When I think of a captivating story and an intriguing world, it’s hard to think of a developer that does it better than Obsidian. With previous works such as Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds, it’s no wonder that the former was likened to a smaller, condensed recreation of the latter, if missing some of its charm. In fitting nature then, comes Avowed, which can be considered to a degree a more focused, condensed recreation in the vein of Oblivion and Skyrim. Avowed is a solid fantasy action RPG that takes many elements of the genre and modernizes it into a thrilling journey.
Avowed is the latest game from Obsidian, a fantasy action RPG where you take on the role of a Godless envoy sent to the Living Lands to investigate the Dreamscourge, a malforming plant-like disease that is corrupting and changing the land. As a Godless, a being touched by an unknown god, your character is already poised to take the local people by surprise, for good or for worse.
Avowed is set in the same world as the Pillars of Eternity franchise, a world already rich with history. Newcomers will be brought up to speed quickly however, Avowed does a great job at introducing the surrounding world’s history and events that are relevant to you. Throughout your many conversations and travels, there are interactive tooltips that can expand further on a subject, helping me remember who or what something is and its correlation to the game’s plot.
Avowed wastes no time in demonstrating its many systems, with a tutorial-like island that introduces players to its combat, world exploration, and branching decision-making. After this brief introduction, we’re let loose in the Living Lands, and here is where the magic begins to unfold, and I can understand Obsidian’s vision for what Avowed is. Instead of a fully open world, Avowed is presented in multiple large open zones, with each changing in nature, encounters, and inhabitants. This approach makes the area feel more intimate, and given its time to shine, instead of just being able to pass through, I am encouraged to thoroughly interact with each area and its many paths.
There are a number of characters you’ll run into in Avowed, with a total of four companions you’ll meet that assist you in your quest. These characters are all uniquely designed and have their own motives, though at times I felt like it was a bit too convenient that they would drop everything to journey with a stranger. Kai, the first companion, is my standout favourite, not because he just so happens to have the same voice actor as Garrus from Mass Effect, but because he was funny, relatable, and everything he said felt like it mattered. I still remember scaling a lighthouse, and surprisingly, Kai looked out and commented on the landscape beyond; moments like this really add depth to a character.
Some encounters out in the world were exceptional, such as a nervous graverobber feeling guilt as I caught him, giving me the option to let him go or to teach him a lesson for his cruel deeds. My personal highlight was a pyromancer that just so happens to blow himself up as I approach. The world is full of many moments such as these, found throughout Avowed’s main path or its many rewarding corners.
When it comes to choices in an RPG, Obsidian is usually at the forefront, offering a number of choices that change an outcome greatly. I did come across a number of moments throughout my journey that made me really sit down and question what I should do, with some leaving me still thinking to this day if I should have taken a different route. I think that is the hallmark of choices in an RPG, something that really sits with you afterwards. These big moments are present in Avowed at critical points in the story or certain side quests. Outside of the big decisions, however, I felt a number of dialogue choices in general conversation resulted in different flavour text only and nothing more.
Throughout the main quest of Avowed, I progressed through the Living Lands zones, interacting with its many inhabitants, often going off the main path to see what lay beyond. The main quest at its core is a charming and mysterious one full of some great moments, but throughout my adventure, I felt like it became too formulaic as my journey progressed.
It was a great, thrilling ride; don’t get me wrong, but after the second zone, I began to see the pattern of how Avowed’s world structure presents itself and how some situations did appear static in their placement, losing that wonder on my second time passing through. In a great RPG such as this, I felt it was missing a certain spark that would elevate it to that next level of storytelling. There was no Witches of Crookback Bog or a Dark Brotherhood that could really pull me under, which is a shame given Obsidian’s prior storytelling prowess. Avowed modernizes many elements into a great RPG, but in the back of my mind, it felt a little too safe—that is, until it came to its combat.
Avowed’s combat feels brilliant at its core and a step forward for the modern RPG. Your player is not limited to a weapon type, only by the gear you find in the Living Lands. From traditional weapons such as a sword and shield to a bow. To more specialized ones, such as a spell book and wand or a musket, there is a fair number of weapons to utilize in Avowed.
All of these weapons feel great as you take down a bear, elemental beings, or lizard-like beasts native to the land. A sword and shield has a strong purpose as you block each strike, feeling a resounding thump as you block a heavy swing. The bow feels great to let loose into an enemy from a cliff out of sight. The spellbook approach has a large number of spells that combine to dazzling effect, to a point that it feels like if you didn’t choose any magic at all, you’d be missing out on some great aspects of Avowed’s combat. Each weapon choice in Avowed has a meaningful purpose, feeling weighty and deliberate. There is also a stealth option present through each encounter, but given the robustness of Avowed’s combat, it almost feels like a waste choosing this approach.
Avowed’s combat feels brilliant at its core and a step forward for the modern RPG.
This open approach to weapons allows for different customization and experimentation, furthered more by allowing players to swap between 2 different loadouts. For example, I donned a spellbook and wand, with a musket and shield in my secondary loadout. Avowed allows for this weapon customization in its levelling system and skill trees. Avowed presents three separate combat skill trees: magic, ranger, and fighter, allowing for mixing and matching to create your own builds and play style. This allowed me to spec into a magic user while also having more defensive capabilities from the fighter class.
The Living Lands are full of many resources and loot that keep my gear cycle fresh, with a number of rarity tiers for weapons and armour. I was constantly finding loot that would progress my character. This upgrade cycle and seeing my build materialize before my eyes felt rewarding, and each combat encounter was always a true test of my skill and character building.
Along with Avowed’s robust combat system, the same can be said for your general player movement. Dodging and jumping feel great and reactive, with each step feeling solid. Obsidian knows this too, with a number of platforming-like sequences throughout the game, demonstrating how refined the controls are in Avowed.
Speaking of refinement, Avowed has done a tremendous job when it comes to cutting out all the busywork and modernizing the many mechanics found in the genre. For example, gone are the days of stopping to constantly manage your inventory, with simple additions of either sending back to your camp stash or breaking down for resources. Fast travel points are efficient in their placement, great camera perspectives during conversations, simple switches between first and third person, and a number of accessibility options make the experience comfortable for every player.
The Living Lands is afflicted with a plant-like disease, and as such, much of the land is tangled with vine-like formations and a colourful aura of plants that are both beautiful and mystifying. This allows Obsidian to create some truly remarkable landscapes that are not out of place and fit into the context well. Dungeons that are usually associated with a dark, dreary brown are instead bright and full of mesmerizing colours. The Dreamscourge may be an infestation in-game, but it is a visual blessing, creating some truly impressive environments. Avowed is also full of scores that accompany you in every step of the Living Lands, with some rising as I climb each step of a cliff, reaching a crescendo as I look out across a vista at the city below. Avowed’s music placement is well done and is thoughtfully placed in the games many moments.
Throughout my time with Avowed, the game ran considerably well. This review was done entirely on an Xbox Series X. I did, however, run into frame rate dips when having companion conversations in camp or when there were a number of enemies all performing magical attacks with particle effects. These dips were few and far between but were pretty noticeable when they happened. breaking my immersion. Outside of performance, Avowed is considerably free of bugs. Throughout my entire journey, I encountered one moderate bug where an enemy did not drop a required quest item, requiring me to reload my save, only losing a few minutes of playtime due to Avowed’s safety net of auto saves.
Pros
- Each character is full of life and great exposition.
- Combat is fantastic.
- The unique setting creates some wondrous environments.
Cons
- Game structure feels too formulaic over time.
- Conversation choices can sometimes feel inconsequential.
Avowed is a fine example of Obsidian’s wheelhouse in many forms. A refreshing setting full of unique characters combined with a modernization of familiar RPG systems creates a great fantasy adventure.
A Xbox Series X review code was provided by Xbox for the purpose of this review. Avowed releases February 18 on PC, Xbox Series X|S and Game Pass.
