Avowed is a first person RPG, which has proven to be an incredibly popular formula throughout the years. Bethesda's Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises have proven this, being some of the most recognizable games of all time. Many games could learn from how they present the player with RPG mechanics and their open world.
Since Avowed is the product of Obsidian Entertainment, it is safe to say that there will be plenty of experienced individuals involved. The company is known for award-winning franchises such as Pillars of Eternity and The Outer Worlds. However, no one of its previous games could provide more lessons to learn from than Fallout: New Vegas.
What New Vegas Can Teach Avowed
Fallout: New Vegas is recognized as one of Fallout's most beloved titles, being the product of Obsidian Entertainment under contract by Bethesda. Though Obsidian was given little time to complete the project, it would become one of the more recommend installments to the franchise. However, while it may succeed in many aspects, there are also places where Avowed's narrative and gameplay could pick up where it left off.
One place Avowed can learn from Fallout: New Vegas is its factions. Fallout: New Vegas was known for its plethora of interesting factions that form a network of allies and enemies. Many of the factions have deep backgrounds, origins, ideologies, and relationships with other factions. However, certain factions such as Caesar's Legion felt a bit undercooked in some departments, coming off as two-dimensional in some cases. Avowed's potential factions could take learn from this experience by filling in the gaps. Interesting factions allow the player to immerse themselves with certain ideological groups and the world as a whole. Since Avowed is not under the same time constraints as Fallout: New Vegas, every faction can become fleshed out.
Fallout: New Vegas also has critically-acclaimed world building, which came as a result of many factors. The factions, story, setting, and morally gray themes came together to create a world that was not only a web of relationships, but a realistic one as well. Avowed takes place in the Living Lands, which is a previously unseen location in the Pillars of Eternity franchise. This means that new lore, stories, and factions can be introduced in it; Obsidian Entertainment can create an entirely fresh experience. Avowed could mix its high fantasy with the world building of Fallout: New Vegas to create an fantastical but interesting world.
One of the most creative and fun aspects of Fallout: New Vegas was the amount of ways players could build their characters. Those decisions would also have an effect on how they approach quests, making certain dialogue options only available to those with certain allocated stats or perks. Essentially, every decision a player made towards the furthering of their character mattered, and Avowed should emulate this. Avowed may have firearms which could help create unique builds. Not only does it allow for a different form of combat, but there could be unique crafting or dialogue options players could take advantage of.
However, it should be remembered that not everything needs to take inspiration from the past. In order to create new and fresh experiences, games need to be original to an extent in order to avoid becoming stale. This is especially true for the open world genre, as there happens to be quite a bit of overlap between games. Avowed has its own magic lore to pull from to create a unique experience, for instance. Fallout: New Vegas may make a good source of inspiration in some regards, but originality is what will make a game that is remembered for years to come.
While little is known outside of rumors for Avowed's release date, it will at least likely arrive before The Elder Scrolls 6. With Obsidian Entertainment at the helm, the prospect of the game is exciting due to the studio's wealth of RPG experience. With any luck, Fallout: New Vegas can serve as a stepping stone for bringing Avowed's full potential to life.
Avowed is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.