10/10 Story, 0/10 Regrets: Why You Need to Play Pentiment

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Gamers deserve better stories. We often mistake impressive graphics and detail for good writing, and I think that’s why I struggle with praise for narratives in games like Horizon Forbidden West and Mafia: The Old Country. While these games are visually stunning with incredible art design, I don’t think the writing itself is exceptional. They may look cinematic, but they lack the depth and quality you’d find in a truly compelling movie, book, or television series.

If you’re tired of modern games that focus too much on story but don’t deliver, there’s hope! Many excellent, story-rich games exist outside of the big-budget titles. One often overlooked gem is Pentiment, a 2022 RPG from Obsidian Entertainment that stands out as their best-written game. If you enjoy history, good writing, and games where your choices matter, Pentiment is perfect for you. It’s a game that deserves more attention, so don’t miss out.

Pentiment Is a Must-Play for History Buffs

I really enjoy the Kingsbridge series by Ken Follett, often known as The Pillars of the Earth. While the books span many centuries, the earlier ones are set in medieval England and focus on the lives of people connected to a local church – nuns, priests, and monks. What I appreciate most is how the series portrays these religious figures with empathy and complexity, offering a more human and insightful look at the Middle Ages than just dates and statistics.

I recently played Pentiment, and it’s a really unique game! It takes place in 16th-century Bavaria, which was a time of huge changes and conflict in Europe. You play as Andreas Maler, a painter who’s just arrived in this little town called Tassing to learn the trade. Andreas is a pretty likable guy – or he can be, depending on your choices – but he quickly gets caught up in a complicated murder mystery. It’s not just a simple whodunnit though, it’s connected to secrets within the Church, ancient Roman history, and all the drama between the people living in this small town. It’s a really compelling story!

Though seemingly simple on the surface, the story of Pentiment unfolds over many decades, giving players a chance to truly experience its rich world. While the scope is vast, the characters are ordinary people – monks, artists, workers, and nuns – who keep the town of Tassing running. Like the historical fiction of Kingsbridge, Pentiment can be a helpful way to learn about this time period. However, focusing on everyday lives makes the story deeply moving and easy to connect with, especially because your choices have a significant impact on how it unfolds.

Not Just a Picture Book: Pentiment’s Choice-Based Narrative Is Deep and Compelling

If you’ve played games like Fallout: New Vegas or Pillars of Eternity by Obsidian Entertainment, you probably have a good idea of how much player choice Pentiment offers.

Without giving away too much of the story, your choices as Andreas will determine the destinies of various characters, changing the overall narrative based on who lives or dies. You can also customize Andreas’s background throughout the game, and this will significantly affect how he – and you, as the player – experience the world. For instance, you can choose which languages Andreas knows, letting you understand conversations in those languages directly. If he doesn’t know a language, you won’t be able to understand it either.

At its heart, Pentiment is a game about dealing with the results of your actions. Your choices feel genuinely important, never forced or artificial, and the game remarkably lets you follow through with them, even if it leads to tragic outcomes. This willingness to let players make impactful, even ‘wrong,’ decisions sets Pentiment apart from other narrative-focused games like Disco Elysium and Citizen Sleeper, and even stands out among the detailed and flexible storytelling found in RPGs from Obsidian Entertainment.

It’s hard to fully capture everything that makes Pentiment great – there’s just so much to appreciate! But the good news is it’s very affordable at just $20, or even free with Game Pass, so it’s not a big gamble to try. You’ll likely find something to enjoy, especially if you’re looking for a compelling story. And that’s no accident!

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2026-02-24 01:34