Penance

About the Game

Immerse yourself in the silence of St. Maurice Abbey, where the liturgy conceals an ancient truth.

You are Elias, a young monk with no past who investigates the strange death of his mentor, Severinus. What begins as mourning is revealed as a disquieting conspiracy: the Abbey is the facade of a secret society that perpetuates a dark, ancestral sacrifice, hidden beneath false Christian vows.

Your path is an introspective pilgrimage through seven phases based on the Canonical Hours (Matins, Lauds, etc.), which will lead you closer to a truth so devastating that it will force you to confront your own destiny.

The Price of Truth: The Guilt and Faith Mechanic

Penance is a 2D atmospheric exploration adventure with a deliberately slow-paced and contemplative rhythm.

Gameplay centers on the constant dilemma of Guilt and Faith, represented in two interconnected bars that define your moral and spiritual state.

• Elias' Staff: Your staff is an extension of your soul. It detects areas contaminated by Guilt that, if not purified, will physically block your passage.

• Purification and Rhythm: You must concentrate your Faith through prayer to absorb the Guilt that emanates from objects, cleansing your path and allowing you to advance. This purification is performed using a rhythm system: press the prayer key at the exact moment when the guilt circles shrink toward your staff to achieve a "Perfect" or "Good" hit and purify the path.

• Specters and Shield: The silence is broken by the ghosts of the sacrificed. These ethereal presences will interfere with your prayer and physically push you, forcing you to manage your Faith and Guilt while surviving the Abbey. Use the Protective Shield to repel nearby specters with an expansive pulse from your staff , adding a layer of tactical defense that consumes Faith.

Narrative of Revelation: Collect Your Destiny

The Abbey's hidden history is revealed piece by piece through 50 Objects of Mystery. Each collected object is associated with a symbolic concept (such as Fragility, Memory, or Mystery).

At the end of the game, these 50 concepts unite into a Poem of Truth, a symbolic key that condenses the Abbey's entire ancestral secret.

Your journey will reveal that you were raised for a specific purpose assigned to you by the secret society. Your pilgrimage culminates in multiple possible endings depending on your decisions and your moral balance between Faith and Guilt, determining not only your destiny, but that of all humanity.

Key Features

• 2D Silhouette Design: A haunting, gothic atmosphere, intensified by a detailed 2-layer dynamic fog system that follows the player for total immersion.

• Contemplative and Tense Gameplay: A deliberately slow rhythm that encourages detailed exploration and immersion.

• Rhythm and Concentration: Purify Guilt with a challenging rhythm system featuring precise timing windows ("Perfect", "Good") , where a miss interrupts your concentration and stops the prayer.

• Evolving Rhythm System: Purification evolves from simple white circles to a challenging three-color system that requires different inputs and maximum concentration.

• Tactical Shield Defense: Gain a reprieve from Specters by activating the Protective Shield, an expansive pulse that repels nearby threats at the cost of Faith.

• Specters with Unique Behaviors: Face different types of spectral threats, each with distinct movement patterns and interference strategies.

• Dual Survival Resource: Balance the Guilt and Faith bars, using your staff to purify contaminated objects and advance your path.

• Unique and Structured Narrative: Unravel the plot through 7 Phases based on the Canonical Hours and 50 Objects of Mystery that unite to form a symbolic poem.

• Complete Experience: A story lasting approximately two hours with multiple endings that reflect your moral decisions.

• Deep Auditory Immersion: An original soundtrack and meticulous atmospheric sound design, where every creak and whisper intensifies the feeling of being on the verge of a revelation.

• Full Localization: Enjoy the game fully localized in Spanish and English, with plans for future languages.