Avowed, the upcoming fantasy RPG from Obsidian Entertainment, is tracking to be the developer’s largest game sinceFallout: New Vegasin 2010. After being acquired by Microsoft, the studio has expanded and is now committed to projects big and small, andAvowedmight be the first of these more ambitious titles to release. The game takes place within the world of Eora, taking Obsidian’sPillars of EternityIP into a first-person perspective that should offer a more immersive adventure than its CRPG predecessors. Many fans could be excited about the possibilities ofAvowed, as this combination of interactivity and role-playing is something that is rare outside of Bethesda’sThe Elder Scrollsseries.
As it stands, there is little information about Obsidian’s overall direction forAvowedor how it may carry overgame systems fromPillars of Eternity. However, the team has an established history in character-driven narratives where decisions affect the course of the story, player agency being the cornerstone of its RPGs. The company’s first release,Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2, played an important part in cultivating these design traditions with its engrossing cast of heroes, villains, and everything in between. Although theStar Warsfranchise is distinct in its worldbuilding, Obsidian managed to make its mark with shades of gray morality in an otherwise black-and-white universe.
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Character-Driven Storytelling in Avowed
With respect to character archetypes, thePillars of Eternitysetting hosts a comprehensive pantheon representing divergent belief systems. These strange deities could inspiredeeper storytelling inAvowedas they personify the attitudes adopted by Eora’s people, and powerful characterizations can attempt to highlight the setting in entertaining ways. Thegods inAvowedmay accentuate the cultural dynamics of a unique IP, and it would work very much like the light and dark sides of the Force inStar Wars. If Obsidian makes these spiritual concepts a focus in its new title, players should play a role in resolving ethical dilemmas that bring depth and intrigue to the main questline.
Building relationships with characters is often a rewarding process that gives extra insight into the fiction, especially in games where fans can develop their roles as they discover the world. Obsidian has notably assigned manynarrative designers toAvowed, and this potentially indicates an emphasis on complex worldbuilding in its first-person fantasy RPG. The party-based format ofPillars of EternityandKOTORalso presents more perspectives to interact with over time; that could act as another example for the team as long as its next project intends to import classic elements in a mechanically-sound manner.
Star Wars: KOTOR 2’s Villains and Companions
When joined by NPCs from a fictional world, there is an opportunity to build alliances that inform the player’s decision-making in a wide array of contexts.KOTOR 2provided interesting party memberswho influence the direction of the story almost as much as the player, and it is these relationships that send drama to the forefront of the experience. Much like great CRPGs,Avowed’s characters might be utilized in a world that is not only reactive but fluid as well; NPCs could be scripted to work toward their respective goals in an overarching narrative alongside the player.
TheSith Lords ofKOTOR 2served as iconic villains throughout the adventure, each embodying their respective forms of suffering with striking clarity: Darth Sion as the Lord of Pain, Darth Nihilus as the Lord of Hunger, and Darth Traya as the Lord of Betrayal. As the story escalates, the reveal of these Sith Lords becomes more threatening to the player character – with one manipulative party member outing herself as an antagonist – yet this confluence of events also introduces interesting character motivations. Obsidian could make a more believable threat inAvowedby having moments for players to confront opposing ideologies in dialogue rather than combat, or even having twists that subvert expectations near the narrative climax.
Avowedis in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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