialog up to maximum, and I click through a lot of it quickly.
The game is very well-crafted. You can tell that the developers (Obsidian) took care with it. I like the time period in which it is set (the Middle Ages) and the religious themes. I appreciate that you learn things about the Middle Ages as you play. There are plenty of choices and significant consequences that play out in the story.
You get a little modern messaging here and there. Nuns make feminist speeches about their oppression by men. Homosexual priests get it on in the abbey library. It's nothing too over the top, but it does stand out.
I find it very relaxing to play. Nothing is rushed. The ambient sounds are pleasant - sounds of nature, etc. The artwork is nice to look at.
I don't feel particularly connected to the main character or anyone else in the story, though. That's a problem when your game is so narrative-focused.
So, I don't know. I have mixed feelings. There are times I feel annoyed with all the reading, and I feel like stopping. I think to myself, "If I am going to do this much reading, I might as well pick up a novel about the Middle Ages. I'll probably get more out of it." But I keep continuing, so the game must be doing something right. I have to give it credit for being creative and unusual. They had to have known it would not sell well.