Pentiment is, simply put, a beautiful game. Along with Disco Elysium, I believe this game expands greatly the scope of interactive fiction, and narrative in video games generally, despite the fact that they are two entirely different beasts in my opinion. Yes, they both lack combat and have an emphasis on storytelling. However, for me, while DE's focus was (obviously) about modern life, its grievances and similar issues, Pentiment is all about history. I don't mean that it focuses on people's lives in the past; it does have a lot of that, yes, but I mean the representation and the interpretation of the past. During the whole game, that's also what we do as we try to solve the murder mysteries. The accumulation of centuries still affect the people of Tassing, just like in reality. A shorter and a more personal version of this fact is apparent in our protagonist, Andreas Maler, who is haunted by the ghosts of his past, even in the first seconds of the game.

Pentiment will probably be boring for most people, as the gameplay is nonexistent other than few easy puzzles and clicking your way across Tassing and its surroundings. However, if you look at it as a narrative about the past and its effect on present, you will probably understand its value. It has excellent artstyle, beautiful music and an engrossing story that spans across 25 years. Although I had some issues a few times such as NPCs not recognizing that I spoke to them before, I think it is forgivable. If you are interested by the things I said, definitely check it out.