Avowed gameplay deep dive reveals Fall 2024 release window

thesixthaxis.com:

Obsidian Entertainment has shared a deep dive into the gameplay of Avowed as part of the latest Xbox Developer_Direct, and confirmed that the game is coming out in Fall 2024 – that’s autumn to you and I in the UK.

Avowed is coming to Xbox Series X and PC, and as with all Microsoft first party games, will be in Xbox Game Pass on day one.

Avowed takes us back to the Living Lands, a mysterious islands in the fantasy world of Eora, which it shares with Obsidian’s previous Pillars of Eternity games. However, where those games were both top-down CRPGs and part of the genre’s revival over the past decade, Avowed will shift back to one of Obsidian’s areas of expertise: first person action RPG adventuring.

You’ll be cast as an envoy of the Aedyr Empire who’s been sent to investigate rumours of a spiritual plague that is threatening the world. On this journey, you’ll be imbued with the power to save the world, or maybe even condemn it, using magical powers alongside melee weapons and firearms.

This was a big part of the gameplay showcase. There’s a flexible system to let you quickly and dynamically switch between all three disciplines with customisable loadouts, whether it’s a single wand, sword and shield, twin pistols, wand and sword and more.

Avowed is not a fully open world game, but has several large open areas that you can explore. In that regard it might be comparable to one of Obsidian’s other acclaimed hits, The Outer Worlds. You’ll also be able to meet NPCs that can join your party and become a companion on your adventure, with up to two companions able to explore alongside you at a time.

The direct showed a stretch in Shatterscarp where you come across soldiers who had been murdered. It’s up to you to figure out and decide who did this. You’ll interview survivors and have to make moralistic judgements on how it went and who’s responsible. Did a private flee battle as an act of cowardice? Or were they reasonable in their story?

The deep dive also showcased the visual