Fans Have Some Issues with Avowed’s Combat
Last week, in an Xbox Developer Direct, we got our first real look at Obsidian’s upcoming RPG ‘Avowed’. Set in the same universe as their CRPG series ‘Pillars of Eternity’, Avowed looks to be more akin to the Elder Scrolls than Baldur’s Gate. The game promises a deep first person action-RPG with deep combat, meaningful dialogue choices and an open world to explore. However, fans have already voiced their grievances about one of those aspects: the battling system.
Image by Obsidian
Taking a look below the game overview trailer uploaded by Gamespot, it doesn’t take long until you find a slew of comments praising the updates to the visuals and dialogue on display but also voicing their problems with how combat looks weightless and repetitive. Youtube user ‘Zachdelaney4131’ had the following to say after the presentation:
“Combat animations, impact, weight, and enemy AI all look pretty horrible although the weapon variety (wands & guns!) and load outs makes me very interested”
Similarly, SGTArcAngel7 shared their problems with the combat on show:
“I’m worried that their focus on "choice" and fluid swapping of combat styles is going to mean that you cant get upgrades to specialize in a way that feels meaningful. And yeah, the combat looks completely weightless… Hopefully they can fix that!”
Image by Obsidian
These weren’t the only problems that the fanbase had with what was shown. Many complained that the game looked more linear than they were expecting- meaning this could be much more confined than more open experiences like in the Fallout and Elder Scrolls series. User nickyoceanside shared their thoughts:
“Is it me or does this look actually very linear? When I first saw this trailer I was wowed compared to last time. Second time I watched this and it appears suspiciously shallow in the way it funnels you with walls…”
After the mixed reception to Obsidian’s latest first person RPG, ‘The Outer Worlds’, and the problems shown off in this trailer, it seems that most of the fanbase are teetering on the cautiously optimistic side for this release.
Image by Obsidian
While the world and characters of the ‘Pillars of Eternity’ universe are compelling and interesting, without a strong core gameplay and combat system to tie it all together, it may feel like a disappointment. With a release window of ‘Fall 2024’ scheduled, lets hope that Obsidian can improve on what we’ve seen so far and bring Avowed into the same hall of fame as their other classic games. With the disappointing reception of Xbox’s latest big RPG exclusive, Starfield, they need Avowed to be a hit. I wouldn’t be too surprised if we saw Avowed get a delay into 2025 to make sure its everything Microsoft needs it to be.
