Avowed: A Return to Traditional RPG Comfort
On the heels of an insect-filled survival game and a 2D detective story straight out of the 16th century that were pleasantly surprising departures from what developer Obsidian does best, Avowed is a return to that traditional action RPG comfort food we know and love. Set in the fantasy universe of Pillars of Eternity, this is a game that’s filled with all my favorite RPG cliches, like standing around a campfire with my party members to exchange dark backstories and unresolved traumas, and looting every single slain enemy before their corpse has even begun to cool. Per Obsidian’s pedigree, the writing, world-building, and open-world maps are all quite good, and running around lobbing deadly spells at reanimated skeletons and violent lizard folk to claim shiny new gear is as entertaining as you might expect, if not exactly breaking new ground. That’s a bit of a trend, actually: Avowed draws so much from the Skyrims and Dragon Ages of the past that it ends up an overall unsurprising adventure that has few distinctive ideas to call its own.
A Riveting Storyline and Engaging Companions
As both a chosen Godlike imbued with magical powers and the Envoy of the Emperor your character is granted a downright irresponsible amount of authority to do whatever you please, and you’re dispatched to the wild continent of the Living Lands to put an end to a mysterious plague of madness called the Dreamscourge while also finding the time to aid any person on the street who asks you for help with whatever personal problem they might have. You’ll spend your days delving into ruined yet beautiful caves, sewers, and forgotten places in search of loot and XP, while taking every opportunity to whale on beasts and ne’er-do-wells with swords, bows, and spells. Yes, this is basically the premise of every western RPG from the past several decades, but that’s because it’s a formula that works reliably. Avowed executes almost every aspect of it quite well.
Impressive Dialogue and Choices
This is especially true of the dialogue and story, which is without question the thing Avowed does best. Unraveling the mystery of the fungal Dreamscourge and the otherworldly forces at play is a journey well worth seeing to its conclusion, especially since your decisions can have a profound impact on how things end up. The story kept the adventure running full steam the whole time, especially with interesting choices to make to keep you company along the way.
Bringing the catlike and relentlessly horny mage Yatzli along will guarantee some choice innuendos.
Brimming with Lore and Worldbuilding
Leaning into Obsidian’s substantial worldbuilding chops, Avowed is absolutely brimming with lore that builds upon the world the Pillars of Eternity games established, and it’s easy to lose hours just reading books and scrolls or discussing politics with the locals of every major region. Avowed’s typical fantasy setting that’s filled with what can quickly become too many made-up words and foreign concepts is a whole heck of a lot easier to navigate with the included reference guide.
Tumultuous Combat and Exploration
When you aren’t chatting up the locals, you’ll probably be sending them back to The Wheel for reincarnation via Avowed’s tumultuous combat. While the combat feels smoother, evading enemies in the diverse open-world hubs proves to be challenging. The exploration is filled with side quests, minor puzzles, hidden chests, and colorful environments that add a welcome change from other RPGs.
There so many bears in this world! Even when it doesn’t really make any sense.
Engaging Exploration and Parkour System
One unique aspect of Avowed’s exploration is just how much it wants you to engage with its parkour system, offering ample opportunities to leap from ledge to ledge, mantling over obstacles as you search for hidden treasure chests and avoid traps. This adds an interesting extra dimension to break up the conventional dungeon delving.
Small Innovations and Technical Stability
While there aren’t a lot of big new ideas that set Avowed apart, there are some nice smaller ones that RPGs can learn from. The game also impresses with its technical stability, encountering almost no glitches or technical issues worth mentioning during gameplay, which is a rare feat in the genre.