Avowed is Obsidian Entertainment's next RPG release, set to bring the studio's Pillars of Eternity franchise into a first-person perspective when it launches next year. Originally announced back in 2020, Avowed continues Obsidian’s commitment to focusing on its own IPs in favor of the licensed titles of the developer’s past. While some fans have become outspoken about their skepticism after the scale of Avowed was compared to one classic RPG in particular, the implications of this statement hold serious promise.

Taking place in the previously unseen continent of The Living Lands within Pillars of Eternity’s world of Eora, fans were expecting a massive, open-world adventure in the vein of The Elder Scrolls series. A statement from the game’s director would go on to clarify that Avowed's scale will share far more similarities with the studios’ previous Knights the Old Republic 2 and The Outer Worlds, a direction that came as a big surprise to many. This perceived change in the game’s size has become one of the major topics of discussion within its community, but the triumphs of a game like KOTOR 2 shine an entirely new light on the potential of Avowed.

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Avowed's Controversial Scope

While the disappointment associated with Avowed’s unique identity differing from titles like Skyrim may seem like a confusing reaction to some, the climate around the game does make sense considering its history. When its initial trailer premiered back in 2020, the aesthetic presented for Avowed seemed far more dark and epic than what has been more recently spotlighted. The colorful world and its traditional fantasy-inspired creatures were already met with some pushback, but the further comparison to KOTOR 2 pushed this even further.

Obsidian’s best efforts have historically been more focused experiences than the grand decade-defining RPGs their titles have always been compared to, but the Pillars of Eternity series could have also created a confusing precedent to some. Sprawling CRPGs honoring the classic tropes of the genre, both Pillars games are capable of taking up to 100 hours to fully complete when all of their content is taken into consideration. With Avowed now being compared to games that take around 30 hours to get through, it only makes sense that the title’s scope has been perceivably reduced. Outside of raw game length, however, there is far more nuance to the direction Obsidian has taken.

Resembling KOTOR 2 Could Make Avowed a Classic

Any length under 50 hours for a modern RPG may seem bad on paper to many fans of the genre, but a dense, quality-focused experience has far more potential to be truly memorable. With a game like KOTOR 2 featuring such a heavy emphasis on its main cast and their development under the player character, the strengths of a more contained scope are more than apparent. Kai, one of Avowed’s companions, has already been featured in a major way during the game’s biggest trailer yet, and a proper focus on its unique cast is capable of having an appeal beyond the simple existence of an open world.

If it can manage to stack up to what KOTOR 2 offered in 2004, Avowed could become just as prolific while even surpassing it in one key way. The second KOTOR is still beloved by many players, but the rushed circumstances of its development also led to its reputation as Obsidian’s most unfinished game. Avowed may be taking its time ahead of a yet unknown release date, but this could be just what it needs to solidify itself as the studio’s best game in years.

Avowed releases in 2024 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.

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