Review and Evaluation of Avowed

For a long time, we’ve been hoping that Obsidian would return to making AAA games and deliver something as grand as Fallout: New Vegas. Unfortunately, they weren’t given the chance. However, after being acquired by Microsoft, the studio’s managers breathed a sigh of relief, no longer burdened by financial concerns, and could focus entirely on game development. The studio promised its fans Avowed, announced in 2020, as their first AAA game post-acquisition in 2018. Did Avowed live up to the wait? That’s what we’ll find out in this review.

About the Game

Avowed is a first and third-person RPG developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Xbox Game Studios. The game is set in the world of Eora, the same universe as the Pillars of Eternity series. It will be released on February 18, 2025, for Xbox Series X/S, PC, and will be available on Game Pass from day one.

Story and World

Avowed shares its world with Pillars of Eternity, making it a spin-off of the series. The world, Eora, is a fantasy realm filled with diverse races and kingdoms torn by wars. The game introduces the concept of the Wheel of Return, where souls reincarnate into new beings after death. While the game frequently mentions this concept, it doesn’t significantly impact gameplay.

The game takes place in the Living Lands within Eora, featuring diverse environments like dense forests, rocky deserts, caves, and vast valleys. Players control an envoy from the Aedyr Empire, tasked with investigating a mysterious plague known as the Dream Scourge. The story begins with the emperor sending you on a ship to the Living Lands to investigate this deadly plague. Upon nearing the shore, soldiers from a fortress destroy your ship, despite being from the Aedyr Empire themselves. The protagonist survives and discovers that the Dream Scourge has infected these soldiers, driving them insane and turning them into monsters. As the disease progresses, fungi grow on the host’s body, transforming them into beasts. The cause of the plague is unknown, but as you progress, you uncover the secrets of the Living Lands.

The protagonist is customizable and unique as a Godlike, a person born with a gift from the gods, granting them magical abilities. Godlikes are rare, and your character is one of them. You can choose to hide or display the Godlike marks on your face, which affects how NPCs react to you. However, the game disappoints in this aspect, as the reactions are minimal and don’t significantly impact gameplay.

The main story revolves around finding the source of the plague and eliminating it. Along the way, you uncover the truth about yourself and the voice speaking to you. You also learn about the history of the Living Lands and the ongoing conflicts, including rebellions and conspiracies against the Aedyr Empire. The Steel Garoot, a religious group, adds another layer of intrigue as they secretly plot against the empire.

Combat Style

Avowed offers an immersive combat experience where players can use magic, traditional weapons, and firearms. The game features a variety of magical abilities, such as freezing or binding enemies, and allows for combining magic with weapons for powerful attacks. Players can quickly switch between different loadouts, like dual pistols, dual swords, or a two-handed axe. One of the game’s highlights is the ability to use magical attacks (electricity, fire, ice) without unlocking them in the skill tree by using wands and books.

The game also allows players to switch between first-person and third-person perspectives. Both perspectives look great, though switching between them requires going into the settings, which can be inconvenient. Combat is flexible, allowing players to use any weapon or ability they prefer without being locked into a specific playstyle.

Abilities

1- Fighter Abilities: Focus on sword combat, increasing health, etc.
2- Ranger Abilities: Focus on bows and guns, improving food effects, etc.
3- Wizard Abilities: Focus on magic, unlocking fire or shock spells without books, etc.
4- Godlike Abilities: Unlocked through story progression, granting unique magical abilities like healing.
5- Companion Abilities: Unique abilities for each of the four companions.

Players can also distribute points to attributes like Strength (increasing damage) and Resolve (increasing stamina). Each level grants a skill point and an ability point, allowing for customization. Respecing is easy, letting players redistribute points as they see fit.

Companions play a significant role in combat, with each having unique abilities. Players can issue commands to companions during battles, similar to Mass Effect. However, there are no relationship mechanics with companions. The companions are:

1- Kai: A blue aumaua, a strong melee fighter.
2- Marius: A dwarf archer with crowd control abilities.
3- Giatta: A human healer with support abilities.
4- Yatzli: An Orlan mage with deadly magical attacks.

The game also features environmental interactions, like electrifying water to shock enemies or freezing water to create temporary platforms. Stealth is an option, but enemies often face the direction you’re coming from, and healers can fully restore enemy health, making combat challenging.

RPG Elements

Dialogue is a key element, offering players freedom to shape their character’s personality. While the game allows for evil choices, the impact of these choices is minimal, which is disappointing compared to Obsidian’s previous games like The Outer Worlds.

Quests are divided into main story quests, side quests, and bounty quests. Main quests drive the story forward, while side quests are shorter and more varied. Bounty quests involve defeating bosses for rewards. However, the game feels shorter than other contemporary RPGs.

Art Direction and Technical Performance

Unfortunately, Avowed suffers from technical issues, including glitches and delayed menu responses. The graphics are not up to AAA standards, though the lighting is well-done. The character designs, particularly the faces, are poorly executed, and the game includes woke and DEI agendas.

The soundtrack and voice acting are good, with fitting music for exploration and combat. However, some sound effects glitch and repeat unnecessarily.

Pros

Smooth gameplay
Unique magical abilities
Encourages exploration
Engaging story
Varied combat styles
Great control over battles
Environmental interactions
Diverse quests
Challenging combat

Cons

Weak graphics
Poor character design
Illusory choices with minimal impact
Delayed menu responses
Excessive DEI agendas
No Arabic language support

Avowed is not the game we were hoping for from Obsidian after all these years, but it’s still a fun and smooth RPG worth trying.

8/10