'Avowed' (Image: Obsidian Entertainment)
Obsidian Entertainment’s upcoming RPG, Avowed, has been compared to Skyrim since its announcement. However, many factors make this game distinct from previous RPGs, and Avowed game director Carrie Patel told GamesRadar that the game will “stand on its own” alongside other upcoming releases.
With titles such as Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity, South Park: The Stick of Truth and special releases of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Obsidian Entertainment has created a reputation for itself as being a capable video game developer. With their new fantasy RPG, Avowed, releasing on Feb. 18, 2025, gamers can begin to scope out the game as new information comes out about its gameplay and development.
If there’s one thing that Obsidian’s previous games have shown us, it’s that they really know their stuff when it comes down to worldbuilding, storytelling and player choice. After all, their motto is “Your worlds. Your way.” With that said, it’s no surprise that Avowed would feature a unique and individual gaming experience with a little bit of a twist.
Avowed takes place in the Pillars of Eternity fantasy universe and begins with the good old character creator. There, players can really get into the nitty-gritty details of the character they’re going to play. Aside from appearances, players will start the game as a Godlike, a “rare individual whose soul has been touched by the gods at birth.” Furthermore, what makes this character selection particularly customizable compared to other RPGs is that players will be able to choose a background for their character. This way, each player has more control over their character’s story, which will ultimately impact the plot later on.
The general plot of Avowed is that your character is an Envoy of the Aedyrian empire who was sent to the regions of Eora by the emperor to investigate a plague that is spreading throughout the region. In the meantime, your character is also trying to understand their status and purpose as a Godlike. All the while, your unique physical markings as a Godlike look like markings of this mysterious plague, making your journey a tad more complicated.
Patel commented on these elements of the story as she said it is a mix of “a very grounded political story and then kind of this more mysterious, esoteric, metaphysical story about souls and past lives and the gods and all of these weirder mysteries.” Patel recalls that when brainstorming with other Obsidian team members, they questioned, “‘How do we give the player stakes in both of those stories and a foot in each of those worlds?’”
Obsidian Entertainment seems to have found the best of both worlds in Avowed as players will undoubtedly get a taste of political conflict and otherworldly mysteries with a story like this one. Avowed will release exclusively on Xbox Series X/S and PC on Feb. 18, 2025.
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