Look, we all loveSkyrim. The newElder Scrollsgame is nowhere to be found, even though it was announced in 2018, back when E3 still existed. Fans are hankering for something to scratch that Skyrim itch, andBethesdahasn’t exactly been providing –Starfieldwas far from ‘Skyrim in space’, and if you’re anything like me, you foundFallout 4to be a bit of a mixed bag as well.
Obsidian’s upcoming RPG,Avowed, hasn’t been able to sidestep constant comparisons to Skyrim. I kind of get it – people are searching for the things they miss about Skyrim, and Avowed’s elevator pitch is fairly similar – both games are first-person (well,you’re able to play Avowed in third person too) fantasy RPGs. Obsidian has even worked with Bethesda in the past on Fallout: New Vegas to great success.
Avowed Does Not Want To Be Skyrim
Visually, there are surface level similarities too. The settings seem relatively realistic, with touches of magical wonder. There are weird non-human dudes. There’s lots of nature. The combat is familiar. The vibes are correct.
But the developers have taken pain to distance themselves from those comparisons, saying it’smore like The Outer Worlds. Because it’s closer to Obsidian’s very good space RPG in scope and focus, it has open zones instead of a massive open world like Skyrim’s. It’s trying to strike a balance between itsstrengths in writing and storytellingwhile still having plenty of meaningful side content to derail you from the main narrative. It’s exploration-focused, yes, but it’s also focused on choices and consequences.
It’s pretty clear that Avowed is not trying to be the next Skyrim. I’m sure that’s disappointing to a lot of fans who really wanted that to be the case, but I have a follow-up question – why would you want Obsidian, a studio with vastly different strengths than Bethesda, to make a spiritual sequel to Skyrim when Bethesda is already making a real sequel? Moreover, why would you want another Skyrim when Skyrim already exists?
Everything Is Like Skyrim Now
Okay, fine, I’m being a little disingenuous. I know why you want a Skyrim-like – Skyrim is awesome. You want a game that’s like Skyrim but different so you can feel awed all over again, but Avowed was never going to be that game. The things that made Skyrim special are now all over the triple-A space – so many open world games have followed in Skyrim’s footsteps to some extent, broadening their worlds and leaning on sandbox-y flexibility. You can find games that express that same breadth everywhere.
That’s why thereisn’t a game that can really replicate the feeling of playing Skyrimfor the first time – it’s already happened and left its mark. Avowed wants to go deep instead, and that’s valuable too. It probably won’t be the game-changer that Skyrim was, and that’s fine.
I’m more interested in seeing Obsidian’s iconic writing prowess in a fantasy setting than I am getting yet another sprawling game marked by size and technological innovation instead of a damn good story. Whether or not Avowed will live up to the more reasonable expectations fans have for it is yet to be seen, but we know that it isn’t Skyrim, and it was never going to be.
Avowed
WHERE TO PLAY
Welcome to the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger. Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment.You are the envoy of Aedyr, a distant land, sent to investigate rumors of a spreading plague throughout the Living Lands - an island full of mysteries and secrets, danger and adventure, and choices and consequences, and untamed wilderness. You discover a personal connection to the Living Lands and an ancient secret that threatens to destroy everything. Can you save this unknown frontier and your soul from the forces threatening to tear them asunder?
