Avowed extended footage shows off sweet, Elder Scrolls-esque combat

Paradox Interactive has announced that they’ll be handling publishing duties for XperimentalZ Games’ Escape the Mad Empire under their Paradox Arc (alternative game publishing) label. It’s set to launch into early access sometime this year.

If you’ve played Daggerfall Unity, you’ll know it’s the best way to experience The Elder Scrolls 2 in the modern gaming climate. Now, with the full thing having recently launched, the creator of the project is looking to make their own game.

Obsidian Entertainment is working on improvements to combat. This process was reportedly ongoing during Microsoft’s Developer Direct last month. However, the improvements will address some of the fans’ concerns about the upcoming RPG.

Team NINJA, one of the most acclaimed action game studios thanks to its portfolio of franchises like Ninja Gaiden, Nioh, Dead or Alive, and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty (not to mention the spinoff Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin), is readying its release of Rise of the Ronin.

Don't worry, you don't need to know anything about Obsidian's massive CRPGs before you dive headlong into Avowed.

Obsidian Entertainment is hammering away at its fantasy-with-firearms roleplaying game Avowed, due this year, which the developers hope can surpass the "black-and-white" moral binary.

Obsidian has confirmed that Avowed won't feature a traditional approval mechanic for its companions, meaning they won't abandon you if make the wrong decision. Sadly, it also seems to suggest that romances won't be a thing, either.

Obsidian Entertainment gave fans a closer look at Avowed during last week’s Xbox Direct, showcasing combat, exploration, dialogue and more during the presentation.

If you play as a pacifist in role-playing games, stealth titles or immersive sims and prefer not to kill anyone, then Obsidian Entertainment’s Avowed may not be for you. Unlike the developer’s previous tile, The Outer Worlds, director Carrie Patel told PC Gamer, “This isn’t a game where you’re gonna have a pure pacifist run.”

Xbox and Obsidian Entertainment have revealed extended gameplay footage of Avowed, spilling new details about the aquatic Shatterscarp region as well as other key combat features. After its debut gameplay trailer went live as part of Xbox's summer showcase last June, Avowed appeared again at Xbox's recent Developer Direct alongside other big Xbox games like MachineGames' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Ninja Theory's Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2.

Obsidian's Avowed is a game for the more indecisive or changeable RPG player, with no "enforced" classes and an emphasis on easily respeccing and experimenting with different combinations of weapons and abilities. Or at least, that's my overall takeaway from a new Xbox podcast interview featuring game director Carrie Patel and gameplay director Gabe Paramo. In the video, the pair delve a little deeper into last week's Xbox Developer Direct showcase and how the game compares to their previous Pillars of Eternity games, which are set in the same world.

The directors of Avowed have shed more light on its gameplay in a new 25-minute video.