In a recent interview, game director Carrie Patel answered some rapid-fire questions about Avowed’s impending release, including what players should expect from the game’s “jankiness” levels.
“You gotta accept a little jank to do something fun or creative, I think,” Patel commented in reference to both Avowed and The Outer Worlds, another game developed by Obsidian Entertainment. While some gamers may be worried about the polish level of a major release, I think a bit of jank can go a long way towards making a gaming experience all the more enjoyable and memorable.
When I think about janky games, I can’t help but immediately picture many of my Skyrim playthroughs. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the game and its lasting impact on the industry, but we all know that it can be a hot mess in the best way possible. The game presents a world filled with strange clipping issues and unrealistic NPC behavior, making it a paradise of hilarious moments that stick in your brain forever.
I’ll always remember the lengthy amount of time I spent as a kid dodging guard’s arrows while playing as an archer. I’d have a battalion of soldiers firing at me, but simply stepping to the side would make these NPCs less accurate than a Stormtrooper. I would open myself to this fire because I didn’t want to spend my hard-earned gold on fresh arrows, so I would get NPCs to shoot at me and then pick up all of their wild shots for free, my knees be damned. This was a formative moment I’ll always remember: Learning that NPCs just don’t act quite like the humans they’re modeled after, and it was amazing.
Imagine my surprise when, in that same playthrough, I found out I could simply wait next to a target and collect arrows as NPC’s practiced their marksmanship skills. It’s strange quirks like these that make me truly remember my gaming experiences not in spite of, but precisely because they’re completely unrealistic—and endlessly fun to discover as as result.
While major hardware glitches are certainly never desired, innocent gameplay moments interrupted by hilarious clipping or animation issues only add to the experience, in my opinion. Who doesn’t love a creative use of game mechanics, such as glitching a difficult enemy in a wall and wailing on them with a sword? I’m simply showcasing my true prowess as the Dragonborn after all!
And isn’t jankiness built into Obsidian Entertainment’s formula at this point? The Outer Worlds featured nonsensical dialogue, whimsical encounters, and an over-the-top sci-fi world. While Avowed takes place within the Pillars of Eternity universe, why not let the studio famed for making games like Fallout: New Vegas flex their freaky muscles and fill the game with some true charm?
Overall, I think referring to minor glitches and core gameplay elements as janky doesn’t mean they are unfinished or unpolished. Instead, I actually view the term as a massive compliment and selling point. These quirks allow players to express their creativity and push each respective game to its limits.
After all, you have to allow for some craziness if you’re going to strike gold.
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