Josh Sawyer's long-awaited historical RPG is called Pentiment, coming next year
Josh Sawyer's long-awaited historical RPG is called Pentiment, coming next year
Game News - posted by Infinitron on Fri 12 November 2021, 01:14:12
Tags: Josh Sawyer; Obsidian Entertainment; PentimentWe've known since 2019 that a small team at Obsidian led by Josh Sawyer was working on some sort of unusual combat-less RPG, codenamed Project Missouri. A few bits of information about this project have been revealed over the years, but it's been nothing compared to the constant teasing that preceded the formal announcement of Pillars of Eternity II. However, that might be about to change. Last week, GamesBeat editor Jeff Grubb revealed some new details about Project Missouri on his podcast at GiantBomb. The following day, Windows Central reporter Jez Corden, who published his impressions of an early build of Avowed last month, revealed on his podcast that the game's title was Pentiment. As expected, it is indeed the historical RPG that Josh announced his intention to direct way back in 2016. Today, Corden published a useful summary of everything that has been revealed about Pentiment, along with an art asset that "may represent" the visual style the game is going for.
Recently revealed by Jeff Grubb on his premium Grubbsnax show, Obsidian's "indie"-style effort is emerging from a small team led by Josh Sawyer, famed for his leadership on what is arguably the best Fallout game; New Vegas, as well as a personal fave, Pillars of Eternity.
I recently revealed the game's name with my co-host Rand_Al_Thor_19 on our Xbox Two podcast. It's being called "Pentiment," which refers to "an underlying image in a painting, especially one that has become visible when the top layer of paint has turned transparent with age," according to the dictionary. This naming convention hints at the game's premise, by which you act as an investigator in 16th century Europe uncovering the truth behind a grisly murder.
Grubb mentioned that Pentiment takes cues from the likes of Disco Elysium and the branching narrative designs Josh Sawyer is known for. You'll be able to investigate and make accusations against the characters in-game, which could lead to cascading consequences if you're wrong. It'll be a dialogue-heavy game with decisions to make and response options to choose from, which will shape your experience as you unwrap the murder conspiracy before you.
I am told that Pentiment is being built by a small team of around 12 people, and is more of a narrative RPG adventure than something combat-oriented. The art asset above may represent some of the designs the game is gunning for. Jeff Grubb also mentioned that Pentiment is exploring "experimental" gameplay elements, too, although they may ultimately not make it into the final release. Speaking of which, Grubb also noted that Pentiment is indeed gunning for a 2022 launch.
Hopefully this means Pentiment will be announced soon, perhaps at Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards event next month. The image, by the way, appears to be a depiction of the legendary Christian king Prester John, seemingly based on an 1800 illustration by French artist Pierre-Antoine Demachy. Mmm, I can already taste the pretention.
Recently revealed by Jeff Grubb on his premium Grubbsnax show, Obsidian's "indie"-style effort is emerging from a small team led by Josh Sawyer, famed for his leadership on what is arguably the best Fallout game; New Vegas, as well as a personal fave, Pillars of Eternity.
I recently revealed the game's name with my co-host Rand_Al_Thor_19 on our Xbox Two podcast. It's being called "Pentiment," which refers to "an underlying image in a painting, especially one that has become visible when the top layer of paint has turned transparent with age," according to the dictionary. This naming convention hints at the game's premise, by which you act as an investigator in 16th century Europe uncovering the truth behind a grisly murder.
Grubb mentioned that Pentiment takes cues from the likes of Disco Elysium and the branching narrative designs Josh Sawyer is known for. You'll be able to investigate and make accusations against the characters in-game, which could lead to cascading consequences if you're wrong. It'll be a dialogue-heavy game with decisions to make and response options to choose from, which will shape your experience as you unwrap the murder conspiracy before you.
I am told that Pentiment is being built by a small team of around 12 people, and is more of a narrative RPG adventure than something combat-oriented. The art asset above may represent some of the designs the game is gunning for. Jeff Grubb also mentioned that Pentiment is exploring "experimental" gameplay elements, too, although they may ultimately not make it into the final release. Speaking of which, Grubb also noted that Pentiment is indeed gunning for a 2022 launch.
