Pentiment's Approach to Murder Mystery is Refreshing

gamerant.com:

Even though Obsidian Entertainment has never been afraid to try something new, its upcoming adventure game Pentiment is something else. Obsidian is generally known for its work on RPGs like Pillars of Eternity and The Outer Worlds, but lately, it's been trying different genres with different aesthetics and finding success. Grounded is a hit so far, attracting lots of survival game fans during its early access period, and Obsidian seemingly hopes to find another offbeat success in Pentiment, which features a striking medieval art style and tasks players with solving a mystery in 16th century Germany that spans more than two decades of the protagonist's life.

The 500-year-old setting of Pentiment already makes it stand out in the mystery field, but a broader concept of the game is arguably more important in defining its unique identity. Naturally most crime-solving games see players uncover the culprit if they make the right choices and pick up all the clues, but Pentiment's crimes aren't quite so cut and dry. In this way, it puts a lot more pressure on the player's own senses of judgment and justice. Even if Pentiment doesn't end up being an impressive game, Obsidian Entertainment can't be faulted for creativity when it comes to crafting its story structure.

The Outer Worlds 2 and Pentiment Prove Obsidian's Varied Talent

The main mind behind Pentiment is Josh Sawyer, who rose to prominence at Obsidian Entertainment as the director for Fallout: New Vegas. Now the director for Pentiment, Sawyer has shared a lot of valuable insight on the game's approach to crime-solving. In a conversation with IGN, Sawyer stated explicitly that Pentiment never provides an official, canonical answer as to who is responsible for the murder that