With The Elder Scrolls 6 being a no-show in Summer Game Fest 2024, all RPG players’ eyes are set on Obsidian’s Avowed. Avowed is one of the strongest entries in the Xbox spotlights for the Summer Game Fest, and it was revealed via a story trailer with plenty of gameplay bits. Avowed doesn’t exactly have a confirmed release date, but Obsidian seemingly posted it on accident on their website. Apparently, it plans to release Avowed on November 12, 2024, but this information was quickly deleted. For all we know, it might have been a wrong date, so don’t hold your breath.
However, that only gives us plenty more time to dissect and admire Avowed‘s art and art direction. It’s looking stunningly unique and alien. Even the key art is one of the best this year. Fungal apocalypse is all the rage these days, and Avowed‘s artists seem to have noticed. Avowed‘s key art consists of a rotting warrior with magically colorful fungal spores growing out of its organs. If you’re the type to collect video game key art posters, then Avowed ought to be high on your list.
Morrowind’s Charm but Without the Morrowind Jank
Speaking of visuals, it’s a bit impossible to avoid drawing comparisons with one of Bethesda’s most unique RPGs, The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind. To this day, Morrowind features the most outlandishly unique and alien game world in fantasy with flora, fauna, and an atmosphere no other RPG setting has captured.
That is until Avowed showed its Summer Game Fest trailer. There are some welcome similarities here, from the abundance of freaky environmental mushrooms to the unconventional fantasy atmosphere. It’s far from generic. Granted, Avowed is set in its own original game world. It’s the same setting that Pillars of Eternity introduced, another masterful creation from Obsidian.
Regardless, the similarities and comparisons to Morrowind are not a bad thing. It’s more of a love letter to Morrowind and old-school RPG fans. After all, Bethesda hasn’t quite captured that offbeat Morrowind charm for its single-player Elder Scrolls games. Hence, Avowed, with its bolder art direction from the key art to the in-game environment, is starting to look like one of the most promising RPGs in 2024, or whichever date it’s going to be released.
Avowed still has no confirmed release date, but it’s going to be available on the PC and Xbox Series X|S. It will also be available on Game Pass.
