Obsidian’s new role-playing game is often compared to Skyrim. We have tested Avowed extensively and will tell you what’s what.
Avowed doesn’t have it easy. With Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Monster Hunter Wilds, two powerful role-playing game competitors will be released in February. And as if that weren’t enough, Obsidian’s new first-person RPG has been the subject of constant Skyrim comparisons ever since it was announced.But why is that?
Of course, both titles are fantasy role-playing games. But while Skyrim is set in a genuine medieval world, Avowed is more likely to be set in the early modern period – the age of discovery. Although the classic weapon types of sword, shield and bow are available, in Avowed you can also use primitive firearms such as muskets, which you reload slowly in proper style.
Some role-playing fans may also recognize the world of Avowed – the game is set in the fantasy world of Eora, the setting of Obsidian’s two Pillars of Eternity games. But there is so much more. We took a look around Avowed and tell you why the game is difficult to compare to Skyrim.
Where does the comparison even come from?
The development history of Avowed actually began as…Obsidian’s take on Skyrim
When the studio was acquired by Microsoft in 2018, they suggested to the Xbox company that they produce a similar fantasy role-playing game (via PCGamer). After all, Obsidian has been familiar with games in Bethesda’s specialty area since Fallout: New Vegas at the latest.
During development, however, the team quickly came to the conclusion that Avowed should take a much more plot- and character-driven approach than its competitor. After all, story telling has never been one of Bethesda’s strengths. However, some similarities between the two games remain.
A question of perspective
Let’s start with the obvious: both Skyrim and Avowed use a first-person perspective. In both worlds, you travel around on a world-saving mission in the first person view, beating your opponents with spells, maces and swords.
But when it comes to the skill system, both games start to differ. Where you level up individual skills in Skyrim by simply using them, in Avowed you collect global experience points that you then assign to a talent tree when you level up. If you’ve gone off on the wrong track, you can easily reassign the points for a few gold coins. In Skyrim, there was no way to reset skills back then.
You can also equip your companions with new skills as you progress, and they will also climb the experience ladder.
An open world that isn’t
The first major difference between Avowed and the fifth Elder Scrolls installment is the nature of the game world. While Skyrim is a true open world, the Living Lands of Avowed are divided into several hubs. This means that you can’t just walk across the game world without loading, but have to quickly travel between the individual areas from time to time.
This world design is not disruptive in Avowed, though. On the contrary: the individual hubs are so large that they could easily pass as several open worlds of their own. There is plenty to do in each area, and the main quest leads you organically from one hub to the next.
However, you shouldn’t rush too much, because if you rush into later story areas too quickly, you will be confronted with hordes of higher-level enemies there at the beginning of the game. There is no level scaling like in The Elder Scrolls; as a melee fighter in particular, you will bite the dust in no time. So take your time when exploring the levels.
The deliberate design of Avowed’s hub landscapes and its parkour system is also worth mentioning. While in Skyrim you could ride virtually any mountain vertically on horseback, Avowed’s level design dictates certain paths across the map.
Whether desert, desolate volcanic landscape or tropical coast – all areas are lovingly designed by hand and invite you to discover them. The individual areas differ much more drastically in terms of landscape than the Nordic-cold landscape of Skyrim.
The cleverly integrated climbing sections in Avowed provide variety and give you new perspectives on the game world again and again. The smooth animations when climbing and sliding are almost reminiscent of Mirror’s Edge. In third-person perspective, however, jumps become dangerously imprecise; we recommend this view only for screenshots.
Loot and interactivity
Another fundamental difference between Avowed and Skyrim is the interactivity of the game world. Because Avowed is not a sandbox. While you can take just about anything that’s not nailed down in Skyrim, you’ll have to be content with only being able to take gold, weapons, and a few food items in Obsidian’s role-playing game. All other assets remain in place.
There is no crime system; thefts are not punished. If you are attacked, you have to settle for the opponents you face. Avowed takes a very different approach from Skyrim, where you can also attack peaceful NPCs.
But that’s a good thing. By avoiding superfluous elements such as collecting pointless odds and ends, Avowed gives the impression that the game design has been focused on the essentials.
However, if you value a credible simulation of the game world, Avowed will leave you in the dark. The world of Eora is visually extremely beautiful, but it remains just a backdrop. The NPCs, for example, do not have their own daily routine, but always stand exactly where the developers have placed them. There are also no random events like in Skyrim.
How good is the story?
Finally, a few words about the story. While the plot in the Elder Scrolls games has always been just a mandatory framework for the game world’s sandbox experience, Avowed strikes a different tone right from the start. Instead of the return of the dragons, the focus here is on the eternal conflict between man and nature.
The story is exciting with its premise of the mysterious dream scourge. As a special envoy of the Emperor of Aedyr, you are sent to the lands of the living to investigate the cause of the enigmatic disease that drives people mad and makes mushrooms grow on them. On your journey, you will meet various inhabitants of Eora, all of whom are credibly pursuing their own goals. At first, the forces at work on the island remain a mystery to you. But the more you understand about the world, its rival deities and factions, the more you will want to experience the finale of this grandiose conflict.
The story remains exciting until the very end, because Avowed gives you the feeling that your decisions really influence the game world and its inhabitants. It’s just a shame that the finale can’t quite keep up with this high standard.
If you’re still wondering whether Avowed is the right game for you, then the best thing to do is to try it out for yourself. Our test tells you where possible pitfalls may still lurk, while our useful beginner’s guide offers eight tips to help you get started in the game world of Avowed.
What similarities and differences do you see between Avowed and Skyrim? Feel free to write about them in the comments!
