Pentiment is a Obsidian narrative game set in 16th-century Bavaria in which Andreas Maler — an illuminator — solves a murder mystery across three time periods. The game’s art is rendered in the style of period manuscripts, and the text appears in period-accurate calligraphy styles that change depending on who the player character is speaking to.
What most players miss: specific illuminated borders in the manuscript-style UI contain small hidden images that are only visible at maximum zoom — images that do not appear in the main artwork and depict scenes from the game’s events that have not yet occurred at the point they appear. The borders are foreshadowing drawn into the decorative margin in the style of medieval manuscript marginalia.
Obsidian’s art team researched actual period manuscripts for the margin decoration and deliberately planted anachronistic (in terms of game timeline) images in the borders in the style of genuine 16th-century religious manuscript hidden imagery. The technique was documented: medieval scribes occasionally hid personal commentary or observational humor in manuscript margins.
Pentiment built a genuine piece of historical media practice — hidden margin images in manuscripts — into its game UI as functional foreshadowing.
Didn’t realise how much was hidden under the surface. Makes me want to replay it with fresh eyes.
This is why I always check every corner. You never know what’s been left for the observant player.