This past weekend, the 2022 Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase presented a variety of new games that have fans excited for Xbox’s many 2023 offerings. While large projects like Redfall, Starfield, and Forza took center stage, wowing audiences with vast, impressive visuals, a surprise reveal of Obsidian’s new narrative game Pentiment may have passed under the radar. 

From the director and developers behind Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity, Pentiment is set against the worn, leather-bound pages of a Journeyman’s notebook in 16th century Bavaria. Amidst a time of social unrest, the audience is thrown into an old-fashioned murder mystery that combines many 2-dimensional side-scrolling mechanics into a narratively-focused game that takes a special emphasis on historical accuracy rarely seen in period piece games. 

As an aspiring artist attempting to make the rank of ‘Master,’ the player must use every tool and facility at their disposal to interrogate and investigate their way through medieval Germany. While much of the action takes place on the pages of a notebook, it appears in the trailer as though the character may find further adventures off the page as well. Additionally, though we have only seen gameplay of the first investigation, the developers have revealed that more playable mysteries will be accessible later. 

In addition to their reveal of Pentiment, Obsidian also announced a full release of their survival game Grounded after an early-access edition has been available since July 2020. While the game has seen over 10 million players with its limited release, the new trailer touts a variety of new bosses, backyard locations, and a full story campaign that is sure to bring many players back. The game’s full release is scheduled for September 2022. 

Though Obsidian only announced one new game and a full release of another, it is likely that more information is imminent for their other upcoming projects like Outer Worlds 2 and Avowed. Meanwhile, Pentiment is planned to release in November of this year.