Avowed Review: A Stunning Open World, but is it Enough?

Avowed, Obsidian Entertainment's latest RPG, presents a captivating paradox: a breathtakingly beautiful open world that feels strangely unfinished. Its stunning environments and imaginative spellcasting contrast sharply with its often tedious quest design and lackluster narrative. The game is a mixed bag, full of both exhilarating highs and disappointing lows, leaving players wondering if the sum is greater than its parts.

A World of Wonder and Frustration

The Living Lands, Avowed's setting, is a truly remarkable achievement. From the ivy-covered branches to the unsettling fungal zombies, the world is a testament to Obsidian's artistry. The environmental design is second to none. Climbing and exploring its expansive terrain is genuinely delightful, particularly when boosted by the magic parkour speed buffs. The game’s design ethos is embodied perfectly in the magic ring that grants a 15% buff to parkour speed. It's a world begging to be explored, full of hidden secrets, challenging encounters, and organic social tension in its cities and towns. The level of detail in both the natural environments and its settlements is breathtaking. You'll discover hidden pools and smashed walls leading to new areas, and unmarked encounters and conversations that add texture to the bustling settlements. Even something as simple as a conversation with a bandit leader can hold unexpected twists and turns, leading to an unexpected fight or a potential agreement. There is a honest-to-god “it’s not the size, it’s how you use it” dialogue option in this thing. Someone wrote that. Someone else okayed it. A willy joke! A lovely little willy joke in my RPG! Tops. The game's world is a place of surprising discoveries that make exploration deeply rewarding.

However, this beauty is often overshadowed by frustrating game mechanics. The stringent requirements for progressing, demanding adequately color-tiered equipment, can make freeform exploration feel pointless at times. You may find yourself forced to undertake a chain of side quests, often in a very specific order, to acquire the necessary funds and equipment to continue enjoying the game's world. It's a significant drawback that can disrupt the immersive experience.

The Magic System: A High Point

Thankfully, the magic system is one of the game's undeniable triumphs. Forget about the melee combat – roll a wizard and prepare to witness crackling, cackling spell-slinging. The disparity in quality between spellcasting and melee combat is astonishing; it's almost like playing two separate games. Once you embrace the magical arts, Avowed transforms from a somewhat tedious grind into an exhilarating spectacle. The ability to fry entire families of lizards with chain lightning is genuinely satisfying. The spell variety is extensive and can be customized extensively.

Companions and Combat

Avowed's companions have their own skill trees, which can be integrated with your playstyle to cover your weaknesses. The option to combine skills and abilities creates dynamic strategies. One of your companions has had their parents turned into trees, discovered through some fetch quests given melodramatic pomp and circumstance. This is a common theme throughout the game where initially engaging side quests fizzle out. Larger beats can offer difficult dilemmas but feel siloed and stiffly scripted, haunted by a dull deity’s riddles. The interactions between companions add a bit of life to the game, but they don't quite reach the level of memorable characters you might expect from an Obsidian title. Overall, the companions provide valuable support in combat but often lack depth in personality and narrative integration.

Despite its issues, the core combat is generally well-done. There's a satisfying variety of weapons and abilities to experiment with, creating unique playstyles. Guns, while powerful, are balanced by their slow reload times, which creates a sense of strategic depth. However, melee combat feels a little clunky, and this is exacerbated by a lacking lock-on mechanic. Many skills feel redundant, making your character a jack-of-all-trades, which can affect the experience depending on player preference.

The Unfinished Narrative

Avowed’s narrative often feels unfinished, a series of missed opportunities and half-baked ideas. The story is hampered by a reliance on fantasy tropes that leave you feeling unhooked. It's as if the story was written by someone rushing to catch a bus. While some moments show traces of potential, they’re quickly undermined by a lack of depth and the inclusion of unnecessary, dull segments. The game's main questline and many side quests often feel disjointed and lack impactful, memorable moments. There are dozens of examples of this, big and small, across Avowed.

The game attempts to create a sense of political and social tension, but this is usually overshadowed by a predictable plot and unsatisfying choices. Decisions feel surface-level, often leading to the same outcome regardless of choice. It teases depth but fails to deliver, which is a greater sin than simply not having much to begin with.

Performance and Technical Issues

Avowed's performance is another area of concern. The game can suffer from technical issues, such as slow loading times and clunky animations. Even routine actions like healing or switching weapons can feel sluggish, and while some of this can be improved via skill trees, it’s a disappointing aspect that detracts from the overall experience. It's hard to truly immerse yourself when the game feels weighed down by technical limitations.

The Verdict: A Mixed Bag

Avowed is a complicated game. It’s a gorgeous world that sometimes feels like it is being actively held back by its less-polished narrative and game mechanics. The potential is there, but the execution falls short in many places. The spellcasting is phenomenal and the open world is breathtaking, but the quest design and narrative fail to fully match their high standards. While there are several elements to love, the game’s shortcomings ultimately prevent it from becoming a truly great RPG. If you have Game Pass and are looking for a game to simply explore and have some fun spellcasting, it’s worth the time. Otherwise, proceed with a degree of caution.

Ultimately, Avowed is a game of immense potential, hobbled by flaws that prevent it from reaching its full potential. While the sheer beauty of its world and the satisfying magic system might be enough for some, others may find themselves frustrated by its technical issues, uninspired narrative, and often tedious gameplay. It has its charm, but isn't a must-have for everyone.