When it comes to crime-solving games of the last several years, it’s hard to come up with many titles that hold a candle toDisco Elysium. Developer ZA/UM’s story of an amnesiac detective solving a murder in a futuristic world still reeling from a long-ended war has earned lots of praise and quite a few awards.Disco Elysiumis still a fairly young game, having first released in 2019, but its impact on the industry is already being felt as apprently Obsidian Entertainment is usingDisco Elysiumas a source of inspiration forPentiment.
While speaking on Grubbsnax, Obsidian Entertainment’sJosh Sawyer - ofFallout: New Vegasfame- first mentioned that Obsidian was working on a murder mystery RPG taking place in the 16th century. It has since come out that that game’s name isPentiment,which is the name of an image in a painting that’s been painted over, but could be revealed again as the painting ages. According to Sawyer,Pentimentwill takes cues fromDisco Elysiumin its design, which should get fans of ZA/UM’s title excited.
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Pentiment’s Similarities to Disco Elysium
Pentimenthas a lot of core features that will almost certainly speak to anyone who enjoyedDisco Elysium.For instance, Sawyer has indicated thatPentimentwon’t feature any combat, in spite of its place in the RPG genre. Instead, players will presumably resolve everything through dialogue, investigation, and puzzle solving.Disco Elysiumdid exactly the same thing, relying on skill checks and dialogue trees to manage its conflict rather than introducing traditional combat. That meansPentimentis on track to serve the same type of meditative, personal crime-solving experience.
Disco Elysiumis also memorable for its dialogue.Disco Elysium’s head writer Robert Kurvitz has said that the studio aimed to create clever, addictive dialogue, both through writing and mechanics, that compels players to keep talking to NPCs. There’s hope thatPentimentcan achieve the same feeling. Obsidian Entertainment is often lauded for its dialogue and knack for creating memorable characters. IfPentimentrelies on dialogue as much asDisco Elysium,then Obsidian will probably do everything in its power to perfectPentiment’s conversations.
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The RPG side ofPentimentcould be promising, too. Sawyer teases that the game features a lot of experimental RPG mechanics without explaining them, but even that rings faintly ofDisco Elysiumwhere skill trees don’t just provide perks, but also adjust the protagonist’s behavior through personality quirks.Obsidian’sThe Outer Worldshad its own system of character flaws, so it wouldn’t be surprising to seePentimentcombineDisco Elysium’s ideas with Obsidian’s experience fromOuter Worlds,resulting in a complicated but compelling system of intertwined skills and personality traits.
The Mystery of Pentiment
Obsidian’sPentimentwill certainly distinguish itselffromDisco Elysiumin some ways. For instance, the game will apparently be played in either first or third-person, rather than borrowingDisco Elysium’s isometric perspective.Pentiment’s setting in the Renaissance promises to produce a wholly unique cast of characters, far different fromDisco Elysium’s fictional futuristic setting. Even so, there’s no doubt thatPentimentshares a lot of DNA withDisco Elysiumon paper, and that’s a great thing. If murder mystery games are to rise in the next few years,Disco Elysiumis a fantastic blueprint for the genre’s next generation.
Disco Elysiumis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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