The official soundtrack of Pentinment is now on different streaming platforms including iTunes and Spotify. A digital version is also offered and those interested can get it through the game's official Steam page.
To make sure that the music would fit the art style of the game, Obsidian Entertainment Senior Communications Manager Shyla Schofield revealed that the team wanted it to reflect the instruments, as well as the music, that was present during 16th century Europe. To make this happen, the team worked with the medieval music ensemble known as Alkemie. Alkemie not only composed original music but even adapted historical pieces from the 14th to 16th centuries to be used during pivotal moments of the game. The group uses shawms, hurdy-gurdies, and various other period instruments.
Also part of the soundtrack was the talented Lingua Ignota Kristin Hayter. Kristin both composed and performed the song titled Ein Traum, which was used for the epilogue. For the piano accompaniment of the song, Kristin took inspiration from 19th century German Lieder traditions. For the lyrics, Kristin adapted the Heinrich Heine poem, “Ich hatte einst ein schönes Vaterland.”
It wasn’t all about the music per se since according to Schofield, to ensure authenticity, the team took it one step further. Benjamin Vierling was signed to work on the cover art for the album. He used renaissance-inspired Mischtechnik, which had alternating layers of oil paint and egg tempera.
The artwork is a portrait of Andreas Maler and is packed with symbolic elements from the game. Using traditional techniques, Benjamin took more than 20 months to finish the artwork and even included a pentiment of the Mithraic tauroctony under the winged bull of St. Luke.
Released in November 2022, Pentiment is a historical narrative-driven game focused on character development and features heavily stylized art as well as choice-driven storytelling. The game is set in early 16th century Bavaria with players taking on the role of one Andreas Maler, a clever illustrator caught up in a series of murders in Tassing and Kiersau Abbey over 25 years. Players conduct their investigation and decide the fate of the community. However, each decision has lasting consequences and inexorably draws Andreas closer to the center of an underlying conspiracy.
Pentiment is available on PC through Steam and Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
