Obsidian reveals 16th-century murder mystery game Pentiment

Obsidian has announced Pentiment, a 16th-century narrative adventure game set in Germany.

Following an earlier leak, the game was officially revealed during Sunday’s Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase with a debut trailer, which is viewable below.

Set for release in November 2022, Pentiment is being developed by a small team at Obsidian led by Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity director Josh Sawyer, who was also design director on The Outer Worlds.

“In Pentiment, you play Andreas Maler, a journeyman artist working in the bygone scriptorium of Kiersau Abbey during a time of great social unrest,” reads an Xbox Wire post accompanying the game’s announcement.

“While finishing his masterpiece, Andreas inadvertently becomes entangled in a series of murders that take place over 25 years. Peasants, thieves, craftsmen, monks, nuns, nobles, and even saints must be investigated and interrogated to expose the truth.

“It will be up to players to decide Andreas’ choices, from his educational background and lifestyle to how he investigates the murders. One day he may be digging up a dead monk in the abbey cemetery, the next might be spent eavesdropping on peasant gossip at the ladies’ spinning bee.

“Every decision and accusation he makes carries consequences that will impact the tightly-knit Alpine community for generations to come.”

Pentiment will be released for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows 10/11 and Steam for $19.99. It will also be available on day one with Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass.

While Sunday’s showcase didn’t include updates on Avowed or The Outer Worlds 2, Obsidian did confirm that the full release of Grounded will arrive in September.

The Xbox and PC survival game entered Xbox Game Preview and Steam Early Access in July 2020.