Pentiment

Peep out the manuscript, you'll see that it's a must

Here’s a historic moment: the first review of an Xbox game for a PlayStation magazine. And we don’t want to get too meta, but how fitting that we’re writing about a game that is itself about documenting a little piece of history. Taking place within the pages of a 16th-century book, Pentiment is a timely reminder that the printed word carries weight and meaning. Not that we expect these ones to be remembered in 500-odd years’ time.

Here, there’s a real sense of gravity to your words and deeds – and yes, you might well feel ashamed of them. As travelling artist Andreas Maler, you’re working at a monastery in the Alpine town of Tassing when a visiting nobleman is murdered. When the finger of blame falls upon your ageing mentor (who’s barely able to lift a quill, never mind a deadly weapon) you turn detective to get him off the hook.

MONK-Y BUSINESS

As you explore and talk to townsfolk, monks, and nuns, you’ll find several suspects. But with no critical evidence, you must decide who’s likely to have committed the crime – or who most deserves to be punished for it. You know that whoever you pick is unlikely to get due process (it is the early 1500s, after all) and, more importantly, that you’re responsible for what happens next. Uh oh.