The hosts dive into the thrilling world of Avowed, sharing their excitement and humorous takes on RPGs. They explore the game's character creation mechanics and narrative depth, comparing it to Starfield. Amidst playful banter about tech mishaps, they also touch on innovative gaming gift ideas and the exploration of player freedom. The conversation is rounded off with a look at the future of the Elder Scrolls franchise and a whimsical nod to the Kirby manga series. It's a lively blend of gaming insights and lighthearted fun!
The podcast humorously highlights the hosts' nerdy personal projects and the camaraderie surrounding technology and gaming hobbies.
Avowed's innovative design features a sprawling map filled with engaging content, enhancing player immersion and exploration compared to traditional RPGs.
The game encourages unconventional character creation, reflecting themes of acceptance and self-exploration through diverse narratives and meaningful player choices.
Deep dives
Nerdy Confessions and Home Projects
The host shares a humorous and self-deprecating look at personal projects that involve technology and gaming, emphasizing their nerdy nature. They discuss a collection of cables and wires received, highlighting a trend of building an improvised tech space at home without access to a local electronics store. The reference to scattered Warhammer figurines suggests a deep engagement with hobbies that blend creativity and technology. This light-hearted beginning sets a tone of camaraderie and relatability among enthusiasts as the conversation unfolds.
Introduction to Avowed
The discussion transitions to Avowed, an open-world RPG developed by Obsidian, known for titles like Fallout New Vegas and The Outer Worlds. It's framed as a title that diverges from standard RPG expectations, receiving comparisons to other popular games in the genre. The excitement around Avowed is palpable, with the hosts expressing eagerness to explore its mechanics and elements further. Understanding the game's narrative and its unique world-building, the hosts delve into their experiences, indicating a blend of anticipation and intrigue.
World Design and Density
Avowed features a colossal map divided into numerous individual open worlds, allowing players to traverse distinct environments seamlessly. The hosts note the game's impressive density, where players frequently encounter engaging content as they explore, which contrasts with the experience of many traditional RPGs. By emphasizing that players can find new and interactive elements in virtually every direction, the conversation points out the game's intentional design choices. This approach fosters a sense of immersion, suggesting that the various locales are not merely random collections of features but thoughtfully crafted spaces.
Character Creation and Fantasy Themes
Character creation in Avowed stands out for its encouragement to design unconventional characters, which are central to the game’s themes of acceptance and self-exploration. The portrayal of character types reflects a unique fantasy narrative focused on beings that blend human and god-like characteristics. Players can create visually distinct characters whose physical traits affect how the game world reacts to them, incorporating elements of personal identity into gameplay. This adds layers to the player’s experience, reinforcing the notion that the game's universe values diversity and individuality.
Narrative Depth and Player Agency
The hosts appreciate Avowed's storytelling, which subtly introduces deeper themes like colonialism while allowing players to navigate personal quests and interactions. This narrative depth unfolds organically as players engage with the world, making choices that feel meaningful rather than predetermined. Exploring the balance of character-based and world-driven storytelling, they find that player decisions significantly influence outcomes and experiences. This approach not only enriches the gameplay but encourages players to invest emotionally in their characters and the larger narrative at play.
The Besties discuss Avowed, the new game from Fallout 76 developer Obsidian. It is extremely our shit. Perhaps… too much so? What does that even mean? Listen to find out!
Get the full list of games (and other stuff) discussed at www.besties.fan. Want more episodes? Join us at patreon.com/thebesties for three bonus episodes each month!
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