How Time Works in Pentiment

As players progress through the main story of Pentiment, they will see time unfold according to canonical hours, the daily cycle of the 16th century.

Pentiment is a game that hinges upon its 16th-century history in all elements, from art to puzzle inspiration; even the passage of time is influenced by history. As players progress through the main story, they will see time unfold according to canonical hours, the daily cycle of the 16th century.

Canonical hours, as established by the Catholic Church, set the tone for the day’s events, highlighting certain activities and prayers for certain times. The day passes through Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, Nones, Vespers, and Compline. Similar to how events pass in Night In The Woods, a stylized clock switches from one time frame to the next when players complete a significant story beat, such as completing a task for Illuminata. This mechanic in Pentiment restricts what players can achieve in a single day, meaning not every avenue will be explored.

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Managing Time in Pentiment

As the game progresses, players must decide on the best ways to spend their time and be mindful of which ones to do first. They must use their best judgment to determine what interactions will move time along and what sleuthing they can do beforehand. Once the murder occurs, players will have various leads they can follow up on. However, each lead in Pentiment takes time, and by choosing to explore one lead, players may lose access to another. Luckily, players can check how much time is left in a day by accessing the blue ribbon in the top left corner of their screen. This ribbon displays the time, the main menu, and the option to quit.

The canonical hours are not the only unique use of time in Pentiment. The game’s three acts follow the main character Andreas over the course of 25 years, from 1518 to 1543. As time passes, real historical events will occur in the background and be mentioned by the characters. For example, in 1518, Lorenz discusses the rising theological upstart Martin Luther. This historical interaction takes inspiration from one of the developer’s most famous games, Fallout: New Vegas.

If players find themselves interested in more 16th-century history narrative, they can double-check the current date with the blue ribbon menu discussed earlier. If the canonical hours system remains confusing, players can also rely on the number system in the menu. For example, 6h represents 6:00 AM, and players can work from there. While some players may be annoyed at the restriction of activities by time, the tightened pace reflects the murder mystery genre and encourages multiple playthroughs. Studying the history-based passage of time in Pentiment can help players confidently choose a lead to follow and may even teach some players unique manipulations of video game design.

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