Maybe it’s because last year was so packed with other quality releases, but it is astonishing how fast Obsidian’s Avowed fell off the radar, never to be seen again. It wouldn’t be the first time – see shortly after its reveal when all that hype for an Obsidian-style take on Skyrim seemingly vanished into thin air. What re-emerged afterwards was a high fantasy action RPG where memorable storytelling and companions – what you’d ultimately expect from the studio – weren’t exactly at the forefront.
Time went on, updates were released, and it’s now launching shortly on PS5 – seemingly without any fanfare. Microsoft even went ahead and dropped the price from the otherwise baffling $70 to $50. No better time than the present, especially with the Anniversary Update, right? Well, it depends on what you’re looking for.
Although Avowed isn’t a terrible experience by many measures, it is surprisingly blasé. All the ingredients for a compelling first-person action RPG in the Pillars of Eternity universe, even if it isn’t a full-fledged sequel by any stretch of the imagination, should make for an incredible experience. And yet, it ends up enjoyable in a ‘play-it-while-binging-podcasts’ way, as opposed to this grand epic that should have me invested in the fate of its world.
“That’s not even getting into some of the dialogue, which feels a little too light-hearted and easy-breezy. The claviger is someone whom Kai deeply respects and owes his life in the Living Lands to. You would think he’d be a little more concerned for him, but alas.”
Plot-wise, you’re an Envoy for the Aedyran Empire, which is facing some manner of upheaval. The Emperor has some interest in the Living Lands – a relatively free region where Aedryan influence has been growing, much to the disdain of the locals. However, there’s a strange plague spreading throughout – a soul plague, which you later come to learn is something known as the Dreamscourge. Your job, in upholding your vow, is to investigate.
Pretty intriguing as far as set-ups go, and that conflict of duty vs free will is something that manifests through the dialogues occasionally. The introduction with its core mechanics and premise – where you end up shipwrecked and having to fight through a fortress where afflicted soldiers killed each other – isn’t too shabby either. The problem is that I didn’t particularly care for Garryck or the smuggler lady. Maybe the other companions wouldn’t end up as unremarkable, and I was right…but only barely so.
As soon as you land in the Living Lands proper, you immediately meet Kai. A former soldier of the Rauataian, he has a common goal in finding a claviger who ventured off with the Aedryan ambassador. And that’s pretty much how you end up friends (as one-sided as it can be), which really underscores just how milquetoast much of Avowed’s interactions can be. The occasional quips, threats of violence and shady responses can be used, but they have so little effect on the bonds with companions that it’s difficult to get emotionally invested. With other NPCs, I can at least sneakily steal some coins and attack them or flex my knowledge as a Vanguard Scout, for all the good that does (and for how situational it feels).
That’s not even getting into some of the dialogue, which feels a little too light-hearted and easy-breezy. The claviger is someone whom Kai deeply respects and owes his life in the Living Lands to. You would think he’d be a little more concerned for him, but alas. Meetings with other companions feel similarly underwhelming, and the fact that they have such limited skills – three active and one passive, each with three upgrades – and no other customization is enough to give Dragon Age: The Veilguard competition. At least the voice acting is good – amid the plot lacking any real urgency, it really does feel like chill adventuring with friends, not taking things too seriously.
“The Living Lands strike a pretty good balance between feeling large while also packing enough content and interesting encounters, even if some of them – like the arena tower challenge thing, which was one single fight and nothing more – can feel somewhat underwhelming.”
It’s just that the “vibes, ya know?” approach feels so antithetical to the festering Dreamscourge and imperiled lands, especially when there are some genuinely intriguing mysteries and side stories to be had. What is that mysterious voice that only my character can hear? Why is she lending me her powers, and how does this connect to the lands as a whole? Yes, I’m sure she’ll be revealed as having some role in – if not being the main reason for – the Dreamscourge, but the conversations can be intriguing at times.
It also doesn’t help that the cities feel inherently lifeless – yes, even after a year of post-launch support. Sure, some NPCs are engaged in regular conversation, and they may have a few interesting things to say. You may even see the odd demonstration or two – someone on their proverbial soap box, speaking out to a crowd about something loosely related to current events. But that’s pretty much it. You’re literally, and metaphorically, a tourist – outside of scripted events, your presence means nothing most of the time, and the interactivity is incredibly barren. I’m not saying that Obsidian has to dip into the same well of depth as Baldur’s Gate 3 or even Divinity: Original Sin, but surely some manner of reaction from NPCs is possible. Instead, they stand around, mostly oblivious to your presence. It’s almost a waste of the gorgeous architecture, impressive art direction and strong world-building.
Thankfully, the larger world is much more interesting as a whole, and that’s even without taking on side quests that veer off the beaten path. Suddenly, you may discover a cave that leads into a den of spiders with explosives that require burning away webs, or clamber up a lighthouse to uncover a treasure map and really take in your surroundings as a whole. On one occasion, I discovered a memory of a past civilization – how they left their home region, built another, welcomed all-comers – all from a choose-your-story-style format, which resulted in a genuinely heart-warming conclusion. And I received ten percent max health from it before receiving a unique axe and facing off against a gang of reasonably threatening skeletons.
The Living Lands strike a pretty good balance between feeling large while also packing enough content and interesting encounters, even if some of them – like the arena tower challenge thing, which was one single fight and nothing more – can feel somewhat underwhelming. Still, that feeling of walking past some explosive barrels, doubling back to blow them and finding that a whole new area has opened up feels great every time.
“The fact that I can wear any armor and gear, albeit with some penalties to stamina and Essence (the game’s version of MP), is also nice, as is being able to swap between two weapon loadouts, in case I wanted to start bonking fools up close.”
The other thing that Avowed has going for it is the combat, even with its various issues. You have the usual weapon options – swords, axes, maces, bows, shields, hammers, some in one- and two-handed varieties. However, there are also wands, tomes, pistols, rifles, and the new quarterstaff (which provides a strong two-handed option that isn’t as stamina-hungry).
Even better is that you can mix and match with an extensive amount of freedom. I started to rock a pistol and tome, the former for pinpoint charged shots and the latter for casting chain lightning, fireballs, and even a spell for increased damage reduction. The fact that I can wear any armor and gear, albeit with some penalties to stamina and Essence (the game’s version of MP), is also nice, as is being able to swap between two weapon loadouts, in case I wanted to start bonking fools up close.
There are also Uniques with intriguing perks, like that one pistol which causes a high amount of Shock accumulation or the ring that builds up poison with critical hits – perfect for that dagger which deals burning damage over time (or even with power attacks by axes, causing bleeding damage). Or maybe I could dual-wield them, using the unique axe and dagger together for both benefits.
If you’re someone who wants to be on the frontline, then maybe that two-hander, which can recover health on successful parries, will be ideal. Pair that with increased parry efficiency that greatly stuns foes when maxed out for even more fun. The combat system may feel pretty repetitive at first, but give Avowed enough time and it’ll really start to sing with the number of available options. And even if I lambast the companion customization, weaving in their abilities with everything else – including throwables like grenades – adds some decent spice.
I’m not a fan of the enchantment system, though. Upon obtaining the correct materials, you can unlock two other enchantments, but you can only choose one, which will then take the place of the original (and there’s no going back). Some enchantments also don’t feel especially unique from others. I can choose from Shock accumulation from the pistol spreading to nearby enemies, which seems nice, but then there’s the dagger, which can cause fire damage to hit nearby enemies with a full combo. It would have also been nice if the weapon upgrading had some more pizzazz, outside of simply gathering materials and then increasing their tiers, until you hit the next rarity for simple stat increases. Aside from this, crafting is threadbare, which is just baffling given how much loot focus there is.
Then there’s the skill progression, which is equal parts fun and cookie-cutter. Level up to earn skill and ability points – spend those to unlock new skills or upgrade current ones, and increase stats for benefits like increased hit chance, more health, etc. The amount of available skills seems cool at first, but further upgrades require increasing your character’s level. Even if they’re not all that surprising in terms of what the fantasy genre has to offer, being able to unleash poisonous knives or shield bash an enemy into the sun feels good.
“I wouldn’t necessarily rank Avowed’s combat among the 10 action RPGs of all time, but it can be satisfying. The various quality-of-life systems here, like being able to send your items directly back to camp stash when you’re overburdened, or returning to your last location after leaving camp, are also appreciated.”
Then there are the straight-up boring options. Negating the stamina and Essence penalties of Medium and Heavy Armor? Sure, that sounds fine. Straight up damage increase for a weapon type? Dull and uninspired, even if there is a case to be made about the benefits of sticking to a singular weapon type or two, versus simply choosing skills willy-nilly. Still, at least the number of options is far higher than at launch, especially for those wanting to spec into the Ranger and Fighter trees. I also like that every five levels confers an additional skill point for further investing in varied builds or fully maxing out an ability, which can make the difference between Jolting Touch chaining to more enemies or dealing much more damage against a singular foe.
Throughout my time, I didn’t feel the need to min-max into a specific gameplay style, though upgrading weapons and armor becomes a necessity to deal with higher-tier enemies. Combat is very responsive, and I’ll admit to simply wasting time to run and electrocute groups with impunity, commanding Kai leap into a group of enemies, and finding some satisfaction in killer blows after an enemy has been staggered.
Enemies don’t really coordinate so much as possess their own builds, which in itself means tackling healers before dealing with everything else, or having the tank draw aggro on the frontline while you go after the ranged enemies. Perhaps the only real danger I ever faced was when backed into a corner against a bear with no stamina, but even then, there’s Second Wind for self-reviving. Simply circling and stabbing larger enemies in the back made many of the bosses feel a little too easy, but on the bright side, at least you can modify the difficulty beyond the standard options.
Tip the scales in favor of your enemies, and you’ll be rewarded with more XP (even though you can increase your own health and damage to compensate with no penalties, which I find hilarious). Coupled with the fact that more random encounters respawn in the world, and setting out to knock some heads together (if incinerating or electrocution isn’t your thing) is even more fun.
I wouldn’t necessarily rank Avowed’s combat among the 10 action RPGs of all time, but it can be satisfying. The various quality-of-life systems here, like being able to send your items directly back to camp stash when you’re overburdened, or returning to your last location after leaving camp, are also appreciated. And for those craving more customization options, the Anniversary Update does feature additional race options (each with unique starting stats), more ways to make your Envoy stand out, and several more presets to choose from.
“Whatever the case, if you can take it as an action RPG with a relatively fun world to explore, Avowed is pretty solid, especially at this price (never mind cheaper, which I have a sad feeling it’s going to be in a month or two).”
As far as the quality of the port goes, on PS5, you have a choice of three modes – Quality, Balanced and Performance. Quality, as you’d expect, offers much better image quality at the cost of a lower frame rate, while Performance prioritizes 60 FPS. The latter results in some noticeable pop-in, image quality issues (even on close-up models when switching back and forth between characters in conversations), and some frame drops during busier moments. If you want something in between, Balanced is there, and uncapping the frame rate with a VRR-compatible monitor can provide a solid in-between setting, even if the lighting feels a bit off at times.
Taken altogether, it feels like Obsidian had a vision for what it wanted to create from the start, faced numerous development hurdles (which is true), and then had to water down its ambitions just to get it out. On the other hand, with the news that it was meant to support co-op, it seems like so much of this was intentional to provide a looser, more streamlined experience for friends. Co-op would be removed, but many of those relatively dumbed-down systems remained.
Whatever the case, if you can take it as an action RPG with a relatively fun world to explore, Avowed is pretty solid, especially at this price (never mind cheaper, which I have a sad feeling it’s going to be in a month or two). There are several elements that I still think need improvement, but it can be enjoyable to just mess around, finding new loot, and testing out different builds while getting the lay of the land. Those seeking a deep, involving story with incredible characterization and world reactivity are advised to look elsewhere, but whatever’s here isn’t downright awful – just shockingly whelming most times and surprisingly fun at others.
This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.
