Obsidian Leisure launched not one however two of my favorite video games of 2022. It should not be all that stunning, on condition that the studio has been preserving me entertained for the higher a part of 20 years. Fashioned by former Black Isle builders who had grown dissatisfied with struggling writer Interaction, it went on to create a number of GOATs, together with Fallout New Vegas and Knights of the Previous Republic 2, establishing itself as among the finest RPG builders round. What’s stunning, then, is that neither of its 2022 releases had been RPGs.
Roleplaying is woven into the material of Obsidian. The style is an integral a part of its legacy and continues to be what the studio is finest recognized for—whether or not it is roleplaying as an excellent spy within the singular Alpha Protocol or traipsing via fantasy realms within the nostalgic Pillars of Eternity. Solely BioWare has an RPG historical past this spectacular. However whereas Obsidian has at all times been good for RPGs, RPGs have not at all times been good for Obsidian.
Lore time
Till fairly lately, Obsidian’s video games had a fame for being a bit tough across the edges. KotOR 2 specifically was notorious for its bugs and cuts, however each RPG the studio launched got here with a mountain of points. The narrative that shaped round these distinctive however janky video games was one which positioned many of the blame on publishers, suggesting that, had Sega, Bethesda or LucasArts given Obsidian extra time or extra sources, these issues may have been averted. The truth is undoubtedly extra sophisticated.
This led to Alpha Protocol not being appreciated in its time, however most of its RPGs had been successes—although not at all times profitable sufficient. Regardless of New Vegas typically being hailed as the best Fallout recreation, the crew missed out on a bonus as a result of the metacritic rating was too low. By one level. It was 84, however wanted to be 85 earlier than Bethesda would pay out. It simply appeared unnecessarily merciless.
Then got here Pillars of Eternity. Obsidian went again to its roots with an isometric fantasy CRPG that evoked Baldur’s Gate whereas additionally very a lot doing its personal factor. It was good, and for as soon as the conversations surrounding it weren’t targeted on bugs or efficiency points. With writer Paradox, it appeared like Obsidian had lastly finished it. The nice fortune did not final.
After stunning everybody by making a genuinely nice South Park RPG in The Stick of Reality for Ubisoft, Obsidian returned to CRPGs with Tyranny, once more with Paradox. It was well-liked, and by making you a member of a world-conquering military led by a shifty overlord, the premise was a novel one. However it missed its gross sales goal, and a breakdown within the relationship with Paradox scuppered any hope of a much-needed sequel. As an alternative, we had been left with an unfinished story that ended abruptly.
Pillars of Eternity’s future additionally appears bleak now. The sequel, high-seas journey Deadfire, was a powerful follow-up, however no one bothered taking part in it. It was an enormous flop. Large enough that the sequence is probably going useless. The trigger is a real thriller. Its predecessor was fashionable, and I truthfully do not belief anybody who would not salivate on the prospect of a pirate RPG, however persons are bizarre.
Equally as bizarre is the truth that The Outer Worlds, Obsidian’s most up-to-date RPG, is considered one of its greatest video games. It is fantastic, I assume? It is obtained all of the stuff folks like about Obsidian RPGs, nevertheless it was simply lacking this important spark, prefer it was doing a good-but-not-great impression of New Vegas. Not like Tyranny and Pillars 2, it is really getting a sequel, however I discover it arduous to muster a lot enthusiasm for it.
Now for one thing utterly completely different
So its historical past as an RPG developer has been a tumultuous one. However at no level did I ever think about that Obsidian would possibly make a recreation that wasn’t an RPG—except for that tank MMO everybody forgot about. When Grounded (opens in new tab) was unveiled, then, I used to be at first stunned, after which dismayed. A survival recreation? God no. The cynic in me could not shake the sense that new proprietor Microsoft was simply making the crew chase the newest fads. Perhaps that was the case, however now I do not care, since Grounded is flipping incredible.
A triumph of setting and theme, Grounded captures the power of traditional Saturday morning cartoons and serves as a time machine, tossing you again into the ’90s. I used to be born in ’85, so taking part in Grounded was like being transported again to my favorite childhood summers. On this large, spider-infested backyard, I used to be lastly satisfied that survival video games may very well be enjoyable.
After a stint in Xbox’s model of early entry, it hit 1.0 final 12 months, the tip result’s pretty much as good as any RPG Obsidian has ever made. And it confirmed how Obsidian’s skills with world-building and programs design may benefit extra than simply RPGs. You are not a global tremendous spy jetting everywhere in the world, or an elf pirate commanding a ship and making an attempt to untangle the ethical conundrum of colonialism, nevertheless it seems {that a} suburban backyard could be simply as compelling.
Regardless of the present reputation of survival video games, this was an enormous danger. It is an oversaturated market and, historically, Obsidian’s viewers are RPG followers, so the studio’s fame is not actually a bonus right here. When fellow RPG developer BioWare made its personal pivot with Anthem, which was technically nonetheless an action-RPG, however was actually extra of a crappy reside service shooter, it famously did not go so properly.
As a outstanding a part of Xbox’s Sport Move library, Grounded managed to ensnare a whopping 10 million gamers even earlier than it was completed, completely smashing the numbers of most of its RPGs. Its success has impressed a cartoon, which is at present in growth, and I believe we’ll be seeing extra of Grounded sooner or later. However that is not all Obsidian’s been engaged on, and 2022 additionally noticed the discharge of a second recreation, utterly distinct from Grounded, however once more not an RPG.
Pentiment (opens in new tab) arguably feels extra like an Obsidian recreation—it is stuffed to the brim with compelling conversations and character constructing—nevertheless it’s additionally much more out-there than Grounded. Sandbox survival video games are very a lot in in the mean time, however the identical can’t be stated for an artwork historical past lesson set within the Holy Roman Empire. With Pentiment, Obsidian has made one thing that feels genuinely distinctive, and whereas it won’t be as stylish a artful survival journey, there are few video games so meticulously designed to seduce me. It is a recreation that celebrates not simply artwork, however even fonts, turning each dialog right into a lesson in historic handwriting, and it is completely laden with historic asides that can shortly ship you down a Wikipedia rabbit gap.
Despite the fact that it is ostensibly a crime-solving journey recreation, director Josh Sawyer and his crew nonetheless discovered a option to push the issues that the studio is finest recognized for, refining the best way it permits you to develop your character’s character and ethical code. There isn’t any good or evil binary right here, or any ethical judgments, leaving room for all types of nuance. I began out as a captivating smarty-pants, for example, hoping that my method with phrases would make me endearing. Chatting with a nobleman, this was very a lot the case, however once I tried to make use of the identical methods whereas chatting to some peasants, I merely made it clear that I used to be an outsider with some unusual ideas concerning the world.
Pentiment makes it as a way to be an fool who retains cocking up and you will nonetheless get to expertise a riveting story, however if you wish to develop sturdy bonds with these characters you will must put your self of their place, contemplating the historic setting and their place in it. In the end, it would not come right down to cube rolls or expertise, however how properly you already know these folks. So once you make a alternative, there’s all this context surrounding it, letting you roleplay as a sort character who can nonetheless act like an asshole for good causes. Whenever you’re down within the dumps, typically all you want is a crime-solving artist to name you a twat.
Grounded and Pentiment have proven us simply how a lot vary Obsidian actually has. Now, it is at all times a nasty thought to current a recreation developer as a monolith; the studio that created Alpha Protocol in 2010 will not be the identical because the one which launched Grounded in 2022. However nor do builders eliminate everybody and reinvent themselves with each recreation. Sawyer, for example, began out with Black Isle engaged on Icewind Dale, grew to become a recreation director with New Vegas, then led the crew on Pentiment. You possibly can nonetheless have a look at Obsidian’s latest video games and chart a path all the best way again to the studio’s origins.
Again to the longer term
After such an amazing 12 months, I am vibrating with anticipation over what’s subsequent. The speedy future, admittedly, does appear a bit extra standard. There’s the arbitrary sequel to The Outer Worlds, after which one other first-person RPG, Avowed (opens in new tab). The latter is generally a thriller at this level, although we all know it is set in the identical world as Pillars, so it is in all probability as shut as we’ll get to a correct sequel. Following the failure of Deadfire, Obsidian obtained fearful that isometric CRPGs had been going out of favor once more, therefore the first-person perspective.
With two huge first-person RPGs on the go, I do hope Obsidian would not neglect about what it did in 2022. This is not to say I am not eager for extra Obsidian RPGs—I will at all times be longing for extra—however now that it is clear it will possibly work some actual magic when it spreads its wings. I am much more ravenous for giant surprises which can be out of its conventional wheelhouse, however RPGs, after all, are nonetheless ripe for experimentation and recontextualising. Disco Elysium ripped up the playbook and gave us among the finest video games ever made, and extra lately we have had Midnight Suns, giving us Firaxis’s systems-heavy, friendship-focused tackle the style. And after Pentiment and Grounded, Obsidian now has much more expertise to attract from, and new instructions it would need to discover in an RPG.
Nevertheless The Outer Worlds 2 and Avowed end up, proper now Obsidian is among the most fun builders round. Fingers crossed the momentum holds.