We got our first look at the new Obsidian RPG – Avowed – earlier this month in the form of a two-minute trailer at the Xbox Games Showcase. The first-person fantasy game looks good, but some fans have tempered their expectations.
The Avowed trailer was recently shared on the forum RPG Codex, and got mixed responses; some couldn’t wait for the game, some were tired of the fantasy setting, and many thought the trailer was “I’ve been watching this for a while.” Worst trailer ever.” In the end, there were 80+ pages of criticism, some of which were actually constructive, and some expressions of excitement from Obsidian fans.
An Obsidian developer named “Briar Diem” quickly contributed to the thread, trying to give players more hope in Avowed and sharing some of Obsidian’s process with users. “All I can say is that the game has not yet entered Alpha, and the art will be improved in various ways. The lighting will change. Of course, the design will not change. They are what they are.”
The lack of Alpha, which was planned for release in 2024, also worried some fans, something Briar Diem later clarified, “In previous projects, Alphas were sometimes only a few months long. This is effectively the Alpha of all Obsidian games. /Longest beta ever, which is good news.”
“The trailer doesn’t show much in its two-minute runtime. To clear the air, though I will say this, the game is big and open, and it’s not fair to compare it to Outer Worlds (I think Feargus was trying to lower the expected just in case), I think it’s totally different,” Briar Diem also detailed.
Talking further about the Avowed trailer, Briar Diem added, “A lot of the game is being hidden right now, and I think you’ll have to wait until the next trailer or some sort of demo to actually see it, but it’s safe to assume it’s very Obsidian. Nope. Well, the whole game isn’t all bright and happy towns, no, it’s not that blurry visually either. There are a lot of characters, quests, dialogue, various game mechanics, big story, etc.”
They then added, “Now that development is going well, Microsoft is allowing Obsidian’s free license to do what they want, and whether it succeeds or fails will be on Obsidian’s own terms.”
So in the end, Avowed will be bigger than the other Obsidian games, and if Briar Diem is right, will undoubtedly look better than the trailer shown during the Xbox Games Showcase. For now, we’ll just have to wait to hear more official word about the game and see what spellcasting looks like in the world of Eora.
For those of you who just heard about Obsidian’s Avowed (where have you been?), the game is set in the same universe as Pillars of Eternity. Players will take on the role of an envoy from the Aedyr Empire, who will then be sent to investigate a strange plague affecting remote areas of the Living Lands. Throughout your adventure, you can expect to use magic, melee and firearms against the excellent beasts in the open areas, and even befriend NPCs in typical Obsidian fashion.
How do you feel about Avowed so far? Are you shaking at the thought of Obsidian’s take on Skyrim, or did the trailer make you yawn?
