During the second edition of the Xbox Developer Direct, Obsidian Entertainment finally showed the first gameplay deep dive of Avowed, its first-person action RPG set in the world of Pillars of Eternity.
To begin with, the developers presented the combat system. Gameplay Director Gabriel Paramo said it is flexible, allowing players to seamlessly swap from melee combat to sharpshooting or spellcasting.
To help with the different encounters you will face, we provide customizable loadouts that can be quickly switched during combat. That means you can play however you want. Equip a sword and shield and charge into battle. Dual wield pistols and control the encounter at mid-range, or even dual wield wands to feel like a gunslinging mage. You can use your enchanted wand to freeze enemies and then use your offhand weapon’s power attack to shatter them. It’s not just hacking and slashing. You’re making real-time decisions about when to use your abilities, powerful melee attacks, blocks, parries, and special attacks.
Avowed Game Director Carrie Patel then talked about the difficult choices players may have to make in certain quests, in true Obsidian RPG style. For example, after coming across several fallen soldiers, the player may investigate who is at fault. Gray areas will not be at all uncommon in Avowed. Whatever players choose will be reflected when they come back to the town of Thirdborn.
The discussion then moved on to the different biomes players will encounter in their trip to the Living Lands. Forests, volcanic wastes, and deserts will all be featured.
Avowed, one of Wccftech’s most anticipated RPGs due this year, was first announced in July 2020, then went through a partial reboot from the original Skyrim-like pitch to a more contained, story-focused project. The game will be released this Fall for PC and Xbox Series S|X consoles, being included with the Game Pass subscription from day one.
