Fallout: New Vegas director’s next game Pentiment is nothing like Obsidian’s other titles

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Pentiment, the next game from the director of Fallout: New Vegas, is nothing like other games we’ve seen from developer Obsidian. 

With titles like Fallout New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity and The Outer Worlds under its belt, Obsidian is a master of immersive and expansive RPGs. Its newest game, Pentiment, was revealed during yesterday’s massive Xbox and Bethesda presentation – and at first glance looks worlds away from the developer’s usual offerings. 

Not only is it different to anything Obsidian has done before, but it’s also quite unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. This narrative adventure game brings 16th-century Bavaria to life with a dazzling atheistic style reminiscent of a medieval manuscript. You play as Andreas Maler, an artist who, when his friend is accused of murder, must hang up his brushes and put on his detective hat to track down the real culprit.

According to Pentiment’s director Joshua Sawyer, who was the project director and lead designer for Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity, it’s not going to be a straightforward investigation. In an interview, Sawyer told IGN (opens in new tab), “One of the key things in the game is that we do not ever definitively tell you, canonically, [who] the murderer [is]. You have to investigate, find as much evidence as you can. You make your decisions based on whatever you think is most important.”

This tale is anything but an open and closed book as Pentiment will span around 25 years, with our protagonist finding himself involved with multiple crimes and murders during that time. The idea for Pentiment is something that Sawyer originally pitched when he worked at Black Isle Studios in the early 2000s, but it was passed up due to its heavy focus on history. Thankfully, Sawyer is now getting the chance to bring the game to life after all this time, and we don’t have long to wait before we can delve into its mystery as Pentiment is coming to Xbox and PC this November.

Pentiment differs from much of Obsidian’s recent workload. Grounded, Avowed, The Outer Worlds, and its sequel are all first-person 3D games with some significant budgets behind them, with only the Pillars of Eternity games veering slightly closer to the style of Pentiment. Speaking of Avowed, it was absent at the Xbox and Bethesda showcase, but the latest rumour suggests that the game could significantly differ from Skyrim by featuring firearms. 

Here’s everything announced at the Xbox and Bethesda E3 2022 showcase.