Pentiment
2022
- puzzle
- role-playing (rpg)
- adventure
- historical
- mystery
- single player
The story
A 16th-century narrative adventure set in Upper Bavaria, following Andreas Maler, a journeyman artist working in the bygone scriptorium of Kiersau Abbey during a time of great social unrest. While finishing his masterpiece, Andreas inadvertently becomes entangled in a series of murders that take place over 25 years. Peasants, thieves, craftsmen, monks, nuns, nobles, and even saints must be investigated and interrogated to expose the truth.
What it’s like
Soft, painterly storybook art that looks like illuminated manuscript pages come alive: flat ochre and vermilion palettes, ink-line figures against parchment-toned backdrops, and gentle animated vignettes of monks at their desks, village lanes under grey Alpine skies, and candlelit refectories. The sound is quiet and unhurried, with lute and recorder melodies, the scratch of quills, church bells carried over fields, and long stretches of near silence while you read. The game moves at a deliberate pace, mostly conversation and careful note-taking, with the occasional pulse of tension when a suspect's story doesn't quite line up. Its vibe is contemplative and bookish, a slow-burning mystery with a warm, wry undertone. It suits a rainy afternoon, a quiet evening alone with a cup of tea, or a long, thoughtful playthrough. Violence is largely offstage: there are deaths and a sense of cruelty and social injustice, but nothing graphic, with dread that comes from implication rather than gore. Sexual content is absent. It is for players who love history, puzzles built from dialogue, and stories about craft, faith, and power in a turbulent world.
More games like Pentiment
Closest in mood, pacing and theme. Tell us why you loved Pentimentand we’ll explain which ones fit you.
