Pentiment

What to say about Pentiment? It's different, but in a good way so far. Will add more later when I progress in a story. --- EDIT after complete playthrough, which took my slow ass 19 hours. It's an awesome game as a whole. Controls are a bit wonky, but it doesn't really bother me that much. The story is supreme. Despite it's totally different in almost all regards, it somehow reminded me of Disco Elysium. There's a lot of talking and your answers do matter. And that's great because I have a temptation to start over right away and see how different the story would be with different choices. The game is divided into 3 acts where 1st is the most non-linear and broad, 2nd is somewhere in the middle and 3rd is much narrower than both previous ones. This pace change fits the story though, so it doesn't feel crippled towards the end. The ending is quite emotional, or at least it was with choices I made through the game. Solid 5/5 from me and big thumps up for everyone considering to play the game. --- EDIT 2 after second play through, roughly 14 hours more into the game. Second play through was a bit let down for me. I tried to pick very different choices through most of the game to see how different outcomes will get. Well? Not that much. Sure there are differences like [spoiler]when you get arch deacon to kill someone at the end of Act 1, he's obviously not present in Act 2, some characters get different personalities later depending on that choice, etc.[/spoiler] or [spoiler]painiting mural very differently with very visible difference[/spoiler], but [spoiler]even though I tried to make the mural as shocking as possible it had zero impact anywhere[/spoiler] and also when I tried to pick every possible answer there was to [spoiler]keep Magdalene in Tassig and marry Ötz[/spoiler], but it just did not happen. Looks like the ending is pretty much scripted with just some minor tweaks. Don't get me wrong, it's still very enjoyable game, but I hoped for more impactful choices given this is Obsidian. Would I recommend the game? Yes. Would I recommend to play it multiple times? Probably not.

Absolutely fantastic game. Never played a game like this where every single choice felt so impactful, and realistic in that I could not always or even often predict the exact impact my actions were going to make. I felt the genuine weight of consequence when I made decisions that turned out poorly and genuine joy when they turned out well. And amongst those two poles was also the growing understanding that there were things that were simply out of my control, no matter my effort. Which is also true of life! I found the whole experience really riveting, and the ending really threw me (in a good way!). I'm sure you'll see this advice elsewhere, but if you decide to play here's my advice: don't look up guides, don't try to cheat to save system, just make the best choice that you can see available to you in any given moment and see what the game offers you in response. It will not always be kind to you, I definitely stayed up later than I should some nights agonizing over what decision I should make in this game, but the experience is a truly unique and worthwhile one all the same. 10/10

soul. je sawyer goat

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Was für ein großartiges Werk! Und welche Tiefe dort in allen Ecken steckt. Die Geschichte ist gewaltig, die Präsentation wunderschön, das Sound-Design, die Musik - da passt einfach alles. Man muss viel, VIEL lesen. Und wenn man tatsächlich einmal ALLE möglichen Verzweigungen ausprobieren will, dauert's sicher eine kleine Ewigkeit. Hut ab, dass es dem Team gelungen ist, sich nicht zu verlaufen - mir ist in meinem 20h-Durchlauf nicht ein einziger Fehler oder Absturz unter gekommen. LIEBE!