Pentiment

Pentiment is a great fit for a quiet evening, not a treadmill session. You’ll spend a lot of time reading and thinking through murders, scandals, and religious conflict in the Bavarian Alps, which is rough when your feet are moving.

Gameplay

You follow Andreas Maler, a master artist caught up in murder and intrigue during a time of major religious and political change. The illustrated world and story are the draw, but you’ll do plenty of reading and careful decision making instead of constant action. That makes it easy to get absorbed, and easy to lose track of your pace.

Category Score: 1 out of 3

Treadmill and Bike Compatibility

Pentiment has full controller support, so you don’t need to rely on a mouse and keyboard. But reading long passages and weighing choices takes steady attention, and trying to do that while running or biking is a good way to miss something important. This is best played while sitting still.

Category Score: 0 out of 3

Computer Requirements

The minimum requirements include a 64 bit processor, 4 GB of memory, and an Nvidia GTX 650 Ti graphics card. That is an older dedicated card, so the game should be manageable on a basic gaming PC, but the listed minimum does not promise it will run on integrated graphics.

Category Score: 2 out of 3

Conclusion and Score

Pentiment has a thoughtful story and a distinctive illustrated setting, but both ask you to give the game your full attention. Skip the workout and play it at your desk.

Overall Score: 1 out of 3