a fun detail I can actually contribute (thanks to having studied the book in question) is that Andreas can quote another Christian mystic's work, the book of Margery Kempe. Basically, if Andreas kept that French heretical book the game grants him the Mystical Spirit feature after the first time skip, stating in his journal entry that Andreas has spent the intervening years reading up on some of these more obscure, potentially heretical works of Christianity (its actually the only instance of a decision in the game doing this as far as I can tell, aside from deciding which book to get Magdalene - its a shame because I think its very neat and in a larger version of this game I can totally see a lot of fun outcomes to be generated from such instances, but it largely goes beyond the scope of the story the game is telling). Dialogue options for this feature are quite rare, but identifiable by the golden blazing sun symbol next to them, and the most notable is in an exchange with Sister Amalie where Andreas quotes a passage describing a desire to love christ as a wedded husband - I cannot say with utmost confidence that its directly referencing Margery Kempe without double-checking both it and the dialogue interaction in-game, but that is the impression I received and the streamer LudoHistory appeared to have the same impression in his stream of the game - it certainly aligns quite closely with Kempe, who directly claimed to have married Jesus through an ecstatic vision and is another figure who is quite similar to Sister Amalie, particularly in that she was also illiterate and had to dictate her visions to a scribe to write them down (the book is also notable for being the first recorded autobiography in the english language so that's neat). But yeah, I love this game and its many references, even if some of them are beyond me - it actually wound up inspiring my to finally read the Name of the Rose, and I have to say I found that a powerful experience in its own right, and it genuinely astounds me that Eco was able to write a work that is a landmark piece of postmodernist literature whilst also studiously recreating the historical setting it preoccupies itself with in the manner only a professional medievalist could, and at the same time dealing with semiotics and philosophy. I love seeing its echoes (ha) upon Pentiment and hope this game drives more people toward the former work, though the game absolutely stands up in its own right, and in fact the two are excellent companion pieces to one another.
It seems there’s a very thin line between mysticism and heresy. Certainly, mystics often used very strong even erotic language in expressing their love for Christ. Examples include St Gertrude who had a vision of reclining near Christ and listening to the beating of His heart. St Teresa of Avila whose ecstasy was recorded as an angel pierced her soul and filled her with sweetness. This also has Biblical basis as seen in the Song of Songs recording a Bride and Groom loving each other physically. Mystics though don’t get good reputations from more inquisitorial minds as their language is very imprecise and even if their intentions may not be considered heretical, their language and expression could risk it in the minds of the inquisitors hence many were banned.
Thank you! I have induced in this video only part of the Easter eggs and historical elements you can find in the game. Since i published it i have discovered even more! If you want to do some deeper research into the historical material used by the designers i suggest you check out the full bibliography they list in the game's credits .
just finished my first play through, an awesome game, thank you for the video! the only two i got on my own were references to name of the rose and the famous impostor farmer case
Very interesting video! Thanks for mentioning Romansh, I was very happy when I first encountered it in the game. If you choose Basel as the place where Andreas spent his Lehrjahre, he understands Ottilia (a translation appears), though I don’t think he recognizes the language itself.
Just finished the game. Thanks for providing some more context. Glad that we have a game like Pentiment (and thanks for PC Gamepass to bring this game to so many people I guess)
You are welcome. A really massive amount of research and attention to detail went into this game and i thought it was important to show it. I bought this game on steam but I'm aware that it would have been much more difficult for it to get green lit without the PC/Xbox Gamepass. I hope we can get more history games like this in the future
7:09 My initial thought on the inspiration for Brother Florian was that it might be Jan Žižka (main commander of the Hussite wars in Bohemia), who wore an eyepatch and (probably) fought as a mercenary in Poland in the battle of Grunwald in 1410. Great video!
Your video is amazing! It covers a wide range of knowledge and accurately explores the details within the game. Many players will be inspired by your video. I really enjoy your narration. May I translate it into Chinese and post it on another website? (Because many people in mainland China are unable to access TH-cam.I will include a link to the original video.) Thank you!
Sister Amalia is based on Julian of Norwich. She was a real anchoress and her writings are the only One we have written by an anchoress. Julian even writes about digging her own grave.
Yes, this connection is kind of hinted at in her dialogue with Andreas. Sister Amalie's character was likely inspired by several Christian mystic nuns and anchoresses, such as Julian of Norwich, Margery Kempe, and, as I mentioned in the video, Marguerite Porete. My favorite theory was that Jeanne des Anges from the possessions of Loudun also influenced the character, but when I asked Josh Sawyer about it, he said she wasn’t an inspiration. However, it turns out he has seen Ken Russell’s "The Devils," which is based on the Possessions of Loudun, and I think that's really cool
Thank you! I guess that any history class that deals with the Renaissance & Early Modern Era or history of the Holy Roman Empire would be relevant to the history of the game. But as I explained in my "Pentiment's murder mystery doesn't matter" video at its core the game deals with what history actually is and how you go about investigating it. That is what makes Pentiment so remarkable. And also in a strange way, the class on the history of the game is the game itself. Check out the end credits and you'll even find the full list of publications the team used for their research.
I think Sister Amalia's character is also in part connected to Jeanne des Anges, who was hunchbacked and at least in the story told through Ken Russel's The Devils, was also living in a cage, and had visions and possessions, even though in that particular story they are fabricated out of jealousy. I may be misremembering though and I know nothing about history, and it does take place in a different region and a whole century later. Still it's interesting to watch the film or read Huxley's novel for people who might be into this videogame.
Thanks for spotting this! Another one for my list of additional easter eggs in the game! And yes, there is a probable connection, at least when it comes to her physical appearance and the fact that she hallucinated and contorted her body. But Jeanne des Anges was not a mystic (or even particularly pious) and the whole case of the Loudun possessions was ... ehm...very different from sister Amalie's visions and background. And as you mentioned, based on her autobiography (I found a couple of summaries online) unlike Amalie, Jeanne was dishonest and... a bit of a fraud. Also, I couldn't find anything about a cage but at some point, she wanted to become a saint and put herself through some severe austerities. And again, as you mentioned the events of Loudun happened much later, in France in 1634. I haven't seen The Devils but I did know of its existence and story because there is a lengthy reference to it in the BBC 4 documentary "Dear Censor" (you can find it on TH-cam, I highly recommend it). I wouldn't be surprised if Josh Sawyer (the game's director) has seen it
Amazing video and very insightful, thank you. While playing Pentiment I couldn't help but compare the game to another historical point and click narrative game. Ken Follet: The Pillars of the Earth, which is based on a historical novel. I highly recommend it for the narrative, art style and historical setting. You should check it out.
Thanks! I knew about the novel but i didn't know there was a game based on it! I'm making these video's because I'm analyzing history video games as part of my VR archaeological reconstruction project. I thought that this information might be interesting to others so I'm making it available in video form. So I'm happy to take suggestions on any other history video games people would like to see analyzed here. I'm currently working on finishing my Fallout New Vegas: Caesar's Legion series but I plan gradually go though as many history games (or games containing historical elements) as i can.
Although I’ve completed the game several times and throughly enjoyed this video I still feel some spoiler warnings are necessary but oh well the ending is really just the cherry on top anyway… although I do wish there was some path to uncovering the purple note conspiracy before the end in a hidden way… oh well
Thank you! I have a spoiler warning at the beginning of the video but I might also need to add one one the video's title just to be on the safe side. As for the game offering a path for an early uncovering of the thread-puller's identity, although there isn't one, there are some hints like the fact that he is the confessor for all the nuns, that he exits early during at least 2 major gatherings etc. But as I mentioned in my first video about Pentiment the murder mystery in this game and the conspiracy around it are not really that important. They just serve as an excuse for the game's creators to talk about how history works.
@@LidaLiberopoulou yeah those details are feet as well! Cool to hear your thought either way and yeah I just missed the initial spoiler warning so that’s invalid honestly and yeah I agree as to the game’s purpose… bust also thirst for another truly replayable obsidian game y’known I just wish there were some wildly different endings but yeah gotta love just the different dialogue and side character outcomes considering many “side characters” are really main so to speak
Can you tell me a similar game, with similar Easter Eggs, Historical Elements and medieval, and ancient references? I see you have some on your channel >) . Thank you in advance!
When it comes to the attention to detail and scale (references from the prehistoric age to the 16th century) I think that Pentiment is unique. I don't think you will find another game like this. But of course, there are several games that have extensive historical references. The Assassin Creed series is famous for using real world history for its stories and worldbuilding and has a lot of real world historical easter eggs in it. Another game set in medieval times known for its historical accuracy is Kingdom Come: Deliverance. As for the games i have analyzed on this channel, so far, the Forgotten City is probably the closest to Pentiment in real world historical easter eggs and references.
a fun detail I can actually contribute (thanks to having studied the book in question) is that Andreas can quote another Christian mystic's work, the book of Margery Kempe. Basically, if Andreas kept that French heretical book the game grants him the Mystical Spirit feature after the first time skip, stating in his journal entry that Andreas has spent the intervening years reading up on some of these more obscure, potentially heretical works of Christianity (its actually the only instance of a decision in the game doing this as far as I can tell, aside from deciding which book to get Magdalene - its a shame because I think its very neat and in a larger version of this game I can totally see a lot of fun outcomes to be generated from such instances, but it largely goes beyond the scope of the story the game is telling). Dialogue options for this feature are quite rare, but identifiable by the golden blazing sun symbol next to them, and the most notable is in an exchange with Sister Amalie where Andreas quotes a passage describing a desire to love christ as a wedded husband - I cannot say with utmost confidence that its directly referencing Margery Kempe without double-checking both it and the dialogue interaction in-game, but that is the impression I received and the streamer LudoHistory appeared to have the same impression in his stream of the game - it certainly aligns quite closely with Kempe, who directly claimed to have married Jesus through an ecstatic vision and is another figure who is quite similar to Sister Amalie, particularly in that she was also illiterate and had to dictate her visions to a scribe to write them down (the book is also notable for being the first recorded autobiography in the english language so that's neat). But yeah, I love this game and its many references, even if some of them are beyond me - it actually wound up inspiring my to finally read the Name of the Rose, and I have to say I found that a powerful experience in its own right, and it genuinely astounds me that Eco was able to write a work that is a landmark piece of postmodernist literature whilst also studiously recreating the historical setting it preoccupies itself with in the manner only a professional medievalist could, and at the same time dealing with semiotics and philosophy. I love seeing its echoes (ha) upon Pentiment and hope this game drives more people toward the former work, though the game absolutely stands up in its own right, and in fact the two are excellent companion pieces to one another.
It seems there’s a very thin line between mysticism and heresy. Certainly, mystics often used very strong even erotic language in expressing their love for Christ. Examples include St Gertrude who had a vision of reclining near Christ and listening to the beating of His heart. St Teresa of Avila whose ecstasy was recorded as an angel pierced her soul and filled her with sweetness. This also has Biblical basis as seen in the Song of Songs recording a Bride and Groom loving each other physically. Mystics though don’t get good reputations from more inquisitorial minds as their language is very imprecise and even if their intentions may not be considered heretical, their language and expression could risk it in the minds of the inquisitors hence many were banned.
My oh my. I love this game, but your video inspired me to start my own research on it. It's a real treasure for culture sciences
Thank you! I have induced in this video only part of the Easter eggs and historical elements you can find in the game. Since i published it i have discovered even more! If you want to do some deeper research into the historical material used by the designers i suggest you check out the full bibliography they list in the game's credits .
just finished my first play through, an awesome game, thank you for the video! the only two i got on my own were references to name of the rose and the famous impostor farmer case
Thanks YT algorithm for recommending this video. Great work Lida, you rock!
Very interesting video! Thanks for mentioning Romansh, I was very happy when I first encountered it in the game. If you choose Basel as the place where Andreas spent his Lehrjahre, he understands Ottilia (a translation appears), though I don’t think he recognizes the language itself.
Just finished the game. Thanks for providing some more context. Glad that we have a game like Pentiment (and thanks for PC Gamepass to bring this game to so many people I guess)
You are welcome. A really massive amount of research and attention to detail went into this game and i thought it was important to show it. I bought this game on steam but I'm aware that it would have been much more difficult for it to get green lit without the PC/Xbox Gamepass. I hope we can get more history games like this in the future
7:09 My initial thought on the inspiration for Brother Florian was that it might be Jan Žižka (main commander of the Hussite wars in Bohemia), who wore an eyepatch and (probably) fought as a mercenary in Poland in the battle of Grunwald in 1410. Great video!
Could be! Most of Pentiment's characters draw inspiration from multiple sources.
What a wonderful video! I just completed Pentiment and wanted to find out more and this was really well researched and presented, thankyou!
You are welcome! I absolutely love this game and i might make another video about it in the future
Your video is amazing! It covers a wide range of knowledge and accurately explores the details within the game. Many players will be inspired by your video. I really enjoy your narration. May I translate it into Chinese and post it on another website? (Because many people in mainland China are unable to access TH-cam.I will include a link to the original video.) Thank you!
Love this, thank you.
Great video ! This adds so much ! Just finished it this weekend !
Great stuff! Thank you for the video!
I'm glad you enjoyed it!It was really fun to make
This is wonderful, thank you!
You are welcome! There are so many interesting things in this amazing game. I might make another video about it at some point.
@@LidaLiberopoulou Please do! :)
love your video so much, this was so interesting and informative!!!
What an amazing video, thank you.
Sister Amalia is based on Julian of Norwich. She was a real anchoress and her writings are the only
One we have written by an anchoress. Julian even writes about digging her own grave.
Yes, this connection is kind of hinted at in her dialogue with Andreas. Sister Amalie's character was likely inspired by several Christian mystic nuns and anchoresses, such as Julian of Norwich, Margery Kempe, and, as I mentioned in the video, Marguerite Porete. My favorite theory was that Jeanne des Anges from the possessions of Loudun also influenced the character, but when I asked Josh Sawyer about it, he said she wasn’t an inspiration. However, it turns out he has seen Ken Russell’s "The Devils," which is based on the Possessions of Loudun, and I think that's really cool
@@LidaLiberopoulou thanks for making this video
Great video. Playing through for the second time! I'd love to take a class that just focuses on the history of the game haha
Thank you! I guess that any history class that deals with the Renaissance & Early Modern Era or history of the Holy Roman Empire would be relevant to the history of the game. But as I explained in my "Pentiment's murder mystery doesn't matter" video at its core the game deals with what history actually is and how you go about investigating it. That is what makes Pentiment so remarkable. And also in a strange way, the class on the history of the game is the game itself. Check out the end credits and you'll even find the full list of publications the team used for their research.
I think Sister Amalia's character is also in part connected to Jeanne des Anges, who was hunchbacked and at least in the story told through Ken Russel's The Devils, was also living in a cage, and had visions and possessions, even though in that particular story they are fabricated out of jealousy.
I may be misremembering though and I know nothing about history, and it does take place in a different region and a whole century later. Still it's interesting to watch the film or read Huxley's novel for people who might be into this videogame.
Thanks for spotting this! Another one for my list of additional easter eggs in the game! And yes, there is a probable connection, at least when it comes to her physical appearance and the fact that she hallucinated and contorted her body. But Jeanne des Anges was not a mystic (or even particularly pious) and the whole case of the Loudun possessions was ... ehm...very different from sister Amalie's visions and background. And as you mentioned, based on her autobiography (I found a couple of summaries online) unlike Amalie, Jeanne was dishonest and... a bit of a fraud. Also, I couldn't find anything about a cage but at some point, she wanted to become a saint and put herself through some severe austerities. And again, as you mentioned the events of Loudun happened much later, in France in 1634.
I haven't seen The Devils but I did know of its existence and story because there is a lengthy reference to it in the BBC 4 documentary "Dear Censor" (you can find it on TH-cam, I highly recommend it). I wouldn't be surprised if Josh Sawyer (the game's director) has seen it
Amazing video and very insightful, thank you. While playing Pentiment I couldn't help but compare the game to another historical point and click narrative game. Ken Follet: The Pillars of the Earth, which is based on a historical novel. I highly recommend it for the narrative, art style and historical setting. You should check it out.
Thanks! I knew about the novel but i didn't know there was a game based on it! I'm making these video's because I'm analyzing history video games as part of my VR archaeological reconstruction project. I thought that this information might be interesting to others so I'm making it available in video form. So I'm happy to take suggestions on any other history video games people would like to see analyzed here. I'm currently working on finishing my Fallout New Vegas: Caesar's Legion series but I plan gradually go though as many history games (or games containing historical elements) as i can.
This game led me to research a lot about monasticism and european medieval history lol
Although I’ve completed the game several times and throughly enjoyed this video I still feel some spoiler warnings are necessary but oh well the ending is really just the cherry on top anyway… although I do wish there was some path to uncovering the purple note conspiracy before the end in a hidden way… oh well
Thank you! I have a spoiler warning at the beginning of the video but I might also need to add one one the video's title just to be on the safe side. As for the game offering a path for an early uncovering of the thread-puller's identity, although there isn't one, there are some hints like the fact that he is the confessor for all the nuns, that he exits early during at least 2 major gatherings etc. But as I mentioned in my first video about Pentiment the murder mystery in this game and the conspiracy around it are not really that important. They just serve as an excuse for the game's creators to talk about how history works.
@@LidaLiberopoulou yeah those details are feet as well! Cool to hear your thought either way and yeah I just missed the initial spoiler warning so that’s invalid honestly and yeah I agree as to the game’s purpose… bust also thirst for another truly replayable obsidian game y’known I just wish there were some wildly different endings but yeah gotta love just the different dialogue and side character outcomes considering many “side characters” are really main so to speak
Can you tell me a similar game, with similar Easter Eggs, Historical Elements and medieval, and ancient references? I see you have some on your channel >) . Thank you in advance!
When it comes to the attention to detail and scale (references from the prehistoric age to the 16th century) I think that Pentiment is unique. I don't think you will find another game like this. But of course, there are several games that have extensive historical references. The Assassin Creed series is famous for using real world history for its stories and worldbuilding and has a lot of real world historical easter eggs in it. Another game set in medieval times known for its historical accuracy is Kingdom Come: Deliverance. As for the games i have analyzed on this channel, so far, the Forgotten City is probably the closest to Pentiment in real world historical easter eggs and references.
It’s a treasure bean😂