Obsidian Entertainment has posted a 30-minute deep dive for its upcoming fantasy action RPG Avowed, revealing an extended look at its gameplay in both first and third person.
This lengthy look at gameplay in the world of Eora comes directly from Xbox itself and goes into some of the magical tools players will have at their disposal when embarking on their adventure later this year. Game Director Carrie Patel touched on these details during the interview, but the feature that might have fans the most excited is the promise that you will have the option to play in both first and third person.
Other details touched on in the presentation include a few colorful conversations with NPCs like Yatzli and Kai. Patel also teases some of the ways the environment will change as Avowed goes from day to night, as well as the ways different NPCs will react to your character’s Godlike status.
Like other RPGs, Avowed has a selection of skills to allow players to choose how they approach encounters, and yes, you'll be able to respec your trees if you eventually decide you don't like the path you've set yourself on. We see one scenario that is handled two different ways: with combat and with stealth. Using combat to reach an important NPC could anger them, blocking the player off from certain dialogue options and potentially useful rewards. Trying stealth with the Shadowing Beyond ability, which essentially turns the player invisible, results in this same NPC allowing the player to leave with what they came for in peace.
Those who try stealth in Avowed should note that enemies have a “shout radius,” meaning you might be able to get away with dispatching a single enemy if they’re far enough away from their friends. Some of the enemies that players will be sneaking past or slashing through include tiny, blue-and-orange mushroom creatures. These odd beings come in different groups, with some able to attack from a distance while the other swarm with melee attacks.
Avowed’s deep-dive presentation follows its appearance at the Xbox Games Showcase yesterday, where Obsidian showed off additional gameplay, story details, and more from its vibrant fantasy world. It was a showing for the first- and third-person project that came and went without revealing a release date. However, just hours after the event concluded, Obsidian published – and then changed – a post announcing a release date of November 12, 2024. The date is now nowhere to be found, suggesting that Obsidian wasn’t quite ready to commit to that schedule just yet.
Avowed is officially only set to release before the end of 2024. Be sure to read up on everything else shown during the Xbox Games Showcase while we wait for Obsidian’s next RPG to launch on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X | S, and PC.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
