Development Info Pentiment Behind the Scenes Feature

[Infinitron]

Tags: Alec Frey; Hannah Kennedy; Josh Sawyer; Kate Dollarhyde; Obsidian Entertainment; Pentiment

Obsidian's historical narrative game Pentiment is launching next week and the Microsoft marketing machine has been activated. Since this is a small title that's mainly meant lots of social media posts, but today they released a new ten minute behind the scenes featurette, featuring Josh Sawyer, Kate Dollarhyde, Hannah Kennedy and other members of the development team. It starts with a more detailed overview of the game's setting and premise. There's a segment about the game's visual style, which goes into further detail about the art direction for its characters as well as its remarkably complex font engine. Pentiment won't have much in the way of actual gameplay mechanics, but Josh and the team do find some time to describe its assortment of intentionally simple minigames and exhaustive journal system, and also a bit about its sound effects and music.

​

Niche game is niche. In four days we find out whether Josh Sawyer's experiment was a success.

 

[Tyranicon]

I might be uncultured swine, but I really like those graphics.

Also, the hypernerd in me appreciates small historical details like the character walking toe-first, which is more accurate as that type of shoe lacked hard soles, necessitating a different type of gait.

I hope this works out.

 

[HoboForEternity]

I already bought it.

 

[Contagium]

Looking forward to this interesting looking visual novel/CYOA

 

[luj1]

Niche game is niche

Its barely a game

 

[Lady Error]

How did Sawyer go from "I want to do a Darklands-style RPG" to... this?

I blame Disco Communism.

 

[Lady Error]

I think he put everything he got into Deadfire. Pillars 3 won't be as good, if it happens at all.

 

[Shin]

Too bad my browser doesn't support Macromedia Flash anymore.

 

[Fireblade]

3 chicks, 3 nose rings, although 2 of the rings are on 1 of the chicks.

 

[d1r]

Very problematic game. Not one person of colour in this trailer!

 

[ropetight]

I might be uncultured swine, but I really like those graphics.

Also, the hypernerd in me appreciates small historical details like the character walking toe-first, which is more accurate as that type of shoe lacked hard soles, necessitating a different type of gait.

I hope this works out.

Agree, art style looks good.
But I'm afraid this one has style over substance written all over it - literal cookie cutter mini-games?
Disco was also a very good looking game, but it ended lacking any freedom and role playing besides dialogues and skill tree.

 

[LostHisMarbles]

Always excited to hear more from the bicycle man ^^
Every lesbian for herself!
Sorry, i meant everything for the distinguished gamer!

Such depths we have reached, such.. intricacy!
From BGII to a fucking kid-rated adventure game! Replete with your beloved developer, now matured with bicycles and fellow woketards with dyed hair and twitter accounts!

Splendid, splendid.
I do love me some monocled news posts.

 

[Roguey]

How did Sawyer go from "I want to do a Darklands-style RPG" to... this?

I blame Disco Communism.

He said this is a extra-low-budget trial run for greenlighting Josh Sawyer's Darklands.

I think he put everything he got into Deadfire. Pillars 3 won't be as good, if it happens at all.

He said he never wants to work on a Pillars of Eternity game again.

 

[Marat]

I like that they're trying something new, RPGs as a genre are stale as fuck. I don't approve of trimming the mechanics into nothing, but I like that they try to explore settings that haven't been explored and tell stories that haven't been told. I always wish those kinds of games success in hopes of them bringing some fresh air and emboldening devs to be more creative with their products.

 

[luj1]

How did Sawyer go from "I want to do a Darklands-style RPG" to... this?

Crazy isnt it

altho keep in mind this is the guy who said Wizardry isnt an RPG (today)

 

[thesheeep]

Nothing about this game/narrative experience strikes me as interesting.
It's somewhat weird, because I do play walking sims (rarely) and did like the very narrative Disco Elysium, but this one? I can only shrug at.

 

[Tyranicon]

He said he never wants to work on a Pillars of Eternity game again.

That's just like someone saying they don't want to eat shit. Common sense.

 

[vortex]

He said he never wants to work on a Pillars of Eternity game again.

Who will then?

 

[Roguey]

Who will then?

It was speculated that Perez and Dollarhyde were in charge of PoE 3 but it was cancelled within a year. Will probably never happen. Avowed is the future of that series.

 

[Mortmal]

I might be uncultured swine, but I really like those graphics.

Also, the hypernerd in me appreciates small historical details like the character walking toe-first, which is more accurate as that type of shoe lacked hard soles, necessitating a different type of gait.

I hope this works out.

Agree, art style looks good.
But I'm afraid this one has style over substance written all over it - literal cookie cutter mini-games?
Disco was also a very good looking game, but it ended lacking any freedom and role playing besides dialogues and skill tree.

Cookie cutter ? Maybe cookie baking is in they said!
It sounds like this game is a visual novel with some rpg elements like disco , most of the interest coming from the writing and art style. hardly qualify as a rpg but there's nothing to play so i'll get it too.

 

[ropetight]

I might be uncultured swine, but I really like those graphics.

Also, the hypernerd in me appreciates small historical details like the character walking toe-first, which is more accurate as that type of shoe lacked hard soles, necessitating a different type of gait.

I hope this works out.

Agree, art style looks good.
But I'm afraid this one has style over substance written all over it - literal cookie cutter mini-games?
Disco was also a very good looking game, but it ended lacking any freedom and role playing besides dialogues and skill tree.

Cookie cutter ? Maybe cookie baking is in they said!
It sounds like this game is a visual novel with some rpg elements like disco , most of the interest coming from the writing and art style. hardly qualify as a rpg but there's nothing to play so i'll get it too.

They mentioned and were very excited about cookie cutting mini-game.
If that is the top source of excitement in this game, weeeell shiiieeeeeet.

 

[blessedCoffee]

Very problematic game. Not one person of colour in this trailer!

It's a PC game, I'm sure you can modify Netflixy everyone, if you want to!

 

[POOPERSCOOPER]

Setting sounds pretty boring, it's very Josh Sawyer. Like do I really give a shit about some farmer and his crops or debating the structure of society and religion?

 

[jac8awol]

He only made this game so he could record himself singing in German.

 

[0sacred]

Setting sounds pretty boring, it's very Josh Sawyer. Like do I really give a shit about some farmer and his crops or debating the structure of society and religion?

setting is the only interesting thing about this, shame it is wasted on a 2d platformer with socialist writing