Even in thebest RPGs , I can never hightail it the knowledge that everything is there in divine service of me as the player . There ’s always a level of noise I need to take in these games for things like how a person on the street is willing to tell a complete alien their life sentence story and ask them to help with some personal or grave task . I appreciate there being no light way to of course introduce compelling side quests that feel natural in a game , but the way I am constantly ask over into the most private moments of some character ’s living on a whim has never ride well with me .
The early side quest inAvoweddidn’t seem to get around this mould at first . I was still approaching strangers on the street and bulldozing my way into their lives to toy the hero , but one standout early quest prison-breaking that musical theme to handle a sensitive issue with the discretion it deserves .
Trouble in Paradis
Before entering the first main city inAvowedI sampled a fistful of side quests out in theopen - cosmos . Each one had a playfulness or interesting narrative tied to it , and perhaps an chance at the terminal for my fibre to shape the spirit of the people involved moving forwards . This is received poppycock for forward-looking RPGs , but I was feeling that familiar sense of the game world revolving around me rather than it being a world that would live with or without me .
When I got into Paradis and was incur the lay of the land , I came across a woman being harassed by some thugs . After talking down the confrentation , I did as I always do and expect what the situation was and how I could help . She was a bathing machine employee and sent me to the proprietor to learn more . From there I was occupy in on details of how this gang had stolen a valuable shipment they require . When I asked what this freight was , I was stonewalled . Even when I pose a 2d chance to call for afterwards in the dialogue tree with a cheeky “ This line of work would be easier if I know what I was looking for ” I was come to with a “ Too forged . ”
This hint of secret got me more invested in what sounded like a stock fetch quest and I head over to the dock to see about aim this mysterious shipment back . I chose to approach and talk to the bandit rather than agitate or sneak past them and found it curiously easy to convince them to hand over the goods without any fuss . As soon as I started bluffing about turning them into the guards , the leader got very uneasy about being catch with the contents of that package . So long as I take it and did n’t turn them in , I was free to retrieve it .
The crateful the shipment issue forth in had been damaged , so I automatically was told what the contents were when picking it up : herbs . It seemed like a mundane item to keep so secret , but they were n’t just any plant life . These were special herbaceous plant that could be used to prevent childbirth or , if the dose was high-pitched enough , terminate a nativity . Even in the Living Lands , something like this is extremely illegal .
Obsidian is pull a readable parallel here to our current material world crisis skirt woman ’s wellness and procreative rights . So many mass are being traverse right care and squeeze to seek alternative — sometimes dangerous — treatments due to the laws that have been coiffe in place . Avowed’slargest plot of land threads are n’t afraid to be highly reflective of our modern climate , from how plagues can lead to political unrest and how zealots can overrule political powers . When I was finally capable to hand it over and my dialogue pick came up , the only one that feel appropriate for me to pick was the one where I courteously pass over the shipment , accepted my payoff , and break down on my way .
Some matter just feel wrong to crowbar into , even if it is just some Nonproliferation Center in a video game . I understand why they need these herbs and , regardless of my own opinion on the intact subject , it is not my position to interpose myself into their personal business or even suggest that I had any right to love the details . I assumed this would stand for I missed out on some additional dialogue but could n’t bring myself to break that subject as an outsider .
Back at camp my associate , Kai , want to debrief after the quest . To my surprise , he praise me not just for doing the seeking , but also esteem their privacy . He require my belief on the herbaceous plant in worldwide , letting me apologize why and to what degree I support them disobeying such a police , which felt much more appropriate a time and place to do so . I was still bound to four or five pre - indite options that could n’t quite cope with my exact smell on such an intricate subject , but that is the nature of games .
I encountered more place somewhat similar to this in my adventures inAvowed . None of them , at least so far , have had the same weight as the quest with the herb but that strong example made me start to address the characters as their own people more than I typically did . I ’m not entitled to know everything about everyone the second I cope with them . Just because I can postulate about a new familiar ’s yesteryear does n’t mean I have pull in the right hand to . Avowedis the rare game where I ’ve choose the optionnotto ask questions — or even speak at all — and felt like I made the right decision .
Avowedis available now on Xbox Series X / S and PC .
