Romance has become increasingly common in role-playing games in recent years, having had central roles in Baldur’s Gate 3, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and Cyberpunk 2077, to name a recent few. But it was conspicuously absent from Obsidian’s latest RPG, Avowed, and I am not the only person to wonder why.
I had a chance to ask game director Carrie Patel why this was the case during a post-release interview about Avowed, and it turns out Patel had a lot on the matter to say. “Doing romance and doing romance well are two very different propositions,” she said.
For starters, it’s important that non-player characters don’t lose their sense of self in a game just because you’ve shown romantic interest in them. “Part of doing romance well means not only a compelling romance path but also one that is faithful to the character being romanced,” she said.
“It’s always a bit of a letdown when you see a character who has a clear personality, and goals and interests, and suddenly, in the service of this romance that the player has embarked on with them, they now become the player’s yes-person; they’re happy with whatever you want and lose their sense of personhood.”
Number two: romance shouldn’t be the only way you can get closer to, and deeper with, someone. A relationship should not only depend on – or be gatekept by – romantic interest. “You need an equally compelling platonic path,” Patel said, “because it’s a shame if romance is the only right way to really get to that full level of depth with a character.”
Finally – and Patel said she sees this a lot as developer and a player – if romance is used as a mechanic then it will be treated as one, potentially detracting from why it was there in the first place. “The more you introduce romance as a mechanic, and the more that you build systems around it, and metrics, and ways for players to bolster and measure their affinity and affection level with other characters, the more it becomes something people engage with as a system rather than as a relationship,” she said.
Avowed, contrary to popular belief, does have a kind of companion relationship in it, but this isn’t telegraphed at all through the game, or teased, or incentivised. You’ll come across it if you speak regularly with the companion in question – I don’t want to spoil who it is – but the intention was it should come up organically rather than be something you aim for.
“There’s nothing that says ‘hey this is a thing that can happen’ – there’s no system that’s going to track your status with them – but if you’re doing the kinds of things that you would do if you were interested in this character, you’ll probably come across the option by the end of the game,” Patel said. “And it should feel natural, organic, and surprising.”
This reminds her of a character from The Outer Worlds – Obsidian’s sci-fi RPG, a sequel for which it’s working on right now – called Parvati Holcomb, who we praised on Eurogamer in an article about asexual representation in games.
“What works so well about the Parvati bar scene in The Outer Worlds is it just feels believable and relatable, because who hasn’t gotten a drink with a friend and talked them through their romantic predicaments?” Patel said. “And by the same token, finding a relationship – an affection that blooms between you and someone you’re spending a lot of time with – that’s something that should feel organic and surprising, and not like this meter that you’re tracking in the background to see how close you are to reaching the top.”
Avowed was released in February to favourable reviews. I called it “one of this year’s most pleasant surprises” in Eurogamer’s Avowed review, relishing the game’s sense of adventure and carefree attitude towards fun. It’s very refreshing.
The game seems to have been a success for Obsidian and Xbox, too, leading to the question of what’s next for it and the associated Pillars of Eternity series. Will there be a PlayStation 5 version, or an expansion, or a sequel? I put these questions to Patel in my Avowed interview and more.
