Summary
The Elder Scrolls 6may still be a long way off, but that’s not stopping it from being one of Bethesda’s most anticipated titles, and likely one of the developer’s most important titles to date.Starfield, ambitious and promising as it was, succeeded in some ways but fell short in many others. While its combat and visuals are among its best features, its massive open world tends to feel empty, simply because it is arguably too large to handle any sort of worthwhile substance. Now that it has been over twelve years since the release ofThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim,The Elder Scrolls 6has a chance to make up forStarfield’s sinsand deliver even more than its predecessor did. However, to accomplish this,The Elder Scrolls 6may need to take a different approach to ensure it doesn’t end up in the same boat asStarfield, and it may not need to look further than Obsidian Entertainment’s upcoming fantasy RPGAvowed.
WhileThe Elder Scrolls 6originally aimed to follow in the footsteps ofThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, Obsidian’sAvowedhas instead opted for an entirely different approach that may actually benefit it in the long run. These “detours” involvedAvowed’s explorable world and the developer’s iconicOuter Worldsformula, both of which could serveThe Elder Scrolls 6in the long run. As such, it might be better forThe Elder Scrolls 6to mimicAvowed’s cautious approach rather than aiming for the stars as Bethesda did withStarfield.
The Elder Scrolls 6 Might Be Better Off Taking an Avowed Approach
Avowed Doesn’t Look Much Different From The Outer Worlds
Ahead of its release,Avowedhas already been labeled “fantasyOuter Worlds,“and while that sounds like a criticism, there may not be anything wrong with that approach.The Outer Worldsestablished a formula for Obsidian that worked, both in its style and its substance, soAvowedtaking that DNA and simply using it to build a different world could work for it. In the same way, perhapsThe Elder Scrolls 6would be better off being more like its predecessor,Skyrim, rather than attempting to innovate the franchise further.
The Size of Avowed’s World Creates a More Narrative-Driven Experience
Avowedoriginally seemed to be targeting an open world similar in scope toThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, but the developer has since shot down those expectations by clarifying that its upcoming fantasy RPG will be more akin toThe Outer Worldsin size. While this might feel like a downside to some,Avowed’s smaller scaleallows it to be a more narrative-driven experience — something thatThe Elder Scrollshas always struggled with but should consider adopting in the next installment.
…perhapsThe Elder Scrolls 6would be better off being more like its predecessor,Skyrim, rather than attempting to innovate the franchise further.
The Elder Scrollshas never really been too concerned with its narrative, though its lore is deep and intricate enough to merit focusing more on the story than everything else. Instead, Bethesda has a penchant for making each of its worlds a main character, generally leading to more attention being placed on it than the story. While that approach might have worked forSkyrim, more recent sizableopen-world gameshave proven that the larger a game’s world becomes, the easier it is for its narrative to get sidelined. Despite any temptation there may be to go even bigger inThe Elder Scrolls 6, perhaps it might be better to rein things in a bit and give players a more story-driven experience.
There is certainly a lot riding onThe Elder Scrolls 6, especially in light ofthe criticismStarfieldhas faced. However, if it approaches its design and size in the same way thatAvowedhas approached its own, perhaps it could be every bit of what fans expect from anElder Scrollsgame and more.
