Through dumb luck, I happened to be nearing the end of Eco’s The Name of the Rose when Pentiment released and had no idea how perfect of a companion piece the game would make for the book. Both are medieval murder mysteries centered around an abbey famous for its library, both feature liberal use of words such as “scriptorium” and “compline”, and both thematically treat with the ethics around the dissemination vs the guarding of knowledge, the wavering line that divides dogma and heresy, and the push and pull of progress and tradition
Sawyer and the rest of the creative team behind Pentiment, however, do far more than enough to prevent their game from being derivative. They acknowledge the influence right at the outset by literally presenting the player with the first page of The Name of the Rose (albeit in Latin) and then signal their intent to use that influence merely as a launchpad by asking the player to erase the page in front of them
What follows is a dazzlingly constructed tale in which you see a small town and its inhabitants meaningfully evolve over time (why do more games not do this?). While it may lack the erudition and depth of Eco’s prose, I think it manages to pull together a more intriguing and satisfying narrative, a particular accomplishment given how much player choice factors into the storytelling. The difficulty of pulling off this kind of branching writing does show its seams here and there. There were instances where the player character would react inappropriately to a conversational tidbit based on what had already been heard earlier. There was also the occasional moment where I’d start a conversation with a specific purpose in mind only to not have the right dialogue options available to pursue my desired line of inquiry. And sometimes salt would then be sprinkled on top by my getting parleyed into a corner I did not want to be in. But even while cursing I had to admire the way there was no “undo” action available and I had to just live with my regret. Not enough games indulge in the feeling of regret
Anyway, Pentiment succeeds wildly. Great game. It’s a shame Norco also came out this year so I can’t give Pentiment my best narrative GOTY
Sawyer and the rest of the creative team behind Pentiment, however, do far more than enough to prevent their game from being derivative. They acknowledge the influence right at the outset by literally presenting the player with the first page of The Name of the Rose (albeit in Latin) and then signal their intent to use that influence merely as a launchpad by asking the player to erase the page in front of them
What follows is a dazzlingly constructed tale in which you see a small town and its inhabitants meaningfully evolve over time (why do more games not do this?). While it may lack the erudition and depth of Eco’s prose, I think it manages to pull together a more intriguing and satisfying narrative, a particular accomplishment given how much player choice factors into the storytelling. The difficulty of pulling off this kind of branching writing does show its seams here and there. There were instances where the player character would react inappropriately to a conversational tidbit based on what had already been heard earlier. There was also the occasional moment where I’d start a conversation with a specific purpose in mind only to not have the right dialogue options available to pursue my desired line of inquiry. And sometimes salt would then be sprinkled on top by my getting parleyed into a corner I did not want to be in. But even while cursing I had to admire the way there was no “undo” action available and I had to just live with my regret. Not enough games indulge in the feeling of regret
Anyway, Pentiment succeeds wildly. Great game. It’s a shame Norco also came out this year so I can’t give Pentiment my best narrative GOTY