Avowed looks excellent, doesn't it? Xbox may have only released one hundred and thirty seconds of gameplay but it's done enough to turn my head. Swords and sorcery from a first-person perspective, set in a vibrant and visually-distinctive realm that we've only ever experienced from an isometric viewpoint. Casting spells and collecting companions, dungeon crawling and battering horrible plague beasts with battle axes. Avowed is speaking my language.
Honestly, I'm relieved. Up until the Xbox Games Showcase, you could say that I've always been a little Avowed curious. It's the first AAA RPG from the genre-masters at Obsidian Entertainment, following its acquisition into the Xbox Game Studios fold in 2018. Beloved for its work on Alpha Protocol, Fallout: New Vegas, and The Outer Worlds, there's real electricity to the idea of Obsidian working on an Xbox Series X exclusive RPG – and receiving all of the first-party funding and support that comes with such an ambitious endeavour.
Offsetting that excitement has been this tinge of trepidation. Microsoft Gaming does, after all, have a point to prove this generation. Would Obsidian feel pressure to build a bigger playground than it ever has before, or a need to challenge the titans of the fantasy-RPG genre? The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt are excellent open-world games, but so large that I'm not entirely convinced that they have scripted endings – at this point, I'm too afraid to ask.
That's not what I'm looking for from Avowed, or from Obsidian. Historically, the studio does its best work within clearly-defined boundaries, and I see increasing value in experiences which don't take your time, energy, or attention for granted. Thankfully, game director Carrie Patel has spoken the magic worlds which have caused all my fears to dissipate: "[Avowed] is set up as a series of interconnected open zones which players can explore at their own pace."
Size really does matter
Avowed isn't set in an open-world, and it's the best news that could have come out of the Xbox Games Showcase. Patel has compared the size and structure of Avowed to The Outer Worlds and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2. Admittedly, there's a widening gap between those two role-playing games, but it means you're likely looking at an adventure with a ceiling of around 25 hours if you want to experience a story with a beginning, middle, and end.
Obsidian says it's building enough distraction into Avowed that your investment can scale from there, but I'm overjoyed to learn that it's being built with recognition that time is our most valuable resource. "You can invest in discovering every nook-and-cranny in the world, discovering every secret, finding every side-quest, meeting every character – or you can have a much more focused experience. It's fully up to players how much time they want to spend in the Living Lands."
"I'm overjoyed to learn that Avowed being built with recognition that time is our most valuable resource"
The Living Lands is described as a "plagued, wild island" set in the fantasy-world of Eora – a realm underpinned by adventure, choice, and consequence. Obsidian has a penchant for building memorable worlds, and the decision to focus on establishing a series of more densely-packed playspace can only be seen as a strength. It heightens the chance that we'll encounter a richer, and more visually-diverse set of biomes, each as weird and wonderful as the next – full of fantastical flora, sentient fauna, and a vast array of corrupted enemies to battle throughout.
Something I really appreciate about The Outer Worlds was how its tighter game worlds ultimately helped combat encounters feel more authored, and made each of my decisions feel more widely impactful. Hopefully we'll see the same here with Avowed, particularly with Obsidian stretching for such an expressive companion and combat system – with swords, spellcraft, and dual-wielding pistols at the heart of it.
There's obviously so much more of Avowed that we still need to see, but right now I'm just happy that with this upcoming Obsidian game, the studio is being allowed to play to its strengths in a first-party setting.
Avowed is one of the headline upcoming Xbox Series X games set to release in 2024. It's also expected to land on PC and be available on day one with Xbox Game Pass.
