It’s hard to get an impression of a game when it is only briefly shown, but sometimes, a little is all that’s needed.The Elder Scrolls 6, for example, showed a landscape and has fueled speculation for months. Microsoft pulled a similar trick with thenewFableat the Xbox Series Xevent, but if there’s one thing the event was not short on, it’s fantasy RPGs. Obsidian Entertainment, renown for its work onFallout New Vegas, Kotor 2, South Park: The Stick of Truth, and far more, announced its next epic fanasy RPG withAvowed.
Avowedwas only shown briefly, as Obsidian Entertainment also has the Perils of Gorgon DLC forThe Outer Worldsin the work, as well as its ant-scale survival game,Grounded.Avowedis probably a couple of years from release, but it’s impossible to say Microsoft hasn’t been good to the developer. After all, it screamedSkyrimin a trailer lasting just over 1 minue.
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Avowed: Trailer, Platforms, Setting
There are only a handful of things confirmed by the trailer or the developer thus far. Interestingly enough, the game is set in the world of Eora, a placePillars of Eternityfans may realize is the same setting as it. This means that a few areas may be familiar to players when it launches, but at the same time, it could be set somewhere else within Eora, could be years before or after, or any number of things. There’s simply a ton of choices forAvowed.
It is going to launch on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X, which means it’s not technically a"true" Xbox Series X exclusive. With that in mind, it seems like the release date aim is definitely just a couple of years before Series X becomes the sole platform of development. Either way,Avowedlooks absolutely stunning here. The trailer opens showing a wartorn landscape, a castle with archers launching a volley of flaming arrows, and a strong opening dialogue. War forged this empire, turning heroes into queens and kings, and beckoning back to the days of yore (at least in RPGs any way).
Yet turmoil seems to set in, as theAvowednarrator describes the empire’s oaths as “lost” and “forsaken,” with the main playable character having to face the monsters “our sins have born.” This sees the character activate some type of magic, forming a rune that envelopes their left arm while wielding a sword in the right. The monster is just teased, as the game fades to black with the narrator ending on a cryptic line: “is an Oath worth the weigh of a crown?”
Avowed Vs. Skyrim
It’s a lot packed into a little, but deconstructing it shows how this game looks like and could very well be the nextSkyrim. The most obvious connection seems to be the gameplay. InSkyrim, players can equip spells or weaponsto certain hands, mixing and matching gameplay styles. It remains to be seen how extensiveAvowedis, but in the trailer, it’s clear the NPC is wielding both magic and a sword.
The very premise that this is touted as the next big Obsidian RPG suggests ascope bigger thanThe Outer Worlds, as well.The Outer Worldsis the company’s latest RPG, one many note is on the shorter end of contemporary RPGs, but one that also hits home with a nice, simple, and pseudo-ridiculous ride. With that in mind, it seems thatAvowedwill likely be bigger. That doesn’t necessarily means as open and wide asSkyrim, but it’s certainly possible the game features a scope up there in RPGs.
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Furthermore, the trailer puts a bigger emphasis on the politics of the realm. The wartorn landscape is a basic premise of a ton of RPGs, but one that it still shares withSkyrim. The emphasis on the Oath and the Crown seem to suggest that an Oath is something magical, perhaps a hero’s quest to accomplish something. Again, a basic premise but one also very evident inSkyrim, and the idea of inheriting a crown also relates to the politics ofSkyrim.
Why This Comparison Matter Most
It’s easy to seeSkyrimDNA in even the smallest of RPGs, so the big question becomes why doesAvowedmatter so much in terms of these small, basic comparisons? The answer is simple: competition. Obsidian and Bethesda worked together back in the day and have come to form a type of rivalry, even if it’s only in the eyes of fans. Obsidian is known for its RPGs, and many considerNew Vegasbetter than other BethesdaFalloutgames.
In fact,The Outer WorldsandFallout 76came to a head with comparisons of their own, with fans even thinking a remark aboutFalloutcreators made it one of the former’s trailer was shot at Bethesda. Now, it’s easy to seeThe Outer Worldsas Obisidian’s newFallout-esque franchise, which will hopefully eventually expand withThe Outer Worlds 2. Microsoft’s backing has done big things for the studio so far, and it’s hard to see it not happening down the road. But ifThe Outer Worldsis an answer toFallout, thenAvowedis its answer to Bethesda’sElder Scrolls.
There’s no doubt that anticipation is high forThe Elder Scrolls 6, first announced 2 years agobut years from seeing the light of day. Many speculate it won’t even release until 2024 or 2025, and that seems like a reasonable expectation so far. In other words, while fans are looking for RPGs to play before then,The Outer Worldsand potentially evenAvowed(which has no release date yet but could easily come before it) can be played for fans to bide their time. There’s plenty more out there, sure, but those that scratch this particular itch are far and few between.
Avowedis in development for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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