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“Comfort food” means something different for different people. For some, it could be a plate of greasy chicken wings smothered in hot sauce with sodium levels high enough to mess up your next blood test. For others, it could be a hearty bowl of ramen with way too much chilli oil. Or if you’re a South Asian like myself, a basket of parathas with some fried eggs and beef curry. In that same vein, when thinking of “comfort food” as it pertains to video games, it’s going to mean something different for different people. 

For me, there’s nothing more comforting than setting off on an adventure with a gang of misfits, exploring an interesting world and helping out oddball characters as I make my way through an interesting story. It’s why I adore JRPGs like Persona, Final Fantasy, and Xenoblade, and open-world action RPGs like Yakuza. These games have long been salves for whenever things in life get a little too hectic and I need a game to calm my nerves and simply get lost in. You might assume, then, that this love for open-world RPGs means that I must love Bethesda games. Unfortunately, that couldn’t be further from the truth.       

The Curious “Jank” of Bethesda

Western RPGs, specifically those from Bethesda, have never gelled with me. I’ve tried, and failed, to get through many games produced or directed by Todd Howard and his fancy leather jackets. But whether it’s Skyrim, Fallout, or Starfield, there would always come a moment, usually a couple dozen hours in, where I’d put the controller down and say, “Alright, that’s enough of that.” Mostly because I could never find a flow with the jankiness Bethesda’s games have become notorious for; their stories and world-building, though interesting enough to keep my attention for a good few hours, never hit the highs necessary for me to see these games to their end credits.

I can deal with subpar gameplay with janky mechanics as long as the narrative keeps me engaged. As a writer, story, for me, is king. This is exactly why I consider The Witcher 3 to be one of the greatest games of all time. Though its gameplay was never something I particularly enjoyed, I got through it because I found the story, characters, and world to be wonderfully vibrant and some of the most captivating in video games. Bethesda games never had that for me, and even when at times they came somewhat close, their gameplay was far too sluggish and clunky for me to ignore–especially on consoles with a controller. But what if there was a studio that took the framework of what Bethesda does so well and injected some incredible narrative design choices while refining those gameplay elements? Well, this is where Obsidian Entertainment comes into the picture. 

A Promising Alternative? Maybe Not

Based in Irvine, California, Obsidian Entertainment got its start in the early 2000s and quickly became known as the studio that made notable sequels to established IPs, with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords being their first official release. Since then, their most critically acclaimed work has no doubt been Fallout: New Vegas, a follow-up to Bethesda’s Fallout 3 that received tremendous praise for its narrative and player choice. After that, Obsidian would go on to make a name for themselves with games like Pillars of Eternity and The Outer Worlds. 

I wouldn’t play an Obsidian game until 2019, which is when I decided to lace up my space boots as The Stranger in The Outer Worlds. I’d spend 30 hours in that game getting to its end credits, with my overall thoughts able to be summed up by an unremarkable head nod and shoulder shrug. I didn’t dislike The Outer Worlds, but with how much I’d heard about Obsidian and their abilities as writers and narrative designers, I was frankly a little underwhelmed by the game’s story and character writing. Even though I was pleased with how much better the game played compared to my past experiences with Bethesda’s games, which no doubt was a big factor in my being able to complete it, its world, quest design, and narrative still didn’t hit for me the way I was hoping it would–it’s ending, in particular, was also very lacklustre.  

It’s been almost six years since my time with The Outer Worlds and after having a terrible time with Starfield, I’m here again, willing to give these types of games another chance; hoping that maybe this time Obsidian can create an experience that hits in a way that makes me believe in first-person Western RPGs. A little over 25 hours into Avowed, I can confidently say that not only has Obsidian done it, but Avowed has become one of the best examples of what “comfort food” means to me when it comes to video games.

It Finally Clicks!

Let’s start with the narrative. There’s nothing about Avowed’s story or characters that’s particularly impressive. You play as a fairly by-the-book hero who’s been touched by the Gods – basically “The Chosen One” – appointed by The Empire to investigate and eradicate a plague called the Dreamscourge. Along the way you’ll come across a variety of characters who will either help or hinder your journey, take on side-quests, make consequential dialogue choices, upgrade your gear…you get the idea. On paper, it’s all a fairly standard RPG affair. 

Yet, after a few hours, I couldn’t help but get into a bit of a meditative flow state as I bounced from side-quest to side-quest, taking my time reading all the little journal entries and lore tidbits, and exhausting all the dialogue options with my crew back at campsites. The writing has yet to blow me away, but it also hasn’t been outright bad or boring. It’s been enough to keep me engaged, feels well-realized and grounded, and has done its job to pique my curiosity to where I make sure to not ignore the next exclamation mark that pops up on my map. It helps that the vocal performances are consistently decent as well. 

The aspect that Obsidian has truly knocked out of the park, however, is the gameplay and exploration. Finally, a first-person Western RPG that clearly shares a DNA and is inspired by Bethesda’s legacy of games feels great to play. From the multitude of ways you can approach combat, to the way the combat feels with each cast of a spell or swing of a sword, Avowed plays great. So much so that I am finding myself actively seeking out enemies rather than skirting past them–something that I wouldn’t have ever done with a game of this ilk in the past. Furthermore, the amount of flexibility the developers give you, sometimes to the detriment of “realism,” is much appreciated and puts the gaming experience and “fun factor” first and foremost. 

By far, though, the most impressive element that I feel perfectly captures this idea of this game embodying the idea of “comfort food,” is its exploration. The layout of every region teases you to go out and discover what’s out there, and the game rewards you each time you do–either with a chest, a piece of upgrade material, or a fun interaction with some NPCs. I realize this sounds like the most obvious thing and open-world games have been doing it for ages now. However, it’s all in the execution. You can open the map of any recent Assassin’s Creed and see the slop of markers littering your map, but how often does that invoke this feeling of curiosity that propels a desire to explore? Rarely, I’d imagine. 

Avowed takes a little inspiration from games like Breath of the Wild and shows you its vast landscapes with wonderful vistas rather than a map cluttered with icons. You’re also encouraged to explore from the get-go because doing so is the only way you can get raw materials, which you’re going to need a lot of if you want to upgrade your gear. The hours during each of my play sessions seem to fly by because of how much this game’s exploration makes me go, “Oh, I wonder what’s over there.”  

Avowed isn’t outstanding. Nor does it reinvent the RPG wheel. But Obsidian has crafted a wonderful high-fantasy RPG experience that takes inspiration from some of the best RPGs out there – from Baldur’s Gate 3 to The Witcher 3 to Breath of the Wild – and polishes it to create a truly addictive and, most importantly, fun video game. Now, games aren’t required to be fun. Disco Elysium isn’t necessarily a “fun” experience but it’s still one of my all-time favourite games. That being said, certain genres – like a first-person open-world RPG where combat is a primary focus – benefit when the developers put their attention on creating an engaging, satisfying playing experience. When they do that and make a world that’s vibrant, colourful and begs to be explored, all the while telling an overarching story that does enough to keep players enticed–that’s one hell of a video game.