Summary
2024 is almost halfway through and while it may not end up being as monumental for game releases as 2023 was or 2025 will be, there are still several games supposedly intending to launch before the year concludes. Many of these anticipated titles have yet to receive release dates, including Obsidian’sAvowed. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility forAvowedto be pushed to 2025, and even if it does get delayed it will always need to contend with direct comparisons to all other seminal action-RPGs that have made a similar impact.
The fact thatAvowedis being prematurely compared to Bethesda games is a low-hanging branch due toThe Outer Worldsalso exhibiting gameplay mimicry, but that doesn’t make it any less true.Avowedis expected to behave at least similarly toElder Scrollsgames likeOblivionandSkyrimwhile it’ll likely adoptlessons Obsidian learned fromThe Outer Worldsand maybe evenFallout: New Vegas. But with fantasy action-RPGs being so rampant and profound in today’s industry climate,Avowedmay actually have an easier time making waves if it leans heavily into its obvious comparisons rather than adversely attempting to pull away from them.
Like Lies of P with Bloodborne, Avowed Should Lean into Its Contemporaries
Lies of Pcame out of nowhere and could’ve easily fallen victim to the trend of underwhelming Soulslike mimics that came before it. Instead,Lies of Pturned out to be highly unique with enough that gave it defining traits apart from the Soulslikes it clearly took inspiration from, which is all anyone can ever ask for when a new Soulslike hits the market. The game’s production value indeed exceeded expectations and, for better or for worse,Lies of Pcouldn’t escape incessant comparisons toBloodborne.
Avowedis in a similar pickle when it comes to coexisting in a saturated genre bubble, even while it’s connected to theoverarchingPillars of EternityIPand could reinvent that series with a touch of modernity. Regardless of how authenticAvowedis, there’s no chance it manages to flee expectations and assumptions coloring players’ perceptions of it, at least up until the day it launches and they get to experience it themselves. However, Obsidian can actually use that to its advantage.
Avowed is the ARPG We Needed, But Not the ARPG We Deserved
Lies of Parguably needed the attention gleaned from itsBloodbornecomparisons because it’s an indie game with a remarkably niche pitch; meanwhile, Obsidian is already a big-name developer with a lot of praise and reverence for its previous work. Obsidian has also made a name for itself byadopting a Bethesda IP as its own forFallout: New Vegas, which is still one of the franchise’s most popular entries.
The Outer Worldsmay not have made as large of a dent in the open-world sci-fi RPG space, but as a cult hit it’ll be interesting to see if receptions have grown more fond of the original when more news about the sequel is eventually shared, probably onceAvowedis in the clear.
Avowedcould become the nextSkyrim—it shouldn’t need to, either, but it might be wise for Obsidian to allow these comparisons to fuel it. Fantasy action-RPGs are dizzyingly common nowadays, and even thoughAvowedaims to launch in a relatively unoccupied period thus far it can benefit from comparisons in the meantime as much as it could benefit from expectations being upended and exceeded when it finally arrives.
Avowed
WHERE TO PLAY
Welcome to the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger. Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment.You are the envoy of Aedyr, a distant land, sent to investigate rumors of a spreading plague throughout the Living Lands - an island full of mysteries and secrets, danger and adventure, and choices and consequences, and untamed wilderness. You discover a personal connection to the Living Lands and an ancient secret that threatens to destroy everything. Can you save this unknown frontier and your soul from the forces threatening to tear them asunder?
