Analysis of Repentance – The Divine Word of Obsidian

The regrets and changes of direction will not only be exhibited in the Pentiment’s paintings, but also in his words.

Although he is not a very devout person, I confess (never better said) than the whole ecclesiastical hierarchy, his way of thinking based on faith and the historical baggage hidden in the walls of his churches is most interesting. . At least when it comes to movies and video games. Their way of looking at life and the problems they face have given rise to a multitude of works, each more interesting. Obsidian highlights this aspect with a very particular proposal with Pentiment, where an artist’s daydreams and thoughts will spark acts that will affect the entire town of Tassing. Ready to know what the grace of God is?

An artist rests…

The 16th century was very eventful, at least for our protagonist, Andreas Maler. His work did not go unnoticed at the monastery of Keirsau, where his services were requested to do some illustrations for a manuscript. But, in the middle of his mission, a murder shakes the foundations of this sacred place. A count died in the chapter house and the monk Piero, Andreas’ friend, was falsely accused simply of having been at the scene of the crime. Fortunately, our thirst for curiosity and the verbiage at our disposal will be very useful in clarifying who was guilty of the murder… or not.

Pentiment is a pure and hard conversational adventure, but disguised with a very particular artistic style, as if we live in prints, illustrations and woodcuts that there was in this period of the Renaissance. We will have full freedom to visit the people of the city of Tessing and the monks and nuns who live at the monastery of Keirsau, in the upper part of the city. Two very different areas socially, culturally and economically

that they will face several feuds that we will unravel as the story progresses.

Pray Pronobis with the Holy Spirit

Part of the charm of Repentance This is due to the immersion that the game causes us. Not only because of the graphic aspect that we find from the beginning to the end of the adventure, very characteristic of the time. There are a thousand and one references to the way of life of its inhabitants, towns and cities of classical Europe. Special mention to the ecclesiastical group of the monastery, an effort on the part of the study of the documentation and the ways of life of these people. We will visit the scriptorium, the refectory, the loquarium, the Abbot’s house… In part, it reminded me of such important works as The Pillars of the Earth or The Name of the Rose for all the display of details and traditions that are recreated in the most reliable way possible.

Get up after matins

Although there is complete calm to explore the streets of Tessing, You will need to stick to a specific schedule. We will have mornings and afternoons to ask questions, investigate or take action (rush hour and no hours). We will also be able to socialize and get information while we eat at noon and when we are awake. And although the night is made for sleeping, one can make some nocturnal escapes to obtain information that would otherwise be forbidden.

The grace of all this is that you will have to choose which activity to do and which not. If we want to investigate the victim’s body, we won’t have time to talk to a widow angry at the church for its unethical practices. And if we want to dig up a corpse that contains valuable information, chances are we won’t have time to follow a miner to a secret place hidden in the forest. Everything has its advantages and disadvantages, its decision making and it will have a great impact on the course take our story

The Word of God

To dig a little deeper into his dialogue system, Andreas Maler will have several skills that we can choose from at the start

adventure (and not at the beginning, but until then I can talk…). Here we are not talking about typical attributes such as strength, speed, defense, etc. This is another type of very interesting qualities, such as place of origin, studies completed or personal objectives. Traits that will define our protagonist and the possible lines of dialogue he will have with the rest of the citizens.

Speaking of dialog, the way of presenting the texts in Pentiment is brutal. Depending on the social and cultural stratum of each character, the font will be different. Passing by a gothic, bombastic and loaded letter used by the monks and nuns of the monastery, even the most perfectionist and the most refined of architects. Without forgetting the rustic way of the most humble inhabitants. They will even make mistakes and the game will correct their spelling mistakes afterwards. In addition, I love the idea of ​​being able to access some kind of footer if you want to know more about the words displayed in the dialog or know who else they are talking about.

In Pentiment, don’t take the Church as a joke

And despite this avalanche of detail, this highly accomplished immersion, and this captivating story in search of truth, it is clear to me that Pentiment is not for everyone. Trailers and videos sold the game to us as a comedic adventure, with fun scenes and chases through the cloister.. But it will not be the usual tonic. We are faced with a temperate game, to take it easy and soak up the dialogue very well. Are there any funny scenes and moments where the North gets a little lost? Yes, but on rare occasions. the eye too there is room for social criticism,

especially those concerning women and the oppression they suffered outside and inside the monastery.

Those looking for something reminiscent of the Monty Python movies better look elsewhere. But those who approach the game with a calmer attitude will be absorbed by its landscapes, its villagers (each with their own concerns), and the story that gradually unfolds. It can be a little pricey to start with until we get familiar with the environment. That if, once we know all the families, their problems and how to manage our time, hours will pass in Tessing without our noticing.

Conclusion of repentance

Obsidian fears nothing. They are able to recreate incredible apocalyptic worlds, to transport us to gigantic gardens in the smallest detail and now, to experience what society was like in the 16th century thanks to Pentiment. We are faced with a conversational adventure, where we can choose the lines of dialogue that best suit the skills of our protagonist. Everything we do will have its weight in the plot, and we will have to manage our time to advance in the line of investigation that seems most convenient to us.

And although in the playable we are not facing a revelation of mechanics, its technical and artistic section say the opposite. His illustrations are magnificent, the way of introducing the socio-cultural environment of each inhabitant through typography in his super original texts and the behavior of the ecclesiastical group of the monastery is superb. It’s not that it’s as funny a job as the presentation videos show. But in exchange, it will give us a prism on behavior in this very difficult time for society in Europe. And also, all this accompanied by a touch of criticism which is always a pleasure.