The value of small storytelling in Obsidian's next RPG, Pentiment
The next game from Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity developer Obsidian is something of a departure for the Microsoft-owned studio.
Pentiment, a 16th century murder mystery that looks like a tapestry brought to life, might feature Obsidian staples like a whip-smart, darkly comedic narrative and memorable supporting cast, but it also ditches the idea of letting players start out as a blank slate before slowly coming into their own.
This time around there is a fixed protagonist -- a journeyman artist by the name of Andreas Malerand -- and while players will be allowed to fill in some blanks in the form of background details (are you a craftsman, bookworm, or maybe even a hedonist?), players are being asked to inhabit a role rather than shape it.
Obsidian also chose to break the mould in other ways. Unlike some of the studio's previous efforts, Pentiment has been created by a small team of just 13 developers, who've been working on the project for two and a half years. It was a fact that took us by surprise after taking the title for a spin at Gamescom 2022, with the game -- due out on November 15, 2022 -- shining under a layer of polish that seems to defy its modest background.
Speaking to us in Cologne about weaving together the captivating conspiracy, Pentiment game director Josh Sawyer and creative director Hannah Kennedy said they wanted to place the emphasis on the journey, not the destination.
"We wanted players to feel unsettled. We wanted them to feel inspired," says Kennedy, explaining that Pentiment has been designed to be a slow-burning RPG that offers emotional intrigue, as opposed to a blockbuster that bombards them with huge, sweeping choices and Hollywood crescendos.
As we mentioned earlier,
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