The open-world genre has come an incredibly long way in a rather short amount of time. Though the open-world genre can trace its roots back to early classics like1986’sThe Legend of Zelda, the genre as we know it today really started to take form in the early 2000s with the release of seminal titles likeGrand Theft Auto 3. In the two decades since, the open-world genre has become a dominant part of the gaming world. Even modern games that aren’t fully open-world will still share a lot of key elements with the genre, and that’s exactly the case withAvowed.
Though Obsidian Entertainment has made several open-world games in its time, some of its most recent ventures have taken a slightly paired back approach, offering “open zone” or “open area” level design. This approach is essentially what it says on the tin. Rather than give players one large, seamless open-world to explore, players are given a handful of smaller open areas. Though this approach might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it does allowAvowedto have the best of both worlds.
Avowed’s Open Zone Approach Strikes a Good Balance
Avowed’s Open Zone Levels Are Still Packed With Content
WhileAvowedmay not have one massive open-world where players can walk from one end to the other with no loading screens or obvious transitions, that doesn’t meanAvowedis short on content. There are a total of four regions inAvowed, each one acting as an individual “open zone.”
Each of these regions has its own set of optional activities, accompanying a lengthy string of main missions. From powerful bounties to hunt down and defeat, to a plethora of hidden caves and underground dungeons to explore and plunder, to a wealth of side quests, each ofAvowed’s regionsis packed full of worthwhile content.
Players are also naturally encouraged to participate in these optional activities via the game’s progression and loot systems. Unique armors, amulets, and weapons are scattered throughoutthe Living Lands, often being given as a reward upon completing a particularly challenging side quest. Completing these side activities will also obviously reward the player with ability points that can be used to further any of the game’s three core skill trees.
Avowedisn’t as long as RPG juggernauts likeThe Witcher 3andSkyrim, but it’ll still take fans around 40 hours to complete fully.
Avowed’s Open Zone Levels Don’t Feel Bloated
A common side effect ofmodern open-world designis that developers will often try to fill their maps with as much content as possible. This can often lead to severe bloating, where many of the game’s optional activities feel rather barebones, and like they’ve been added just so that the open-world doesn’t feel empty or lifeless, leading players to ignore them for most of their playthrough.
By not needing to fill every inch of a massive open-world with activities,Avowedis able to trim a lot of the fat and keep its gameplay experience lean. As mentioned above,Avowedstill has plenty of content to offer the player, it’s just able to deliver more hand-crafted activities, and place them more organically in its setting.
