In 2018, Obsidian Entertainment was acquired by Microsoft and “Avowed” is its first big AAA game under the Xbox Game Studios banner. The studio is best known for creating sprawling RPGs like “Fallout: New Vegas” and “The Outer Worlds,” where players have many choices on how they want to design their main character, approach quests, and tackle the world. “Avowed” very much has those same qualities. It’s a dense fantasy RPG filled with memorable side quests and character companions, along with quite a bit of combat variety that keeps gameplay fresh.
“Avowed” takes place in Eora, the same world as Obsidian’s “Pillars of Eternity” franchise. But don’t worry, players don’t need to play them before playing “Avowed.” While “Pillars of Eternity” fans will be rewarded for their knowledge (as “Avowed” makes many references to the franchise), new players can come in completely fresh and still enjoy it.
Players assume the role of the “Envoy,” who comes from the Aedyr empire in order to investigate an illness called the Dreamscourge, which causes the infected to go mad, speaking gibberish and then eventually attacking others. “Avowed” can actually be completed in a short time, around 15-20 hours if you just blitz through the main story. However, then you’d be missing out on what makes the game special, which is its side quests and exploration. There’s a plethora of side content that adds dozens of hours of playtime, greatly expanding the lore of Eora and your understanding of the game’s mythology. You don’t want to miss out on that for the sake of just completing the campaign.
It’s impressive how the choices you make throughout your journey, in both the main quest and side quests, have ramifications. During the tutorial portion of “Avowed,” I decided to save a young girl from being left to rot in a cage, and she thanked me. In a later quest, I come across a refugee couple who needed to flee from authorities. When the smugglers who were originally going to ferry them to another land doubled their price suddenly, it turned out the girl I had saved was actually part of the crew. Due to my previous actions, she convinced the crew to help out the couple at the previously agreed upon price. This let me avoid any direct confrontation, bloodshed, or violence, which is one of the many ways these quests can play out. This gives your choices a genuine sense of impact and you feel like you own the consequences of your decisions.
In “Avowed,” you get a total of four companions: the fighter Kai, the ranger Marius, the supporter Giatta, and the wizard Yatzli. While only four available companions is a bit disappointing, especially to similar RPGs like “Dragon Age: The Veilguard” with seven and even Obsidian’s own “The Outer Worlds” with six, the smaller cast size allows each character to have more time for ample character development. In particular, learning more about Kai’s old mentor was heartbreaking, as well as the truth behind the tragedy that befell on Giatta’s parents. The tighter focus on a handful of companions makes them feel like buddies for life rather than people who are just in it for the ride.
The combat in “Avowed” is a lot like “Skyrim” in that it has fast-paced action and a variety of different styles. Unlike “Dragon Age: The Veilguard,” you’re not locked into a specific weapon choice or build when you select an archetype at the beginning of the game. At the start, I primarily fought as a magic swordsman, switching between firing off elemental spells in my left hand and slashing with a one-handed sword in my right. However, during the late-game, I realized I needed to dish out more damage so I changed to a two-handed axe and focused on just being a warrior. I remember having feelings of regret during my time with “Dragon Age: The Veilguard” because I had chosen the warrior class and was stuck with it for the entire playthrough. This flexibility to change your combat approach whenever you want felt liberating.
There are also a large variety of abilities you can choose to supplement your gameplay style. For example, the Shadowing Beyond ability turns you invisible until your next combat option, which is perfect for long range fighters who want to escape the action reposition themselves. Another one called Blood Magic lets magic users continue casting spells even after running out of Essence (this game’s MP), by sacrificing health. The beauty of these abilities is that the points you invest in them can be reset for a small monetary fee so you’re encouraged to experiment to see which combat options best suit you.
The equipment and progression system in “Avowed” is thankfully much more straightforward compared to other RPGs like “Baldur’s Gate 3,” which was sometimes confusing and complex. In “Avowed,” equipment and loot is color coded and numbered based on quality. For example, “Superb” quality equipment is highlighted pink and has the number 4 icon next to them, while “Exceptional” quality equipment is highlighted blue and has the number 3. This generally lets me know whether a weapon does more physical damage or plate armor reduces more incoming damage. It’s easy to understand and avoids spending needless amounts of time in menus.
The equipment upgrade system is rather simple too. Throughout the game, you’ll collect materials and drops from monsters, treasure chests, and quests that can be used to upgrade your gear. “Avowed” lays out all of the different material requirements at your camp. Additionally, unwanted weapons can be stashed in a separate box or broken down into materials straight from the menu, which is an incredibly convenient quality-of-life feature to have. There’s no need to laboriously travel to a town to access excess items that you have.
Speaking of travel, “Avowed” has a generous fast travel system where you can pick certain waypoints on the map and go to them after you’ve come across them. “Avowed” isn’t an open-world game, but rather it has several interconnected zones that you can explore to your heart’s content. There’s plenty of environmental variety too, from grasslands, deserts, and tundras. There are some loading times in-between zones, but nothing too egregious. “Avowed” also runs very well on the Xbox Series X and is a polished experience, but there are issues with texture pop-in every once in a while as you run through Eora.
While “Avowed” isn’t a groundbreaking game by any means, it still remains a solid adventure with its fun cast of characters and fantastic worldbuilding. Its RPG combat and progressions systems are simplified compared to its contemporaries, which makes “Avowed” much more approachable. The game can be as long or as short as you want it to be depending on how much time you invest in its world and characters, but it’s time that you won’t regret.
The publisher provided a review copy of this title, which is available for PC and Xbox Series X|S on February 13 with early access and February 18 for everyone else.
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