By now, you’ve probably heard a good amount about Avowed. Obsidian’s open-world RPG launched to premium edition customers on February 13 before trickling down to the rest of us five days later. And in that time, it’s already being hailed as one of the great RPGs of the decade. Everything from its impactful combat to sharp writing and clever world design have gotten endless — and deserved — praise, but Avowed is also full of tiny details that add up to make it great, even if they don’t sound as exciting.
The first time I booted up Avowed, I was immediately awed by its gorgeous world, and combat that feels better than I thought was possible in a first-person RPG. But it wasn’t long before the game’s most attention-grabbing features started being overshadowed by smaller choices. This first struck me when I walked up to a bush highlighted to indicate that something could be foraged from it. It was Thronfruit, a consumable that restores health and mana, but what stood out were the button prompts. I could jam a handful of the spiky fruit into my pockets, but I also had the option to pluck them off the vine and eat them right there without getting my inventory involved at all.
