Avowed, Obsidian Entertainment’s (Outer Worlds) open-world fantasy RPG, is set to launch in late 2024, with a new seven-minute deep dive into the world of the game and combat showcased during today’s Xbox Developer Direct.
With a release window of “fall 2024” (Spring for the Southern Hemisphere, placing it somewhere between September and November), Avowed will release on Xbox Series X|S and PC via Xbox and Steam, and will be available day one on Game Pass.
Avowed is set in the same universe as Pillars of Eternity, Obsidian’s previous RPG which has been described as a spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale, but while Pillars of Eternity opted for the classic top-down RPG style, this upcoming title leans more into the first-person RPG experience seen in games like Skyrim. Obsidian studio head Feargus Urquhart told Xbox Wire last year that the upcoming game would “bring a new perspective, a new way to fight, and a new land to explore in the world of Eora.”
The new trailer showcased the broad range of combat options available in Avowed, from melee, ranged combat with guns to spell slinging with dual wands. Gameplay director Gabriel Paramo said the team had developed a “flexible combat system,” which allows for quick switching between loadouts depending on player preference in the heat of battle. Different abilities like Tanglefoot (which appears to bind enemies to one spot using roots and vines) can be used to tactically take down multiple enemies without getting swarmed, with another gameplay snippet showing the player freezing an enemy before shattering them with their offhand weapon.
The Avowed trailer also spotlighted a range of different enemies with various combat tactics themselves – from highly defensive foes, groups with healing capabilities, to powerful creatures that employ brute force to knock you down. Overall, combat appears to be highly customisable thanks to the seamless switching between weapons, with Paramo saying Obsidian has created a system that goes beyond hack-and-slash gameplay to bring strategy and tactics to the forefront.
The seven-minute Avowed deep-dive explored the world of the game – the Living Lands, a “plagued, wild island” set in the world of Eora. A wide range of biomes, from lush forests, barren deserts, and blighted lands were also shown across the Xbox Developer Direct showcase, with Obsidian describing the world as a blend of vibrant locations and inspired by various real-world cultures to create something truly unique and fantastical.
Beyond the varied environments and combat, the Avowed trailer also revealed just how dialogue would play out in-game, with player choice at the forefront of encounters. Game Director Carrie Patel said the game would embrace “moral nuance and grey areas, trusting players to make tough decisions in complicated situations.” The encounter shown had multiple possible outcomes, with Patel explaining players would see the consequences of their actions play out depending on their choices.
Avowed was first announced in July 2020 through a short teaser trailer, and is being built using Unreal Engine 4. While previous Obsidian titles like Outer Worlds were available on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, Avowed will only be available on Xbox and PC – a change that comes as no surprise due to Microsoft’s acquisition of Obsidian Entertainment in 2018.
Avowed doesn’t yet have a concrete launch date beyond that 2024 Northern Hemisphere fall release window, but if you’re keen to learn more about the upcoming RPG, an exclusive interview with some of Obsidian’s developers will go into even more detail about gameplay during the Xbox Podcast on January 22.
Image: Obsidian Entertainment
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