Avowed's focus on choice and consequence means "most players won't discover 100% of what you've built for them", but Obsidian wouldn't have it any other way

GamesAction RpgAvowedAvowed’s focus on choice and consequence means “most players won’t discover 100% of what you’ve built for them”, but Obsidian wouldn’t have it any other wayWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. GamesAction RpgAvowedAvowed’s focus on choice and consequence means “most players won’t discover 100% of what you’ve built for them”, but Obsidian wouldn’t have it any other wayWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Obsidian) Choice is massive inAvowed. We’ve seen glimpses of this already – most recently during this month’s Xbox Developer Direct, and first-hand from Obsidian itself in conversation with GamesRadar+ – which has given us a closer look at the upcoming action RPG’s first-person, flexible combat system that will let us choose our own loadouts. But the freedom to steer our own journey will also feed into the various scenarios we’ll face in the Living Lands. From how we decide to navigate difficult decisions to how much time we want to spend exploring, it sounds as though it has all the ingredients to let us play out a fantasy of our own making in a world built upon the Pillars of Eternity Universe. Choice and consequence are a big draw for me in role-playing games, and I’ve always loved the way Obsidian has approached this as a studio in some of its previous games. The Outer Worlds and Fallout: New Vegas both presented us with settings ripe for discovery, where our choices were often a matter of life or death. Seeing how your actions have an effect first-hand makes the role-playing experience feel more immersive, and it’s why I’m excited to see how this shakes out in Avowed. “I think it’s about looking for lots of opportunities to have those [choices] payoff and knowing that some of those payoffs will be very big, and some of them will be more subtle, but in a way that feels believable, and that will then feel especially rewarding for players who find them,” says game director Carrie Patel. “And I think the thing you always have to accept when you’re building an RPG like this, or designing choice and consequence, is that most players are not going to discover 100% of what you’ve built for them. And that’s okay, because that discoverability is part of what makes it really special to players who do find it. So I think, to summarize, I think it’s about balance and spread.” The Living Lands (Image credit: Obsidian) YOUR WAY(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)Avowed’s commitment to ubiquitous player choice could make it 2024’s standout RPG: “At Obsidian, it’s your world, your way, right?” YOUR WAY (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)Avowed’s commitment to ubiquitous player choice could make it 2024’s standout RPG: “At Obsidian, it’s your world, your way, right?” (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios) Avowed’s commitment to ubiquitous player choice could make it 2024’s standout RPG: “At Obsidian, it’s your world, your way, right?” Choice also plays into exploration in Avowed’s setting. The fact that “most players are not going to discover 100% of what you’ve built for them” speaks to the fact that Eora will be home to plenty of surprises as we journey through the Living Lands. There’s definitely an appeal in the idea of unconvering an area, or coming across an encounter as we explore, but for the team at Obsidian, it was also important to ensure that this discoverability aspect is left up to us. So, if you want to dive in and spend a lot of time exploring you can, but equally, it will also be easy to find your way if you want to keep progressing. “When we’re designing a game like this, we always want to keep in mind two extremes of players,” Patel continues. “You have the player who, they maybe get 30 minutes to game after work, maybe after taking care of their kids, before they need to go to bed themselves and start their next day. So you want to make sure that journal entries are clear, players always know where the fun is, and they can pick up this game and have a good time with however little or however much time they have available to them in the moment.” “But then, we also have a lot of players that we know will explore every corner of our world, pick apart every detail, and it is so much fun to leave surprises and nuggets and things that we think, ‘ooh, the people who find this are really going to get something out of it,’ or ‘we know we’re going to get a Reddit thread about this detail when someone finds it, and they start theorizing about what it means or what it’s connected to.’ So again, having a clear through line, but plenty of surprises to discover.” Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more (Image credit: Obsidian) “For Obsidian, Avowed presents an opportunity to return to a setting many of the team are familiar with, while also exploring entirely new sides of it.” “For Obsidian, Avowed presents an opportunity to return to a setting many of the team are familiar with, while also exploring entirely new sides of it.” In what Patel describes as a “wonderful and expansive setting for fantasies and fantasy RPGs”, I’m looking forward to stepping into the Pillars of Eternity universe for the very first time, safe in the knowledge that while I’m unfamiliar with this storied playground I can enjoy it for what it is. For Obsidian, Avowed presents an opportunity to return to a setting many of the team are familiar with, while also exploring entirely new sides of it. For Patel, that’s the beauty of his locations whether you’ve combed its confines from corner-to-corner, or whether Avowed marks your first tentative steps into Eora and the Living Lands within. Patel says: “The wonderful thing about Eora is there are so many corners of this world that we’ve only really referenced and the Living Lands was one of them. So for us, it was an opportunity to take a world that we knew and loved and were familiar with and could very easily step back into, but also find a corner of it that is going to be new to fans and also new to us as developers, and that really excites us about exploring it and fleshing it out. “As you’re seeing with some of the combat, one of the things that I personally really love about the setting and kind of the time period it takes place in is you get a wonderful mix of traditional sword and board fantasy elements as well as magic, as well as firearms, and you know, some more modern pieces of weaponry that I think really allow for us to create interesting items for the player and interesting combat scenarios.” Missed part one of ourin-depth Avowed coverage? Follow that link, and look out for our third and final interview feature with Obsidian tomorrow, Tuesday, January 30. 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for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1 Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2 Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3 Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5 Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2 Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1 Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2 Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3 Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5 Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”