Avowed Review

Obsidian Entertainment is well known within the realm of RPGs, and Avowed, an action role-playing title under the banner of Xbox Game Studios, is their most recent ambitious project. Set in the world of Eora, the same universe as that of Pillars of Eternity, Avowed leaves behind the tactical isometric combat to engage in first-person action full of sword fights, spell casting, and treasure hunting.

The world of Avowed feels lovingly contrived in a way only reminiscent of the last generation, with its rigid designs contrasting modern RPGs with open sandboxes. But what does seem to limit at first seems liberating thereafter as you progress, unlike most modern RPGs that are obsessed with their seriousness.

Avowed celebrates itself as a game that strives in its absurdity, urges exploration, and throws in the fantastic sights of the Living Lands. It is a game that knows adventure really is a well-crafted journey and that such artistry is more convincing than any reinvention of the wheel.

At its core, Avowed is an action RPG like Skyrim, with a first-person view allowing you to engage in sword fighting, spell casting, and looting for vegetables like carrots and cheese wedges; unfortunately, though, that is where the similarities end. While a sandbox adventure like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim would have you believe, Avowed presents an almost curated experience world of purposely placed characters and stories guiding you along the evolution of narrative. 

Companions in this game are yet another welcome breaking of the genre norms: they're not optional, and there's no romance subplot involved for those wondering…These companions fight alongside you and actively contribute to your decisions, both in the heat of battle and during campfire discussions.

Avowed is set in the Living Lands, a mysterious island region within the world of Eora, the setting of Obsidian's acclaimed Pillars of Eternity series. While it is a standalone story, if you're a returning player, you can still reminisce about the previously isometric universe from a first-person perspective; the game also includes several nods to characters and events from the Pillars series, adding a layer of depth and easter eggs for fans. 

Whether you're familiar with Eora or not, the Living Lands are a visually stunning setting. With its warm sun, clear bays, bustling jetties, and ramshackle towns, it feels like a tropical paradise. But this paradise has a dark twist: a plague of fungi that twists the trees and saturates the landscape with kaleidoscopic colors. This isn't a world of subtlety or moody realism—it's maximalist fantasy, and it's absolutely captivating.

You play as an envoy of an overseas emperor sent to investigate and stop the fungal plague. You're also a Godlike, a Chosen One marked by a deity at birth, with a godly facial feature selected during character creation. The catch? You don't know which god chose you. And when you arrive on the island, there's this mysterious voice that begins to speak in your head. 

While this setup does seem intriguing, the first few hours of the game feel bogged down by excessive exposition. The game bombards you with details about the world state, its factions, and their political standings, akin to having a chessboard described to you in painstaking detail. The initial quests, which involve collecting tasks from NPCs marked by exclamation points and bounties from notice boards, feel generic and uninspired. In its opening hours, Avowed struggles to find its footing.

The main story, however, is where Avowed does pretty well; without getting into spoilers, there are moments where the narrative choices genuinely surprised me. If you're a fan of Pillars of Eternity, you'll probably be shocked and intrigued by how the story unfolds. Unfortunately, the side quests don't reach the same heights. 

Most of them are basic fetch or combat missions: go here, kill X; go there, retrieve Y. While some quests offer choices that affect loot or outcomes, the design remains largely straightforward. The companions, too, are somewhat of a mixed bag. Aside from Yatzli, whose humor and voice acting stand out, the other companions failed to engage me. 

Their personal stories felt underdeveloped, and I only encountered one full companion quest, leaving me with the impression that the game had the framework for more, but I didn't fully realize it. The modern speech patterns of the companions clashed with the epic fantasy tone of the main story, creating a sense of dissonance.

Pillars of Eternity excelled in storytelling, exploration, and combat. Avowed retains strong storytelling and exploration but falls short in combat. Exploration is a major highlight—it's some of the most fun I've had treasure hunting in an RPG. 

The thrill of discovering secrets hidden in plain sight kept me engaged until the very end, though the lack of a New Game+ mode diminished the incentive to continue collecting loot. Still, up until that point, I was constantly driven to explore every corner of the world.

Itemization is one of Avowed's strongest aspects. The game rewards exploration with unique loot that can significantly alter gameplay. The enchanting system from Pillars of Eternity returns, allowing you to enhance weapons (though not armor, unfortunately). Finding these unique items ensured that I was always eager to scour every nook and cranny.

Combat in Avowed is enjoyable, especially when mixing Fighter, Ranger, and Wizard skills. Earning skill points and refining my build was rewarding, but the skill trees lack the depth of Pillars, and build variety is limited. 

There are only four or five truly distinct builds, many of which depend on items you acquire later in the game. Despite the options, I found myself gravitating back to the same sword and shield playstyle because I found it to be the most effective.

Enemy variety is also a weak point. Throughout the game, you encounter roughly the same four or five enemy types, with some unique bosses that are essentially stronger versions of standard enemies. There's a noticeable absence of iconic RPG creatures like dragons or other massive, unique monsters.

While combat remains fun for a while, it eventually becomes repetitive. The more I progressed through the game, the more I lost interest in it. The lack of enemy variety meant I performed the same actions repeatedly without needing to adapt.

Your built-in Avowed revolves around your equipment, which, alongside your level, determines your capabilities. Equipment is divided into tiers, with three upgradeable steps between them. If you face enemies of a higher tier, you'll suffer significant penalties in dealing damage while they'll gain bonuses against you. This makes engaging with the crafting and upgrade system essential. You'll know if your gear isn't up to par because your companions will constantly remind you to upgrade it.

Each major area in the game corresponds to an equipment tier, creating a loop where you struggle initially, gather resources, and eventually become powerful enough to dominate the region before moving on to the next. 

This cycle starts to feel repetitive by the third or fourth area, but Obsidian mitigates this by designing each zone as an oversized playground filled with jumping puzzles, hidden caves, and treasures. The charm of Avowed lies in these small, engaging details.

The companions do sometimes reveal hidden sides of themselves and seek your advice. However, these moments don't always feel cohesive. For example, food plays a key mechanical role in healing and buffing you, so you'll often carry a large supply. Yet, in an area suffering from famine, you never offer any of it to the starving locals; this disconnect between systems and story feels weirdly odd.

The music in Avowed effectively sets the mood, though it lacks the memorability of scores from games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. Voice acting is decent overall, better than many RPGs, but not outstanding. It did feel disjointed at times since the companions' expressions didn’t vary, no matter my dialogue or action choices. However, it's okay enough that I never felt the need to skip dialogue, which is a notable improvement over many titles, especially when I recalled the terrible conversations in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

Visually, Avowed grew on me. Initially, I wasn't fond of the art style based on previews, but after playing the full game, I found it more appealing. The desert biome, in particular, is one of the most stunning I've seen in any game. The combination of visual design and exploration mechanics made it a highlight of my playthrough.

Avowed is so much larger than The Outer Worlds, and I wasn't prepared for the sheer amount of content. You get a lot for your money. However, I don't expect many players to replay it multiple times. The lack of enemy variety and the focus on exploration mean most players will likely complete one thorough playthrough, reloading to see different endings rather than starting fresh. The most impactful decisions come near the end, making it easy to reload and experience alternate outcomes without replaying the entire game.

Overall, Avowed is a well-crafted RPG that excels in storytelling and exploration but falls short in combat depth and enemy variety. It's a game that understands the joy of adventure, offering a rich, immersive experience that, while not without flaws, is well worth the journey.

I may not go back to Avowed unless the developers make any substantial changes. But hey, it's Obsidian, after all, and they're among the best RPG makers, and you might surely find something to like in Avowed that drives you.