‘Pentiment’ Gave Me the Most Beautiful, Artful Existential Crisis

My goal in this article is to hype up Pentiment without spoiling too many of its tricks. It ain’t gonna be easy, though! Personally, Pentiment joins Not for Broadcast as a game I never expected to have as big an impact on me as it did. If I were forced to describe the Obsidian-crafted title in one word, it’d be: “Soulful.” It gave me a hell of an existential crisis, but Pentiment has more of a soul than some people I know!

Pentiment is one part historical nerd fodder, two parts captivating murder mystery, and three parts examination of what it means to be human. You play as Andreas Maler, a 26-year-old artist with his entire life ahead of him. He’s cocky, he’s certain, and he’s skilled to high heaven. Andreas is great at what he does, and he aspires to be one of the greatest artists to ever live. …Can you see where the “existential crisis” part I mentioned could come into play now?

Andreas arrives at the Kiersau Abbey near Tassing, riding out an apprenticeship to ascend to greater heights. He gets to meet all of the people of the humble town. Unfortunately for him, he happened to show up around the time a significant murder occurred! …Without spoiling too much, that’s where I’ll have to cut the vague synopsis short.

an existential crisis has never felt so good

Your overarching goal in Pentiment is solving a mysterious murder. Additionally, you spend time with many of the residents. Knowing what they do and understanding who they are as people. As the game progresses, certain individuals and families have their own issues and conflicts to navigate. It’s up to you whether you care about the town enough to engage with these many “minor” events. The level of “existential crisis/dread” varies, of course. But, it’ll hit you.

At its core, though? Pentiment is about the natural passage of time. About the value of the relationships we hold close. The passions of the human spirit — both selfish and altruistic. It’s the consequences of the past paving the way to uncertain futures and how people organically respond to that. It’s rising tensions and unaddressed pain, exploding past their limits when it’s far too late to reach a calm resolution.

Deeper than that? Faith. Religion. Acceptance. Unfulfillment. Getting everything you ever wanted and realizing that emptiness you thought would go away is still there. Lifting people up as a performance to look good, but failing them when it matters the most. Pentiment has layers, man. If I must have an existential crisis in my life? I’m glad I had one where it ultimately made me a better person with a deeper appreciation for life! It’s very dialogue-heavy, though. So, be prepared for that!