Avowed has the groundwork of the Pillar of Eternity to draw from and a developer with ample experience developing role-playing games, so why does it feel so generic? Can it still be good?
Avowed
Avowed
Rating: 3.5/5
Developer: Obsidian
Publisher: Xbox Studios
Platform: PC, Xbox
Price: Rs 4,999
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Developer Obsidian has made a career out of creating original RPGs, including Pillar of Eternity, The Outer Worlds, Grounded, and South Park: The Stick of Truth. The company is expected to produce another killer RPG, and Avowed was supposed to be this swan song. Avowed takes place in the same universe as Pillar of Eternity and draws from its rich lore and storytelling to give the game depth and background.
However, a playthrough of the game will make you feel like Avowed isn’t breaking new ground, unlike its previous RPG titles. Considering the game’s pedigree, we expected some groundbreaking storytelling and new game mechanics that would transform RPGs as a genre. If not that, even more depth with the lore would satisfy. Unfortunately, Obsidian delivers none of that with Avowed. That said, the game is not bad by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, I would go as far as to say that this is a very good game. Let me explain.
Plot and glory
The story is what makes this game stand out. Obsidian is a master storyteller, and this is evident from their previous games. While generic as can be, this is still a compelling story and one that I loved to see through to the end. The premise is that you are a god-like human sent to the living lands to investigate a fungal infection, turning the locals and creatures insane. The problem is that you can see the writing on the wall, and the supposed twists and turns will not really catch you off guard, you just know they are coming. From this developer and considering all they have built, it is disappointing.
The characters are also pretty good and make up a great team with you. Conversations with characters dig up some nice stories, but again, it isn’t something that will completely wow you. Coming from playing something truly great like Baldur’s Gate 3, the depth of characters here will have you underwhelmed. This theme of underwhelming carries through the game.
Bear with me
For example, the combat, for instance, while fun and satisfying when you start out, eventually suffers because of a lack of depth. Hordes of enemies are usually just simple low-level enemies that keep repeating through the map. There are also way too many bears. In fact, if you download the fan kit from Obsidian’s website, they also have a 3D printable model of a bear in the fan kit. Why the obsession with these bears? The spawning of these monsters is also weird. It’s sometimes a lot and sometimes almost non-existent. I do like the personal character growth and the role-playing part of the game, your character’s progression and power-ups make up for a lot of the flaws in the game.
Is Avowed an RPG I would recommend? The simple answer is yes; everything it does, it does well enough. Is it groundbreaking, unfortunately, it isn’t, and that’s its only problem. Sometimes, having a good game that works and is fun to play is all that is required; you don’t need to break any new ground or mess with the formula of what works.
That’s what Avowed is; it is a game that RPG fans would enjoy playing, and I would recommend it to fans of the genre. For those not interested in the RPG genre, this is not a game I would recommend dipping your toes into. The game is free to play if you have an Xbox Ultimate Subscription, while you might have to pay on other platforms.
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