Avowed

An RPG with very good writing and memorable companions, that lacks in terms of presentation and game mechanics.

Avowed is not the juggernaut RPG some may have expected, as certain crucial aspects fail to rise above mediocrity, such as the writing in many side quests and the rather derivative character design. Be that as it may, Obsidian's talent in the genre still shines through in its rich world-building, clever level design, and fun combat system, though against large groups of foes, it can feel a bit too chaotic for our tastes.

If we manage our expectations, Avowed proves to be an enjoyable game that fulfills its goal of entertaining. However, its gameplay leans more toward action than RPG mechanics, with noticeable simplifications. Many of the tasks feel repetitive, as they’ve been seen countless times before. On top of that, narratively, it’s far from Obsidian’s magnum opus.

In the absence of a new episode of Skyrim, or even an opportunistic remaster, Avowed immediately positioned itself as a perfect replacement candidate. It must be said that for years, the Obsidian Entertainment studio has shown its appetite for old-school RPGs, with a strongly assumed Bethesda-style coating and formula. But from Skyrim, Avowed doesn't borrow much, except for its old school, so 2011 side, which could be likened to a comforting feeling for the most nostalgic players. Because despite appearances and an intriguing first part of the adventure, Avowed subsequently reveals its true face, that of being an RPG for dummies, or a chatty and more complex than average action-adventure game. It is somewhere between the two and a bit nowhere, since it tries to hit both categories at once. The result is a game that displays some pretty blatant game design inconsistencies, with on one hand more flexibility in its class and progression systems, and on the other a completely frozen world where interactions have been reduced to next to nothing and NPCs reduced to inert and uninteresting green plants. We still manage to have fun with its more open combat system, but we have to get past the ultra-rigid animations that take us back to another time. The lack of staging and the slightly too rainbow artistic direction also contributed to spoiling the party and it's a shame because Avowed had a great story to tell us. An adventure that will find a nostalgic or unobservant audience, but a game that will not go down in history, that's for sure.

Avowed offers a strong atmosphere, colorful personalities, and a gameplay loop that is entirely serviceable. However, it fails to excel in any particular area, including the character-driven narratives that Obsidian are known for. And so, Avowed fails to fully deliver on its potential.

With awesome worldbuilding and stellar character writing, Avowed reminds me why I fell in love with Obsidian’s RPGs in the first place. However, the bigger picture is that it plays it quite safe, with a by-the-numbers fantasy adventure that’s more familiar than evolutionary, and there’s bear-ly any enemy variety to keep its swords-and-sorcery battles interesting for long. Even if it doesn’t swing for the fences or leave a memorable mark on the genre, though, it’s still perfectly competent with all the tried-and-true stuff I expect, including chaotic combat, leveling systems and a loot progression that lets you build the kind of character you want to play, and meaningful decisions that can have a massive impact on the world. Plus, the whole thing’s surprisingly technically stable compared to its reliably unreliable peers. I enjoyed my time parkouring my way through Eora and think you will too – just don’t expect Avowed to show you anything you haven’t seen before.

Despite a very engaging first part, Avowed disappoints and will never completely satisfy RPG fans or action-adventure fans. For a title that lasts between 30 and 40 hours, the writing is not provided enough and the action and exploration phases struggle to renew themselves. It's frankly a shame, because in the first hours, we feel that Obsidian was on to something. The adventure is still worth the detour for certain plot twists, the pleasure of seeing one's curiosity rewarded and the adversaries fly away with ragoll, and the artistic direction, capable of beautiful flashes of brilliance.

Avowed delights and disappoints. This mix of RPG and action adventure offers a great deal of freedom in terms of exploration and character development in the beginning, only to fail to exploit the full potential of the systems implemented later on. Such a shame.

Avowed ought to have been a more linear action game. Combat is good enough that a streamlined and direct experience could serve it well, but as an RPG there’s simply not enough of anything. It feels like vast chunks are missing, with an initial promise of adventure that rapidly shaves off expectations until you’re left with a toothless story and a frustrating dearth of material...It’s fun to create a snowstorm and jab lizard men with spears, but the shallow trudgery between fights is consistently disappointing. I don’t think it’s unfair to have expected far more from Obsidian. Thanks to Avowed, I know I can expect far less.

Avowed has a beautiful world full of things to discover, but there's a lot of caveats in the experience.

Obsidian has delivered an action RPG with a weak technical component, in which it doesn't do anything exactly new or epic, but its combat gameplay is exciting and the story interesting enough to deliver an entertaining game.

Avowed started out as Obsidian’s answer to Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls series, and it did remind me a lot of Oblivion and Skyrim in the exciting moments where I stumbled across something unexpected in the wilds. But it also shares those games’ tendency towards repetition, and the weightless feel of their fighting. My first 15 or so hours in The Lands Between felt rich with potential, but I got fed up with it long before the end.

If you fancy a slow burn of exploration, and you’re willing to wait quite a few hours for a fun companion, give it a go and make your own mind up! It might be more of a hit for you than it was for me, and that’s OK.

Avowed can be fun, but if you've finished even a few popular RPG titles, Obsidian Entertainment's new game won't surprise you with anything new or brilliant. It's a decent game with impressive visuals, but ultimately a bit shallow, without that magical spark that fires the imagination and makes us return with our thoughts to the game world and plan our next steps while we're at work or in class. Experienced gamers will tend to think about what other titles this game reminds them of.

A modestly ambitious action role-player, that’s very good at making you feel you have an impact on the world, but it’s let down by endless reams of mundane dialogue and predictable mechanics.