Avowed Connection To Other Obsidian Titles

Avowed connection to other Obsidian titles

Hey there, fellow gamers! You know how much we all love a good video game, right? Especially one that lets us explore amazing worlds and make cool choices? Well, that’s exactly what Obsidian Entertainment is known for. They’ve created some awesome games like Pillars of Eternity and The Outer Worlds, and now they’re bringing us Avowed. But is Avowed just another game on its own, or does it have secret connections to their other stories? That’s what we’re going to dive into today! We’ll see if we can find any hidden clues or shared universes that tie these games together. Let’s get started!

The Shared DNA: Obsidian’s Design Philosophy

Before we go into specific game connections, it’s important to understand what makes an Obsidian game feel like an Obsidian game. They have a certain “flavor,” you might say. It’s like when you know a song is by your favorite band, even if it’s a new one. One key ingredient is the emphasis on player choice and consequence. Your decisions truly matter in their games. They don’t just change what dialogue you see; they can change the entire story, how the world feels about you, and even the ending! This core philosophy is present in Pillars of Eternity, The Outer Worlds, and it’s something that many people are expecting to see in Avowed as well.

Another common theme is deep, interesting lore. Obsidian doesn’t just make up stuff as they go. They build rich backstories and history for their worlds, and you can feel it when you explore. You’ll stumble upon little details, like old books, forgotten carvings, or the words that people use, that explain more about the world and why things are the way they are. This makes the experience more immersive, because you feel like you are actually part of a real, living place. They want you to feel the weight of your choices within that richly established world. This focus on story depth and player impact is what connects all Obsidian games, no matter what they are about.

Eora: The World of Pillars of Eternity and Its Possible Link to Avowed

The most obvious connection to look at is between Avowed and Pillars of Eternity. Why? Because both games are set in the same world of Eora. Now, Eora is vast and full of different lands and cultures, so Avowed isn’t just a retread of Pillars. It’s like saying that all the states in the United States are the same just because they’re in America. No, they are very different even if they are in the same country. Even though they are set in the same world, Avowed explores a new region of Eora called the Living Lands.

The Living Lands and Their Significance

The Living Lands are a brand-new region within Eora that is going to play a huge role in Avowed. It’s a place that has seen a lot of change and conflict, and it’s where you are going to face some serious challenges. You will not be running into the exact same places you explored in Pillars of Eternity. The Living Lands present different environments, like rugged mountains, dark forests, and mysterious ruins. It’s a chance for Obsidian to show us something new within a familiar world. So, while we know where Avowed is located on Eora, the game is going to take us to new and exciting areas that we have not seen before.

The very name “Living Lands” hints at a connection to the souls, or animancy system, a key aspect of Pillars of Eternity. We might even see the effect of what players did in Pillars in the new regions of Eora. It’s a very exciting prospect to think about. It’s like a book series where even though each book has a standalone plot, the stories might interweave and you get to know more about the overall world.

Shared Lore and Characters

Now, just because Avowed is set in a new region doesn’t mean we won’t see elements we recognize from Pillars of Eternity. There is a good chance that we may see familiar factions, Gods, and even maybe some characters. This would really solidify the idea that they are taking place in the same world. It’s like when you watch a superhero movie and a character from a previous movie pops in for a cameo. It reminds you that everything is connected in some way. However, it’s also important to know that we may see new factions, new gods, and new characters as well. This is exciting as it allows the developers to create new material and still keep the connection to Pillars of Eternity.

Here’s a quick look at some things we might see:

• The Gods of Eora: We could see how the major deities of Eora are viewed and worshiped in the Living Lands. Perhaps we’ll encounter different sects or have to grapple with their influence more directly.
• Animancy: Given the name, we are likely to see the magic of animancy that involves manipulating souls and life energy. This can be explored differently and in new and unique ways in Avowed
• Factions: Will we see familiar factions like the Vailians, the Rauatai, or maybe even new ones that are unique to the Living Lands?

The Outer Worlds and a Different Kind of Connection

Okay, so we’ve discussed the obvious connection between Avowed and Pillars of Eternity, but what about The Outer Worlds? It seems like it’s in a completely different universe, right? Well, while the games aren’t set in the same world, there might be a deeper connection, which is through Obsidian’s game development style. You can think of it like how a painter has a certain technique or style. Even if they paint completely different subjects, you can still tell that it’s from the same artist. Obsidian’s emphasis on player agency and meaningful choices is still present in The Outer Worlds. This means that what you say and do shapes the story in that game too, like how it does in Pillars and will most likely do in Avowed.

Thematic Resonances

Thematic resonances mean that even though the stories might be different, they still explore similar ideas. Obsidian loves to explore philosophical and moral questions through their games. This includes questions about the nature of humanity, the impact of technology, and the meaning of freedom. These are all things we saw in The Outer Worlds, and will probably see explored in Avowed as well. The way Obsidian crafts narratives and characters is very similar across their games. They like to give us characters that are complicated and have different reasons for what they do, and they force us to think about whether we agree with their motivations or actions.

A Focus on Player Agency and Choice

As mentioned, Obsidian’s games all put player choice at the forefront. This is where the player has a real say in how the narrative unfolds, and the consequences are felt. This means that there aren’t any ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers or choices. This was a huge part of The Outer Worlds, and it’s something many gamers will be expecting when they play Avowed. In fact, many games made by Obsidian are known for this. Each of their games provide unique narratives that allow for high amounts of player agency that affect the whole game.

Other Possible Connections: The Obsidian Universe

Beyond direct connections like world-building or thematic elements, it’s fun to speculate about more subtle links. Is there something that could connect ALL Obsidian games? It’s not likely that it’s one grand universe but rather shared design ideas.

Recurring Themes and Tropes

Obsidian likes to explore similar themes in all of their games. For example, we’ve talked about how they focus on meaningful player choices, but they also often touch on the idea of ‘power’ and how it can corrupt. They like to show characters in leadership positions who have different motivations, some for the good, and some for their own benefit. They are also known to write games that have a grey area when it comes to choices, meaning not every choice will be good or bad, and will require you to really think about what’s the best course of action. This can be seen in the types of characters they create. We can often find morally ambiguous characters that have a complex background.

• Moral Ambiguity: Are characters truly good or evil, or are they a mixture of both?
• Consequences of Power: What happens when people are given too much control?
• The Nature of Belief: What does it mean to believe in something, and how does that belief affect people?

Shared Development Culture

It’s also worth noting that the same creative minds are often working on these games at Obsidian. This can lead to similar design choices, even if they aren’t directly related through the game story itself. It is like a family, you will often have similarities in thought and how things are approached, and the same can be said about the teams that worked on games like Avowed, Pillars of Eternity, and The Outer Worlds. This also means that even if games are set in completely different universes, you might see a familiar type of quest, or a similar feeling when you’re exploring a new area. It will have the same “Obsidian” touch on it.

Even when they use different technology to make each game, that feeling of a game created by Obsidian, one that challenges the player, can still be felt. This is because Obsidian focuses on the story, player agency, and creating a thought-provoking experience. This connection is less about specific locations or characters, and more about that feeling you get when playing an Obsidian game.

What This Means For Avowed

So what does all of this mean for Avowed? It means that even though it is a new game, it will have a familiar feel. We can expect the game to present a very rich world, that is full of history and lore for us to explore. It’s also likely that we will be able to make choices that will shape the game world, the story, and how the game ends. As we’ve seen in the other games they have created, the story that you will create in Avowed will very much be your own, based on the choices that you make. This is one of the reasons why so many players like to replay their Obsidian games, to see how they can experience the story differently, and explore different endings.

Expectations and Speculations

Based on everything we know about Obsidian games, we can start to build some expectations for Avowed:

• Deep Lore: Expect a rich world with a lot of background and history for you to explore through side quests, books, and conversations.
• Meaningful Choices: Your decisions will matter, affecting the story and the world around you.
• Complex Characters: The characters you meet won’t be purely good or evil, but have their own motivations and flaws.
• Thought-Provoking Themes: Expect the game to tackle complex topics that will make you think.
• New Experiences within a Familiar World: While Eora will be familiar, the Living Lands will offer fresh challenges, settings and stories.

Obsidian’s approach to game making often feels like it’s designed for the player to have their own unique story that they can share with their friends. It’s not just about having a checklist of things to do in a game, but rather about immersing yourself in that world and feeling the impact of what you are doing. Avowed is set up to be something similar, a new adventure that has been created by the same team that gave us great games such as Pillars of Eternity and The Outer Worlds.