No joke, I cried. Nearly twice.

Pentiment has an unreal sense of style, with some of the most stunning visual styles I have ever seen in a game, with a fantastic score to boot. But where this game really shines is the writing department. Every character feels so unbelievably real, and the moments you get to talk to them or observe them are just packed full of human moments and quirks that makes the whole world feel so alive & adds genuine emotional stakes to the story and your decisions. I've heard people say the Third Act starts a bit slow, but I didn't really feel it. Maybe I will on a 2nd playthrough, but honestly considering the drastically different interactions and outcomes you can have I would be surprised if I did.

I think the biggest things I loved about this game was how it handled time and consequences. The sense of time in this game is incredible, and you get to see the change and evolution of the world as they react to local and events in the larger region around them. Despite how grand the game feels though, and how many decisions it gives you, it will always have the same outcome in Act 3, and I actually adore that decision. That may seem strange, but I think the focus of this game was to be on the little choices you made, and how they affected the lives of the people you meet across a large breadth of their lives. Having the ending almost always play out the same way is a great way of focusing on that, especially with the huge family tree of the town at the very end. Overall, a fantastic game.