If you’re like me, then you probably have a compulsion to see and do everything on offer in whatever RPG you’re playing. For one Avowed dev, however, the key to a successful RPG isn’t the content you do, but the content you miss instead.
In an interview with Obsidian Entertainment region director and senior area designer, Berto Ritger, he’s open about how important the concept of missable content is to an RPG like Avowed. “I think the core of RPGs that makes them special is missable content, to be honest, and it makes the experience feel so much more personal to how you play the game”, he explains. It’s something that has been key to the success and replayability of fellow RPG Baldur’s Gate 3 in the year since its release.
For Ritger, the fact that different people can have completely varied playthroughs creates a more personal experience and encourages discussion. “If you talk to somebody like, ‘Oh, I found this thing under the docks. There’s this little secret under there on the eastern side of the docks that you can find. And you can also climb up to the top, and there’s stuff up there.’ But if you find that, and your friend doesn’t, they found something else, and it creates a very interesting dialogue about the game.”
With this concept in mind, Avowed has been designed in a way that means each player will be drawn to different content. “We want to draw your attention to things that we want you to engage with.” Ritger begins. “The lighthouse is very tall, and so everybody’s going to see a big, tall thing and want to go climb. And so we want to support that as well. And you can do that, and you can jump off into the ocean, if you like. And so we try to draw your attention that way.”
While Avowed has drawn plenty of comparisons with Baldur’s Gate 3 thus far, the team at Obsidian Entertainment hasn’t shied away from changing things up, perhaps most notably with the omission of romance, a defining aspect of Larian Studios’ RPG sensation.
While you’re waiting for Avowed to release, check out our best RPGs list to pass the time.
