The long-awaited Obsidian Entertainment first-person fantasy RPG Avowed finally reared its head at the 2023 Xbox Games Showcase, showing off what players can expect from its world as well as gameplay. While Avowed is just one of several high anticipated fantasy RPGs fans are looking forward to alongside titles like Fable and The Elder Scrolls 6, it has one gameplay element that could help it stand out from the crowd. The new trailer for the game showed the player being able to use guns alongside weapons like swords, axes, and magic, setting the stage for Avowed to up the ante for the genre.
Set in the same world as Obsidian's Pillars of Eternity franchise, the precedent of guns existing in the world of Avowed has already been established by its sister series. From the footage shown in the trailer, it appears that these weapons will blend seamlessly into combat with other ranged options like bows and magic also available to players. Although the concept of "Skyrim with guns" is a well-established meme, it seems like Avowed might be following this formula quite literally, and ironically, it might help give the game its own unique identity.
How the Use of Guns Could Enhance Avowed's Combat
While on paper it would seem like mixing gunplay with fantasy elements would make for a weird game tonally, the Pillars of Eternity series has shown that the two mix surprisingly well. While traditional ranged combat option like magic and bows will be present in Avowed, adding in firearms to the lineup gives players a wider range of combat options and could aid in the RPG character-building aspect of the game. Avowed's gameplay reveal has already shown a variety of weapon types, but the brief glimpse of the gunplay shown is the most intriguing of the bunch.
Thanks to the foundation laid by Pillars of Eternity, Avowed's firearms have a lot of room for diversity that could make a gun-centric build a serious powerhouse. The recent trailer only showed a clip of the player dual wielding pistols, but there are other types of firearms from Pillars of Eternity that could make an appearance in Avowed. The game could feature a shotgun-like blunderbuss or rifle-like arquebus to meld typical FPS weapon archetypes in with the established fantasy weapon types and create a genre-bending arsenal of gear for players to pick their preferred play style from.
Concerns about the implementation of firearms and FPS-like gameplay in a fantasy RPG should be mitigated by the fact that Obsidian has a history of developing solid FPS combat in the past. Previous titles from the developer like Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds show that Obsidian can develop competent gunplay within the RPG genre and even use the weapons to help enhance their storytelling capabilities. It would be more of a concern if the studio didn't have these titles under their belt or if Pillars of Eternity hadn't previously established the use of firearms in its world, but these factors help instill confidence in Avowed's approach to gunplay.
Depending on the success of Avowed's gunplay, it could set the new standard for first-person fantasy RPG combat in terms of weapon variety and inspire other developers to push the envelope in the ways they blend this genre with elements of others. The door the addition of firearms opens for build variety cannot be understated as it combines elements of two genres Obsidian has excelled at in the past. Avowed is in a great position to kick off a wave of new fantasy RPGs, and it's unique approach to combat could set the bar quite high for future titles to clear.
Avowed releases in 2024 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.