Unlikely, but Possible Authentizität, Mittelalterrezeption und Anti-Fantasy im Soundtrack zu ‚Pentiment‘ (2022)

Abstract

‘Pentiment’ (Obsidian, 2022) is a narrative-driven game set in early sixteenth-century Bavaria, praised for its historically informed visual and narrative design. This article analyses the game’s soundtrack—curated by the ensemble ‘Alkemie’—which draws on medieval and Renaissance compositions originating across a broad historical span. We examine how the selection and placement of music support the game’s claim to authenticity, create historical atmosphere, and add symbolic depth. In this way, it clearly sets itself apart from typical neo-medieval game soundtracks. Case studies include the recurring motif ‘Fortuna desperata’ and Hildegard von Bingen’s ‘Quia ergo femina’, which illustrate how music enhances symbolic and structural components of the game, while at the same time contributing to a credible and immersive representation of a fictional past. The ‘medieval’ in this early modern setting is legitimised not merely as a powerful trope of popular culture, but also points to a historical awareness within the game itself. Ultimately, one might argue, music and other layers of the game create a new hypertextual blend that is itself an extension of historic technique.