Tenebris Pictura

this is one of those games that feels like one person’s passion project and i just do not know what to make of some aspects of it. it feels like a modern indie version of a jank old PC game from the early to mid 2000s that have some really interesting ideas but also are kind of hard to parse at some fundamental level, like there’s context missing. your character also has a really hilarious jump animation - one of those things where it’s hard to know how seriously you should take the game. anyway, you’re like a psychic who can use your ghost powers to manipulate the environment around you. there is like this pink puzzle goo sometimes you have to get around with your ghost powers. but then there are weirder things like paintings you can jump into or these spotlight things you move around that reveal a different version of the environment you’re in to proceed. and then there’s combat that only your ghost self can engage in (which are kind of slightly bullet hell and slightly clunky - but they’re passable). and there are these really cool painterly visual effects that happen throughout the game that give this a really unique flavor, in addition to the visuals which read like Gamecube …

Good puzzle game. There is combat, but I would call it puzzle combat - how do you use your powers to effectively eliminate the baddies. Also, very cool oil painting aesthetics.

"Tenebris Pictura" is a mystery puzzle beat'em up, which sounds like a weird concept but it works perfectly. I had much fun playing it, mainly because of the various different mechanics that tie seamlessly into the story. It took me a little under 6 hours to finish and I played it in one night because it was always interesting enough to keep going. The characters and the setting were beautifully thought through and had a fitting asthetic to them. The plot, although not completely original, was well told and well paced. The only issues I encountered were of a technical nature but just small things like the character getting stuck on some decorative objects. Additionally I noticed some problems with the translation of the dialogue, at least in my version (German). All in all "Tenebris Pictura" was an outstanding experience and its cosmic horror themes were nicely woven into both story and gameplay. I would recommend this game to people who like: 1) puzzle games, 2) gothic horror asthetic, 3) Lovecraft literature (I personally felt reminded of Dreams in the Witch House to some degree). As last words I'd like to add that I'm looking foreward to Pentadimensional Games next project!

Tenebris Pictura is an atmospheric action-adventure developed and published by Pentadimensional Games SL that blends Victorian-era mystery, paranormal investigation, and surreal puzzle design into a distinctive, if uneven, experience. The game places you in the role of Magnus Blom, a psychic investigator summoned to a fog-choked island to search for a missing girl, only to uncover a web of occult rituals, haunted locations, and supernatural forces bound to strange, living paintings. From its opening moments, the game establishes a moody, introspective tone that leans more toward eerie curiosity than outright horror, inviting players to slowly unravel its mysteries rather than rush through them. The defining feature of Tenebris Pictura is its dual-form gameplay built around astral projection. Magnus can separate his spirit from his physical body, allowing players to navigate environments in two fundamentally different ways. In physical form, movement is grounded and vulnerable, subject to environmental hazards and enemy threats. In astral form, mobility is freer and powers come into play, enabling psychic combat, interaction with spectral objects, and access to otherwise unreachabl…

This game impressed me, it's one of if not the most creative and unique game i've ever seen, but let's start with the bad to get it out of the way, the game is kinda janky and extremely unpolished, and on a surface level, very cheap looking. But when you ignore those "nitpicks" you find an extremely good game with a really interesting story and writing, this game shines in it's game design and puzzle design, without spoiling it too much i can say this game allows you to use it's various marvelous mechanics and powers to find a solution for it's ever interesting and novel puzzles. Not only that, the visuals are oddly amusing, sometimes they can look kind of bland, but in other moments, absolutely beautiful like an impressionist painting, this an absolute hidden gem that may or not become a cult classic.

Clever, creative, and occasionally bastard hard. Think carefully about what each ability can be used for.