Too far in the other direction, and it becomes a whimsical fever dream. That’s the tightrope Obsidian had to walk, maintaining deep world-building while embracing a visually striking fantasy setting.

Founded in 2003, Obsidian Entertainment is an American video game developer best known for The Outer Worlds and Pillars of Eternity. In 2018, it was acquired by Microsoft and is now part of Xbox Game ...