Avowed’s Huge Cities Fail to Fix Skyrim’s Urban Blunder

Avowed strives to rectify many issues found in RPGs, such as reducing the oversized open worlds seen in games like Assassin’s Creed, and making exploration engaging by incorporating numerous emergent moments and intriguing treasures. It even boasts the finest first-person melee combat among its peers like Skyrim, an aspect they have struggled with for decades. There are many appealing aspects to Avowed, as evidenced by the overwhelmingly positive reviews, making it a great choice for RPG enthusiasts.

Although Avowed is one of the top RPGs from 2025, it does have several missteps. A significant issue lies in its cities, where Avowed repeats a mistake that Skyrim made more than a decade ago. Some might think that cities don’t matter much in an RPG, but both games show otherwise. Unfortunately, instead of making necessary improvements, Obsidian Entertainment overcorrected with Avowed, leading to difficulties in creating a convincing and captivating fantasy city. As a result, the task of building such a city remains unfinished.

Avowed’s Cities Aren’t As Small As Skyrim’s

They’re Substantially Bigger

One issue often pointed out about Skyrim is its cities. Though memorable places like Whiterun, Solitude, and Riften may be etched in the minds of many players, they fail to appear completely authentic. Bethesda attempted to make these areas as engaging as possible through various means such as filling them with fascinating lore tidbits about their factions and industries. Despite these efforts, they often fall short due to their size issues, coming across as too small and thus giving the impression that Skyrim’s continental landscape is more akin to a video game setting than a genuine location.

The performance issues experienced in the game were due to its hardware limitations and the engine it was using. To be fair, there are flaws in Bethesda’s city design, even in their upcoming game, Starfield. Despite this, most of these issues can be forgiven. Many modern RPGs have tried to address similar problems, with games like Assassin’s Creed and Cyberpunk 2077 showcasing vast cities or being set entirely within one city. However, it is rare for RPGs to include multiple cities of a realistic size. But that changes with Avowed.

In contrast to the open-world approach, Avowed opts for expansive sections rather than a vast world. This strategic change offered Obsidian Entertainment the opportunity to cram each section with an abundance of intricate details and construct colossal cities that even Skyrim could envy. The cities in Avowed are genuinely immense, showcasing diverse districts, elaborate surroundings, and numerous indoor locations. Upon first sight, they’re breathtaking and certain to leave players speechless. Regrettably, while Avowed excels in scale, it seems to falter in immersion.

Big Cities Feel Even More Empty Without Enough NPCs

It Feels Unrealistic

In the cities of Avowed, there exists a significant issue that undermines the value of expanding them beyond the size of Skyrim. Regrettably, despite their grandeur and spectacle, they are devoid of life due to a scarcity of Non-Player Characters (NPCs). Strolling through the deserted streets of Paradis, for instance, strips it of its grandeur since it’s challenging to fully engage with the experience. Although the absence of NPCs isn’t the primary reason why Avowed isn’t Obsidian’s finest creation, it does make urban exploration seem somewhat anticlimactic.

The issue lies in the lack of dynamic non-player characters (NPCs) roaming the cities, giving an impression of lifelessness. Furthermore, when NPCs do appear, they seem stationary or awkwardly moving a short distance. As a result, cities feel devoid of history and activity, as if they were just conjured up when the player entered the game, worsened by limited interaction with the NPCs and the world in Avowed. Players cannot engage in activities like committing crimes, assaulting NPCs, or significantly altering their surroundings.

It’s possible that the game, Avowed, is influenced by its origins as a multiplayer title. Originally conceived as a cooperative RPG, Avowed was designed with multiplayer in mind, but Obsidian chose to focus on enhancing the single-player aspect instead. While this decision was strategic, traces of its multiplayer past remain, such as the less dynamic cities that are typical of MMOs. Despite these shortcomings, Avowed’s strongest features still stand out. However, it’s evident that even in their efforts to address Skyrim’s main issues, Obsidian didn’t quite meet expectations.

Cities Might Be The Biggest Challenge In Modern RPGs

They’re Hard To Make Believable

Contemporary Role-Playing Games (RPGs) have found it challenging to create cities that are engaging or authentic. Although some attempts have been made, and a few games like ‘The Witcher 3’ have managed to achieve this successfully, many fall short. The primary hurdle in making cities function effectively within RPGs is achieving the right balance of scale and interactivity. In reality, people can roam freely around cities, even though they may not be able to enter every house, they can still knock on doors, browse every store, chat with passersby, dine at every eatery, and so forth. The key is to replicate this sense of freedom and immersion in the game environment.

Video games generally don’t encourage extensive player interaction that significantly impacts the main gameplay narrative, unless it’s integral to the game design. For instance, games such as Persona 5 offer additional ways for players to engage with its urban environment because it combines elements of life simulation with role-playing game (RPG) mechanics. However, just because RPGs typically don’t focus on city immersion doesn’t mean they should completely overlook this aspect.

Skyrim is a good example of a game that got city population right, even in its smaller scale. It populated its cities with named non-player characters (NPCs) who seemed to have lives beyond the player’s interactions, despite their simplistic nature.

In a nutshell, Cyberpunk 2077 aimed to construct an ultimate urban landscape, yet it missed the mark in some aspects. Although much of Night City appears authentic, there are numerous elements that hinder immersion. For instance, NPCs were initially unresponsive to the player, and despite numerous updates, they still exhibit glitches. Furthermore, the number of unique pedestrian animations is insufficient, with many simply wandering aimlessly. The most notable flaw lies in the game’s failure to react dynamically to the player’s actions. Nevertheless, it’s important to note that Night City and Cyberpunk 2077 as a whole remain an impressive technical feat, but they often fail to deliver a genuinely immersive experience.

Role-playing games (RPGs) still need improvement in creating authentic and immersive urban landscapes. While “Avowed” came close with its grand scale, it felt somewhat hollow, on the other hand, “Skyrim’s” towns seemed believable yet limited in size. A balance, a sweet spot that future RPGs, including possibly “The Elder Scrolls 6,” could aim for is necessary. For now, we make do with the expansive yet empty cities of “Avowed.

2025-02-19 07:08