Comparing generally incomparable games has, somehow, gotten to be my jam. This time around, though, the comparison makeswaymore sense. You see, I got a bit of whiplash playingKingdom Come: Deliverance 2back-to-back withAvowed, and the respective successes of both of these games made me think.
No, really, bear with me: this isn’t likethat one time I threwStarfieldandDestinyinto the mixer, I promise. The fact of the matter is thatKingdom Come: Deliverance 2andAvowedsit at almost entirely different ends of the role-playing spectrum. Regardless of that, both of them achieved commercial and critical acclaim virtually at the same time. This is even more notable considering justhow big of a question markDragon Age: Veilguardended up being, which I feel attempted to target the same niche asAvoweddid. Several different things to keep in mind as we go, then, though it’ll all make sense by the end.
Complexity, simplicity, and the muddy stuff in-between
Whereas most other video genres ebb and flow between popularity and obscurity (take dedicated stealth games and real-time strategies as prime examples of this), some of them are absolutely mainstays in the industry. Shooters, simulators, and role-playing titles are, as far as anyone can tell, the kinds of games that generally don’t fall out of favor no matter what.
They do change as time goes on, however. Depending on whether the audiences want it simpler or more complicated, titles in flagship genres will evolve accordingly. Don’t believe me? Just take a look at what’s happening in shooters as we go, with the vast,vastmajority of them adoptingextremely in-depth weapon customization systemsthat were previously nowhere to be seen. Are they necessary? Not really. Are they fun and engaging? I’d say so, yes. And most players seem to agree, given how pervasive it’s all become.
Back on track, we’ve seen something very similar happening with RPGs, too. As of From Software’s success withDark Souls, an entirely new sub-sub-genre popped up to celebrate the trend and, more cynically, make money off of it. Thankfully, notallmodern RPGs have turned intoSoulslikes. Not yet, at least.
WhenKingdom Come: Deliverance 2came out, I was frankly awestruck with the sheer amount of acclaim and adoration it received. Don’t get me wrong: I knew the game would find its audience and success, but the scope of it blindsided me. In context, this made me think thatAvowedwould get overshadowed because everyone would be playingKingdom Come 2still. Cue yetanothercase of blindsiding, where a strikingly simple RPG found success right after an extremely deep RPG did the same.
Niches within niches (within niches)
Here’s the thing: it’s not that I expectedAvowedto be a bad game. I just felt it would go the way ofDragon Age: Veilguard. Regardless of how you feel aboutVeilguard, it’s hard to claim that it’s not a technically accomplished and genuinely fun experience in its moment-to-moment gameplay. I put it in the same basket asBorderlands 3, whereinplaying these games is a great time, but actually engaging with their stories and dialogue gets painful really quickly.
Avowed,thankfully, isn’t that, though it is adjacent to Veilguard in a wholly different way. We’ve had a bunch of such simpler, more streamlined RPGs over the years. Classic hack ‘n’ slash ordeals such as Diablo kind of fall into this niche, but more concretely, it’s stuff like Mass Effect, Kingdoms of Amalur, and Greedfall. On the other end of this spectrum, we’ve got the likesofKingdom Come: Deliverance 2,The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, andBaldur’s Gate 3.
The distinction is plenty obvious by now: the former RPGs are sleek, streamlined, and fast. They give you a pre-selected role and scope within which you act, and though you do have freedom in how you accomplish your tasks, the way these games are designed means you can’t do wacky, sandboxy stuff like you can in the latter games.
Avowedplays like a fantasy version ofDOOM, if we’re being honest. Built properly, your character moves like they’re a squirrel hopped-up on speed. Combat is chunky and satisfying, and the sheer number of collectibles to chase after makes even short playing sessions meaningful. The characters are decently executed and interesting, while the actual narrative that happens in the background poses some interesting questions for those who care to learn more.
Kingdom Come2, on the other hand, is slow and plodding. It’s theARMAof RPGs: you’ve got to weigh your options carefully, as it’s deeply unafraid of punishing the player for being careless. Heck, you can’t even save your game if you don’thave a stock of Savior’s Schnapps in your inventory. Sure, you’re in control of a particular character in this game, but Henry can be whoever you want him to be.
In practice,AvowedandKingdom Come 2couldn’t be more different than one another. The RPG community has embraced both of these games, however, for entirely different reasons.
Misreading the room
Luck plays a huge role in a game’s success, for sure, but it’s important to note that this isn’t what happened withDragon Age: Veilguard. WhereasAvowedknows how to keep its audiences happy, Bioware’s supposed flagship fails to do the same.
Gameplay-wise, the two games aren’t that different. They’re both action-heavy, eager to allow the player to have fun in combat, no matter their class or stat investment. Neither of the two titles is looking to outright punish you for messing up likeKingdom Come 2does, either. So, what’s up? Why has the RPG community embracedAvowed, whileVeilguard‘s being ignored?
My take on the situation is that Bioware failed to identify its audience, which in turn led to a massive mishandling ofVeilguard‘s setting, tone, and narrative. Even thoughAvowedis a huge departure from its progenitor,Pillars of Eternity, it stays true to established lore and tone. Sure, it’s a Weird game if you take note of its grander, overarching narrative, but that’s just bonus flavoring on top of whatPoEplayers know and love.
In the case ofVeilguard, on the other hand, comparing it toDragon Age: Originsgets you absolutely nowhere. It shares precious little of its DNA with the specific vibe thatDragon Agefans love, which in turn means that the community wasn’t interested in embracing it.
RPG players are eating well nowadays, then. I fail to remember the last time we had two phenomenal RPGs releasing back-to-back, each targeting an entirely different audience and both finding well-deserved success. Most times, one major release takes the wind out of another’s sail, and I’m thrilled thatAvoweddidn’t fall victim to this.
In a grander (and sadder) sense, Bioware had recently given us an example of how to fail to deliver on this front.Veilguardcould’ve been last year’s equivalent ofAvowed, but that didn’t materialize in the end. BetweenKingdom Come 2andAvowed, though, I think we’ve got no shortage of RP to G.
