Review - Avowed
“The Hopes of an Empire Rest Upon You.”
Avowed
February 18, 2025 - Xbox Games Studios / Obsidian Entertainment
Action RPG - Carrie Patel
Xbox Series Consoles, PC
The Emperor has appointed you his envoy and asked you to investigate a plague called the Dreamscourge on the continent of the Living Lands. You are also a Godlike, a special living being whose soul has been touched by an unknown god. Now, with a cast of characters you’ll meet and abilities you’ll learn, it’s up to you to see what the plague is and what happens to the new continent.
Characters, World, and Presentation
I became hyped for Avowed the moment it was first announced back in 2020. I’ve been becoming a sucker for big Western RPGs lately, and I missed the Baldur’s Gate III and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim hype train. So, my expectations were pretty high. The setup for the game was intriguing, putting me in a bit of a detective role to find out what this mysterious new plague is. My journey would be in the Living Lands, a continent in the word of Eora of the Pillars of Eternity games. This continent feels similar to North America's story, with people from other areas coming over to seek a new life. This led to some interesting stories and themes around imperialism and immigration in many side missions, and the more you talked to the world’s characters.
You’ll have four companions joining you (two of which aid you in battle). They can be pretty interesting if you go out of your way to see their stories in the side quests. There’s Kai, who can be witty in his conversations and tends to have an affinity for people in the margins of society, Marius, who was my least favorite character due to his standoffish personality but has a really powerful backstory that made his attitude make sense, Giatta, who is looking to carry on the legacy of her parents, and Yatzli, who is quite frankly one of the funniest characters I’ve been around in a video game. It takes diving into their companion quests, but all four have arcs and emotional moments. Also, when you camp, make sure to talk to your companions as they’ll explain more of their background and you get to see how they interact with each other. The writing is well done, going from surprisingly funny to emotional. There was some of that Fallout humor in there.
The main plot line has a couple of twists that legitimately interested me to see where things went, but the overall main plot is arguably a bit generic at times. As mentioned before, the game’s plot is best regarding the companions. The world is beautiful, and I love the art style. It reminded me of the Metroid games' style, which aims for realism but within a slightly animated style. Some areas, especially with lots of colors, will have you stopping to take in the scenery. It sneaks up on you how good some of the places look.
Gameplay, Design, and Sound
The two most fun things about Avowed are the combat and the exploration. The exploration felt like a fantasy Fallout to me. I was most in love with the game when I walked around and bumped into interesting characters and moments, just like the urban exploration in Fallout. The difference, of course, is that we’re in a fantasy world. You’ll be exploring while doing some parkour - that’s right, you heard me. You’ll be able to parkour all over the land and cities, with rewards the more you do it. See a tall structure?, find a way up and you’ll find some good loot. See a fallen structure while out? Jump across ledges nearby and find a way into the fallen building. It’s incredibly fun and valuable.
The combat is one of the more fun I’ve experienced in an Action RPG. Instead of the typical sword and shield concept, you can literally carry multiple weapons and used them in unique combinations. You can use swords, axes, hammers, bows, magic wands, magic books, and even pistols. My main setup was a flaming sword on one hand and a book of spells in the other. The other setup tended to experiement with multiple ways to attack. When you’re knee deep in a fight, you’ll be using your weapons and dodging in suprisinginly fast pace. It’s some of the most fun I’ve had with a combat system.
The sound design is more on the atmospheric side. The music isn’t bad, but like modern Zelda games the sound design is about immersing yourself in the world more than anything else. The use of sound effects is pretty solid however, such as hearing a glimmering sound that helps when looking for loot in obscure areas.
Negatives?
The negatives I have for this game is the UI and the leveling system. The UI took me some time to get used to. I had trouble navigating the inventory when it got filled up. There are shortcuts in a weapon wheel type of system, but it only helped me somewhat. It’s not game breaking, but there were several times I felt I was looking through a dictionary half the time.
The leveling system is disappointing. When you gain experience, you can increase your skill/ability or increase a stat, such as your health, strength, or intelligence. The problem is that you gain exp really slowly and the max level is 30. Now, I didn’t find myself worried about my ability to take down enemies but I was left feeling like I couldn’t really upgrade and make a powerful build. I guess the argument could be made that your weapons are more important than your stats. Still, I realized early on the leveling wasn’t the best.
Avowed to me was like playing a fantasy version of Fallout, which is good since that’s one of my personal favorite franchises. Its varied combat combining magic spells with swords or pistols is one of the more unique combat mechanics I’ve played in gaming. The main plotline may not knock your socks off, but there are deep and emotional themes regarding the world, imperialism, and your companions’ pasts. If you want a solid Action RPG that’s fun and you enjoy just going out and exploring in video games, this is your game. I hope Obsidian gives us more in this franchise and builds on the best of what they have here. It’s a game I Recommend.
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