Sights & Sounds
- It's very likely the game's artstyle drew you to it. It's certainly what piqued my interest. I'm happy to report that it does indeed look amazing, with the highly stylized artstyle reflecting the medieval paintings and illuminated manuscripts produced in Bavaria during the 1500s
- I was also pleasantly surprised by the game's text boxes, which feels like a weird thing to say. There's all sorts of neat little touches. If you're talking to a monk or nun, their speech bubbles will be written in a old-timey gothic script. If you're talking to a printer, the text will plop down on the bubble with a satisfying "clunk" of an old printing press. The text bubbles of people speaking other languages will autotranslate if you have a skill that helps you speak that language. In all, a really cool approach to dialogue
- The music is excellent and similarly of its time. The vocal tracks are especially nice and were a little unexpected
Story & Vibes
- You play as a Flemish artist named Andreas who is living in Bavaria while he works on his masterpiece that will allow him to become a master artist. A mystery erupts suddenly after a local baron visits the town. You'll interview people, play a few minigames and puzzles, and use your best judgement to solve both this mystery and the two others that crop up later in the game
- I'm being intentionally vague in describing the plot. The story is extremely compelling and well-written, so I don't want to spoil anything. It's definitely one worth experiencing
- The writing is also incredibly good, which helps breathe life into the several townsfolk and tourists you'll encounter. Each character feels unique and interesting. Most of them have pasts and relationships that really flesh them out and make Tassing feel much more lifelike. This level of immersion is really impressive when you take a step back and realize that the screen looks like a painting
- It's not all serious, though. The game does have a rich sense of humor. Beyond the occasional situational humor and wry dialogue, you'll also play a few pranks and even be given the chance to headbutt an ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ doctor if you choose the right options
Playability and Replayability
- I'm happy that this is an adventure game where narrative choices actually have an impact on the story. Depending on whether or not you piss off the church in the first chapter, the second chapter can have a very different feel to it. Remember that justice was a little more bloody in medieval times, so whomever you implicate as the perpetrators of the various mysteries you solve will face dire consequences
- Beyond the typical walking and talking you'd expect in an adventure game, there's not much gameplay. Not that it's necessary in a game like this, but you won't even be managing an inventory
- Given the narrative focus and the ability to converse with your own mind when faced with certain dialogue choices, I've seen some reviewers compare the game to Disco Elysium. While there are some superficial similarities and they'll largely appeal to the same audience, you'll be doing Pentiment a disservice if you go into it expecting the same experience. Disco Elysium is such a unique (and in my opinion, better) game that it's not fair judge Pentiment against that sort of masterpiece
- I understand that it's difficult (or maybe even impossible) to implement a chapter select in a game where choices matter, but I still really wish there was a chapter select. I want to go back for the achievements I missed. Quick tip for achievement fiends: when it comes time to accuse someone of a crime, be sure to quit to the menu after the achievement pops. You'll be able to make the choice again to collect the other missable ones
Overall Impressions & Performance
- Although the game is gorgeous on a larger display, it really shines as a Steam Deck title. It's fully verified and runs perfectly. The frequent autosaves and exploration/narrative focus make it an easy game to pick up and put down whenever you're interested in delving a little deeper into Tassing's mysteries
- Depending on how thorough you are on each day of the game's story, you'll wind up with a wide range of completion times. It's probably possible to beat this game in as little as 12 hours if you don't do much exploration, but what's the fun in that? There's a lot of good dialogue to read, history to learn, and subplots to unearth
Final Verdict
9/10. If you're a fan of narrative-focused games and like your choices to have an actual story impact, this is well worth full price. It's really hard to complain about a game with dollar-per-hour value that spins a tale this good. If you like the art style and enjoy a good mystery, this is easy to recommend
- It's very likely the game's artstyle drew you to it. It's certainly what piqued my interest. I'm happy to report that it does indeed look amazing, with the highly stylized artstyle reflecting the medieval paintings and illuminated manuscripts produced in Bavaria during the 1500s
- I was also pleasantly surprised by the game's text boxes, which feels like a weird thing to say. There's all sorts of neat little touches. If you're talking to a monk or nun, their speech bubbles will be written in a old-timey gothic script. If you're talking to a printer, the text will plop down on the bubble with a satisfying "clunk" of an old printing press. The text bubbles of people speaking other languages will autotranslate if you have a skill that helps you speak that language. In all, a really cool approach to dialogue
- The music is excellent and similarly of its time. The vocal tracks are especially nice and were a little unexpected
Story & Vibes
- You play as a Flemish artist named Andreas who is living in Bavaria while he works on his masterpiece that will allow him to become a master artist. A mystery erupts suddenly after a local baron visits the town. You'll interview people, play a few minigames and puzzles, and use your best judgement to solve both this mystery and the two others that crop up later in the game
- I'm being intentionally vague in describing the plot. The story is extremely compelling and well-written, so I don't want to spoil anything. It's definitely one worth experiencing
- The writing is also incredibly good, which helps breathe life into the several townsfolk and tourists you'll encounter. Each character feels unique and interesting. Most of them have pasts and relationships that really flesh them out and make Tassing feel much more lifelike. This level of immersion is really impressive when you take a step back and realize that the screen looks like a painting
- It's not all serious, though. The game does have a rich sense of humor. Beyond the occasional situational humor and wry dialogue, you'll also play a few pranks and even be given the chance to headbutt an ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ doctor if you choose the right options
Playability and Replayability
- I'm happy that this is an adventure game where narrative choices actually have an impact on the story. Depending on whether or not you piss off the church in the first chapter, the second chapter can have a very different feel to it. Remember that justice was a little more bloody in medieval times, so whomever you implicate as the perpetrators of the various mysteries you solve will face dire consequences
- Beyond the typical walking and talking you'd expect in an adventure game, there's not much gameplay. Not that it's necessary in a game like this, but you won't even be managing an inventory
- Given the narrative focus and the ability to converse with your own mind when faced with certain dialogue choices, I've seen some reviewers compare the game to Disco Elysium. While there are some superficial similarities and they'll largely appeal to the same audience, you'll be doing Pentiment a disservice if you go into it expecting the same experience. Disco Elysium is such a unique (and in my opinion, better) game that it's not fair judge Pentiment against that sort of masterpiece
- I understand that it's difficult (or maybe even impossible) to implement a chapter select in a game where choices matter, but I still really wish there was a chapter select. I want to go back for the achievements I missed. Quick tip for achievement fiends: when it comes time to accuse someone of a crime, be sure to quit to the menu after the achievement pops. You'll be able to make the choice again to collect the other missable ones
Overall Impressions & Performance
- Although the game is gorgeous on a larger display, it really shines as a Steam Deck title. It's fully verified and runs perfectly. The frequent autosaves and exploration/narrative focus make it an easy game to pick up and put down whenever you're interested in delving a little deeper into Tassing's mysteries
- Depending on how thorough you are on each day of the game's story, you'll wind up with a wide range of completion times. It's probably possible to beat this game in as little as 12 hours if you don't do much exploration, but what's the fun in that? There's a lot of good dialogue to read, history to learn, and subplots to unearth
Final Verdict
9/10. If you're a fan of narrative-focused games and like your choices to have an actual story impact, this is well worth full price. It's really hard to complain about a game with dollar-per-hour value that spins a tale this good. If you like the art style and enjoy a good mystery, this is easy to recommend