Second, Lucas Haasis on Teaching the 16th century with Pentiment, Obsidian's woodcut-medieval arted mystery RPG:

https://middleagesinmoderngames.net/uncategorized/teaching-the-16th-century-with-pentiment/

#Pentiment #RPG #Medieval

I pretty much played as myself, so needless to say all the skills I picked were useless af because that's literally me irl.

Despite of that, I subconsciously played a different person in Act 1 and Act 2. Act 1 Andreas was a sasshole, but Act 2 I felt the peasants got fucked over so much that I was afraid to say anything that's insensitive, and had to play diplomatic with the Abbey so they don't take whatever power trip to the towns people and the peasants. Pretty sure the fuck you to the Abbey was successfully convoyed, which makes me think the writers predicted a lot of people would play this way.

Act 1 I thought it was Ferenc, Act 2 I thought it was Guy, pretty much because I got most evidence of them by chance. Which is what I meant that it felt the spitballing thing.

At the mural painting, I opted things that are most honest, most the church/lords didn't approve, but happier/vaguer than the real events. Like do we need a mural of the villagers being slaughtered when they all witnessed that and telling their later generations that. Feels like intentionally triggering people out of malice, even.

#Pentiment

Finished Pentiment. I'm lucky to experience two back to back solid mystery games that breadcrumbed well. Without spoilers I need to point out a few things before getting into it

1. It's NOT a traditional point and click mystery. For a lot of the first mysteries what you do as detective don't matter at all. The way it's sat up didn't make this feel unpleasant, though. As long as you don't get into it thinking you can truly unravel the mystery to a neat completion.

2. The mystery do fit together well neatly in the end. Just don't have much to do with you as a player

3. I'm severely underqualified to comment on historical accuracy of 1500s Europe. I've never been to Europe and tbh I have minimal cultural connections there. I don't know if this game will annoy people who are into European history.

4. The art is incredible. And you can choose a readable font too, which is nice.

5. I love how full of life everyone are despite of how oppressive and hopeless the first two acts were. I love how it addressed that while forced marriage destroy the women more, it's also pretty shit for the men who never wanted a domestic slave but forced to take an assigned one. I love how my fictional character broke free of this.

6. Even if I liked [redacted], fuck this guy for constantly self inviting into dinners in middle of a famine, and he wouldn't even bring food. This offends me.

7. Booo no New Game Plus, so I can't stack skills and draw out some of the more hard to achieve lores. Ngl, it's a good game but not quite good enough that I want to Guide Dammit over this.

Overall I enjoyed Threefold Recital more, but I think it's because it met my expectations more, while I got into Pentiment in a wrong mindset. Still a wonderful game despite of that.

#Pentiment

Not much I can do about my stupid fuck protagonist who chose to run into a burning building, alas.

It's such a good game except it's terrible as an investigation/mystery solving one. That aspect is all spitballing, and as I hate using guides the first time around, seems like the only way to acquire most important information is via guides.

#Pentiment

I feel like my own playstyle got a lot nicer by Act 2. Act 1, I was a little shit. Act 2, everyone in Tassing is suffering so much that I don't have the heart to be a sasshole, kinda like how Larry the Cat twitter account got so nice to Boris when Boris ended up in ICU for covid.

Fuck the Abbey though

#Pentiment