Avowed Review

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It's here, it is finally here!! The highly anticipated action RPG set in the Pillars of Eternity universe, Avowed is here. Developed by Obsidian studios, the company that brought you "Fallout New Vegas," "The Outer Worlds" and "Pillars of Eternity," and published by Xbox Game Studios. Avowed marks another classic and mastery of the RPG genre for Obsidian. As you travel the beautiful and dangerous world of the "Living Lands," meet the memorable characters, explore the expansive customization system, this is a game you do not want to miss. From the gameplay to the narrative, Avowed has something for players new to the universe and those who have played Pillars of Eternity.

Narrative and Gameplay

In Avowed, you are the character known as Envoy, you are on a mission for the Emperor of Aedyr to stop a sickness that is destroying the world of Eora. Your character Envoy, which you can also change their name, is one of the last "Godlike" around. Godlike are special people touched or gifted by a different God of the world of Eora. The unique thing about you, is you are an unclaimed Godlike. Which means you do not know who your God is. At the beginning of your journey there is a brief stop on a small island, just a tutorial to introduce you to the combat and customization system. Once you reach the Living Lands, the game truly begins.

Your job is stopping the plague from not destroying the island but the world. Along with the main quest, Avowed has a huge amount of side quests to not only keep you busy, but to help you level up and earn funds. Plus, the exploration feels so natural, and if you are like me, you easily get distracted and find yourself saying "Hey, what's that over there?" There were times I found myself doing a quest but off on some random road or path or cave to see what I could find. There are chests, backpacks and other things that are hidden and contain some good items.

Avowed like any good RPG you have will have companions to assist you and provide back up on your journey. You meet one of your very first companions soon as you reach the Living Lands. From what I have researched, your companions have also appeared in "Pillars of Eternity." You will get to know more about your companions during the times where you setup camp. Each of your companions has a history and a backstory and you the option to explore that through conversations and missions.

You will unlock fast travel points to make it easier to go back to certain cities and areas you have visited previously. You will have access and can use the camping sites as fast travel points as well. When in camp, you can talk with your companions and learn more about them and the world. They will give you their opinion on quests and even on your other companions as well.

Companions and Characters

You do not just interact with your companions on your journey, there a host of other characters that will also make an imprint on you as you play through the game. Some are good and some will have you fighting the air mad because of them. You main companions Kai, Marius, Giatta and Yatzli will be by your side and provide support in your battles. Each companion has their own strength and offers something different from the other.

Kai's ability and attacks are more close range and melee based, and he often uses a gun. Marius, Yatzil and Giatta are more ranged attackers. Yatzil uses spells and magic to crush her enemies. Giatta provides support and healing abilities. Marius has abilities that he uses to trap enemies in place. Each companion has abilities that you can use outside of battle as well. Kai can burn away shrubs blocking hidden areas and Marius can use his to locate enemies or hidden treasure.

There are other NPC's you will come across that will leave an impression on you as well. Just a heads up, they may even pop back up and if you were nice or helped them, they will usually return that favor. Hey, it’s your playthrough, you do what you like, I am just saying your choices hold weight, they matter. Also, you never know when that will come in handy.

Swords and Magic

Lets talk about how I enjoyed the combat and weapons system. Avowed offers you almost any kind of weapon you can think of to chose from. They have swords, maces, pistols, axes, spears, hammers, daggers, bow, arquebuses, grimoires, and wands. And if you don’t like any those you can use your two fists! The combat is smooth and fun; each weapon felt different than each other. Swinging a sword was different than using the spear and that was different than using hammer.

One thing I loved was the ability to run two weapon sets. So, if you wanted to rock a sword and shield and a two-handed weapon like a hammer, you could do that. I am partial to being the melee guy, I love feeling that of hitting someone in the face with a sword but Avowed may have turned me into a magic user. Trying out the grimoire and wand set, might have changed my life. The attacks held weight and really felt like I was doing damage to the enemies. I used this through my entire gameplay. I also found an exceptional Great sword I used as well. Needed a back up just in case I wanted to slice up an enemy! Also, shoutout to Obsidian for putting finishing moves in the combat. Had it happened several times where my opponent had low health, and I had my sword out and my character would do some sort of finishing maneuverer.

I loved the inventory upgrade system and how you can turn a common item into an exceptional or fine tier item. Weapons and armor have tiers, which are common, fine, exceptional, and superb. Each tier has three upgrade slots that you must complete before that item can progress to the next tier. You upgrade them by picking up items from the enemies you have put down.

He's Alive

It’s not just weapons you can upgrade. The customization for your character is extensive! From the moment you start the game you are able to tailor your characters looks to just how you want them to be. With your character being a "Godlike" you also can choose whether you want those features to be visible or not. NPCs will still be able to see it, but you can turn it off or on.

The "Ability" and "Character" section is where the customization in Avowed really shines bright. Under the "Abilities" section is where you unlock different abilities and specials for your character. You have Fighter, Ranger, Wizard, Godlike and Companion listed. Each options have different skills that you unlock and will be able to use throughout your playthrough. I invested most of my points into Wizard since I was wielding a grimoire. You can also choose to focus your points into a certain element as well. So, if you wanted to be a fire bender you could.

The "Character" section is where you added points into your Might, Constitution, Dexterity, Perception, Intellect and Resolve. Each one would increase two different stats, for example putting points into Dexterity would increase your attack and action speed. This page also shows you a break down of your health, essence, stamina, critical hit damage and more. You can get incredibly detailed to ensure you are getting everything out of your build. They did include the feature where you are able to respec in case you would like to try another build.

Behold The Beauty

The world of Avowed is beautiful, I would stop and admire how amazing some of the views were. The use of color against some of the dark backgrounds or areas was always noticeable. The Living Lands has four big areas, Dawnshore, Emerald Stair, Shatterscrap and Galawain Tusks, for you to explore. Each area is different from the last, where Shatterscrap is mostly desert, Emerald Stair is full of trees. While the game looks great visually, the soundtrack keeps you engaged as well. The music ramps up as you are in the mist of combat and changes back to as you continue to explore.

My Final Thoughts

I have been waiting for Avowed since we saw it in at the Xbox showcase in 2020 and we finally have the finished product and it is more than I could have hoped for. The story is good, and it kept me entertained throughout my playthrough but what kept me wanting more was the world. I wanted to explore, talk to more people, and just stay in the Living Lands. The exploration is top tier for me, along with the combat, I can see myself playing through Avowed repeatedly. Like I said this game made a me magic user and I want to unlock more of the combat tree and see how powerful I can be.

I only encountered a few negative things during my time. When in third person view, the movement and controls would sometimes feel a little unsteady. When jumping over to another object my character would jump to the side instead of up or to where I wanted to go. Picking up items in third person could be troublesome as well. I would stand directly next to it but if I were not looking at it, I could not pick it up. I was afraid the NPCs were going to look stiff during conversations, but the face movements were great. I just wished they would blink more; I am being a little nitpicky I know but when having a conversation with some NPCs would just stare you down.

May not be big but those were my only real gripes with Avowed. There really is so much to love here. The dialogue you can choose from in your conversations, you can be nice, or if you wanted to be an asshole you had that option. Like I said, Avowed was more than I was hoping for. Xbox and Obsidian really might have Game of the Year on their hands. You can feel the love, hard work, and polish that Obsidian put in making this game. Avowed is a must play for any and every one, go get lost in The Living Lands. Thank you to Xbox and Obsidian for giving me early access to Avowed.