Shacknews Best Art Style of 2022 - Pentiment

Pentiment came out of nowhere as a sneaky release late this year, but it certainly didn’t fly under our radar. This little gem from Obsidian Entertainment follows some charming characters, but what may be even more charming than them is the world itself. Pentiment takes home the Shacknews Award for Best Art Style of 2022.

Pentiment’s historical setting lends itself to the game’s art style in a beautiful way. The hand-painted style looks like something you’d actually see in a piece of preserved European artwork from the 16th century. Just about every frame is an image that you could use as your wallpaper or hang up in a frame.

What’s really neat about Pentiment is how its art style ties into gameplay. For example, characters of different classes have different text fonts when speaking. It makes it easy to distinguish between a high loyal and a royal peasant, further playing into the game’s themes.

While there were plenty of brilliantly styled games in 2022, Pentiment’s art style is at the forefront of what makes the game amazing. From the way it informs the gameplay to how it uniquely immerses players in 16th-century Europe, Pentiment’s art style has had a lasting impression on us.

Check out our Year of the Games: 2022 article to see all of the other Shacknews Awards that have been announced so far.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_