The 16th century murder-mystery narrative masterpiece Pentiment puts players among the monks of Kiersau Abbey during the height of the Protestant Reformation in the Bavarian Alps. As they get to know the characters of the latest title from Obsidian Entertainment, players will begin to sympathize with protagonist Andreas Maler—a journeyman artist studying among the Abbey's monks while completing his masterpiece. Among all the local villagers and monks, Andreas forms the closest friendship with the elderly Brother Piero. But after the Baron Lorenz Rothvogel ends up murdered at the Abbey with brother Piero found holding the murder weapon, Andreas is plunged into the village's drama as he seeks to prove his friend's innocence.
Over the course of his investigation, Andreas will learn of many dark secrets the village of Tassing holds and the interpersonal conflicts agitating the lives of its townsfolk. Pentiment's time limit mechanic emphasizes the urgency of the situation, leaving it up to players to decide how to best manage their time while trying to gather as much evidence as possible. However, the pressure and resentment from the villagers that Andreas endures to solve the mystery of the Baron's murder may not have been worth the effort in the end.
Clearing Piero's Name Only Prolongs His Demise
After his investigation has concluded, Andreas must identify the culprit for the overseeing Archdeacon which effectively sentences one of the locals to death. Having saved his friend, Andreas returns to his home of Nuremberg to open his own practice which marks the end of Pentiment's first chapter. The opening of chapter 2 sees Andreas returning to Tassing and Kiersau Abbey, having become a master artist in the past seven years since the events of the previous chapter. In a cruel twist of fate, Andreas learns that Brother Piero has passed away due to old age in the time since he left the Abbey.
Although seven years have passed for Andreas since he last visited Kiersau, it has only been moments for the player since the end of the first chapter. This framing creates a rather bittersweet result to a tense investigation since players are denied the happy reunion between friends they worked so hard to set up in the previous chapter. Having prevented the unjust execution of his friend, Andreas is rewarded with the satisfaction of seeing Piero walk free. However, players are left to deal with Piero's death regardless of the effort they put into clearing his name.
The Irony of Piero's Fate Underscores the Main Theme of Pentiment
While some players may be upset that their hard work investigating the Baron's murder and preventing Piero's execution was wasted by this twist, by the end of the game the reason for this narrative decision becomes clear. Over the course of Pentiment's story, the player will have to contend with their helplessness in preventing further tragedy in the village. After the murder of Otto Zimmerman in chapter 2, the villagers are on the verge of revolution against the Abbey and only Andreas can solve the murder and calm the mob. Once again—despite his best efforts—the outcome of his investigation will still result in the burning of the Abbey and the needless deaths of several characters.
It's not until third and final chapter of the game that the decisions the player makes throughout Pentiment start to make sense. The truth is that the player has never been in control of their fate or that of those they've tried to save as the Thread-Puller has been manipulating the actions of those around them the entire time. While Piero's death and the burning of the Abbey seemed like cruel twists at the time, they served to highlight the game's main point—that a higher power has been influencing the lives of the residents of Tassing and Kiersau from before the events of the game ever took place.
Pentiment is available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It is also available on Xbox Game Pass.