Obsidian Entertainment has had a pretty comprehensive history of successful and narratively complex games, and Avowed is looking to be no different. Though few details are known, it is official that the game takes place in the Pillars of Eternity universe, which says enough about potential lore opportunities. From the teaser trailer alone, the game is looking to be the second coming of a Skyrim-like title.

However, that may also be the biggest issue that Avowed is facing. Among the vast sea of open-world RPG games, it could be threatened by becoming indistinguishable from other games similar to it. This is the same issue Atomic Heart faced, an issue Avowed should avoid repeating.

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Avowed Needs to Be Different From Atomic Heart, Open-World RPGs

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Atomic Heart embodies many of the issues Avowed could face down the line. Atomic Heart was greatly inspired by the Bioshock franchise, and evidence of this could be found everywhere. It took place in a utopia that went wrong, gifted the player abilities akin to magic, and featured a megalomaniac figure who thinks they know what is best for everyone else. All of these features are strongly reminiscent of the Bioshock games, and that's where the problem lies. Atomic Heart is so similar to Bioshock, that their differences can be very few.

This results in a game that is lacking in individuality, which can put that title in a bad spot from the get-go. Avowed needs to reimagine itself to avoid this pitfall. Many discussions surrounding Avowed tend to involve bringing up The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim in one way or another. This is mostly due to the fact they will likely share many of the same traits, such as being open-world games with spells, pantheons, and various factions to interact with. These similarities could become a problem, however, as they can alter the expectations the players have for the game.

If the game is too similar to Skyrim and The Elder Scrolls as a whole, then players will go in expecting another Skyrim or for Avowed to outdo it in some way. This would be a difficult task, considering the legacy Skyrim has. Avowed can learn from past Obsidian games and other titles, but it should still strive to be its own unique experience. Skyrim carved out its own legacy by not only being one of the biggest games to date, but one of the best open-world experiences to date. For that, it went down in video game history as one of the best open-world RPGs of all time.

Avowed needs to do the same, but through its own methods. Where Skyrim may have focused on its spells and swords, Avowed could have guns and other more technologically advanced aspects. The form of complex and deep storytelling showcased in Pillars of Eternity could also return, which would contrast Skyrim's sometimes less-than-stellar storytelling from some of its main questlines. The gameplay of Avowed could vary greatly as well, again taking inspiration from Pillars of Eternity. In that game, combat was often highly technical and very strategized.

Though it may be a first-person game, these aspects could still make a return. This would set its combat apart from Skyrim, which didn't often have the player thinking about how they approach certain problems. What would do the most to set it apart is its themes. Skyrim was obviously inspired by Norse mythology, while Pillars of Eternity took a more Dungeons and Dragons-esque approach. The gods and pantheon of Avowed alone could help set the world apart from how Skyrim portrayed its own.

While rumors for Avowed's release date popped up online, its fanbase grows more restless in anticipation of its release. It may not come out for a while, but that just gives the developer more time to set it apart from its counterparts.

Avowed is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.

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