Obsidian’s New RPG ‘Avowed’ Looks Like First-Person D&D with Guns
Legendary developer Obsidian has a new first-person fantasy RPG Avowed in the works, and it promises to bring lessons from Vermintide.
Obsidian Entertainment, who’s done everything from Fallout: New Vegas to Pillars of Eternity, has a new fantasy RPG coming out that calls to mind Skyrim and Vermintide in a big, open world. A new vodcast does a much deeper dive on how the game will actually play, and the kinds of abilities players can expect to use.
And watching through the video, it seems like Skyrim and Pillars of Eternity are going to be the biggest two comparisons the game will be held up to. Because the basic premise of the game is you’re a fantasy hero who ends up embroiled in events bigger than you imagine. And along the way, you can recruit allied companions, building a sort of party.
But, the player is at the heart of everything. Developers spoke of a player-shaped hole in the world, and that just screams “Hey you, you’re finally awake.”
Avowed Gameplay Deeper Dive
There’s another big reason that Pillars of Eternity springs to mind. Because Avowed is set in that world. So if you liked that game and couldn’t get enough of that world, this is going to be an extra bonus. If you let Pillars pass you by, because getting through hundreds of hours is a tricky feat even when you like it, the world is full of interrelated NPCs and factions that have all sorts of conflicts and are plagued by all sorts of things.
In other words, there’s a lot of stuff for a player to do here. And you’ll have a lot to play with.
On display, we see some of the combat styles at play here. The gameplay video shows off a mix of sword and shield, pistol and shield, sword and wand, wand and wand, and double guns. The list goes on. But you’ve got a good mix of ranged and melee abilities.
And apparently Obsidian looked to Vermintide for inspiration for combat. They wanted to capture the “weight” of every hit. Players familiar with Vermintide will know well that rhythm, though there won’t be infinite hordes.
At any rate, Avowed is due to release in “2024”. In an age where “choices matter” has become less buzzwordy and more an expectation that players have (thank you Baldur’s Gate 3) Obsidian has some big promises to fulfill.
Look for Avowed later this year.
