Avowed Review – Be A Hero or A Villain in The Living Lands

Experiencing the thrill of shaping your own journey and witnessing the repercussions of your actions is an exceptional role-playing adventure that modern RPGs offer. It empowers players who crave to be at the heart of the narrative, molding events as they see fit. One such game is Avowed, a recent RPG from Xbox Game Studios, developed by Obsidian Entertainment. As a first release of the year from Xbox Game Studios, we were fortunate enough to receive an Avowed Review copy to explore and evaluate the game. Here’s our review of Avowed.

Story and Plot

The story unfolds in a fantastical realm called The Living Lands, a vibrant tapestry of diverse landscapes and cultures. Each region within this realm presents its own unique characteristics: ecosystems, societies, dangers, and wonders. The Living Lands, nestled in the world of Eora, encompasses vast forests, deep valleys, hidden caves, and sprawling deserts. Despite its seemingly idyllic appearance, a sinister blight is spreading corruption throughout this world. This enigmatic plague transforms nature and life into grotesque monstrosities. The protagonist, acting on behalf of the Aedyr Empire, is dispatched as an envoy to explore and understand this ominous malady known as the Dream Scourge.

Gameplay

Avowed is an action-adventure video game that allows you to play in both first-person and third-person perspective. It provides a semi-open world environment for exploration, similar to Dragon Age: The Veilguard, where you can traverse various regions and biomes. During your journey, you have the freedom to follow the main storyline or delve into secret areas, solve puzzles, gather materials, and discover crucial gear items.

When the game starts, players are given ample opportunities to design their own character, from facial features to distinctive markings and more. Once this customization process is complete, players choose a backstory for their character and assign points to various attributes. The backstory is significant in Avowed because it provides the protagonist with unique dialogue options during conversations. These special dialogue options can often help you navigate challenging situations or even influence the overall outcome.

As I embark on this thrilling adventure, I’m delighted to find a versatile arsenal at my disposal right from the start. You see, the developers have generously provided me with three distinct weapons: a sword, a bow, and a staff. In the initial hour of gameplay, I’ll have all three in my inventory! The beauty of it is that I’m free to shape my own playstyle, as the game doesn’t force me into a single combat method based on my character’s backstory. Instead, I get to explore and master each weapon type, making every moment of this journey truly mine.

Exploration and World Interactions

In Avowed, the main missions generally follow a set path, but within the semi-open world setting, players have the freedom to revisit and delve deeper into the biomes they’ve discovered and unlocked. This exploration is vital as it helps in finding crucial materials and gear items for character development. Along your journey, you’ll encounter many secrets and puzzles that, when solved, reward you with valuable gear items and materials for upgrading your equipment. Additionally, during your adventure, you can craft essential items at a party camp using the resources and materials you gather.

In Avowed, the way characters connect is intriguing; you’ll encounter various characters who are somehow intertwined, not just the ordinary vendors or townsfolk but also your companions. As you advance through the story, you’ll uncover these companions, each possessing a distinct race, background, and class. These companions will aid you in your journey, assisting in combat, helping solve puzzles, and even engaging in conversations with locals.

Skills and Upgrades

In the game Avowed, the adversaries are merciless and tough, becoming even more so if you opt for a harder difficulty level. As your character progresses through the storyline, you’ll have the chance to allocate points in three distinct skill sets to unlock additional talents. These skill sets encompass combat roles such as Fighter, Ranger, and Wizard. You’re free to use these points as you see fit, and since there are no weapon restrictions, you can combine weapons to fully showcase your character’s hidden potential.

Besides the three skill sets, there’s an additional one called the Godlike Tree. As your character advances through the main narrative, they’ll gain access to new powers from this tree. This unique skill set houses some of the game’s most destructive abilities.

In Avowed, improving character attributes and updating equipment is vital. To conquer the game’s static difficulties, it’s important that you improve your equipment and elevate the tier of your gear items. The game offers five distinct tiers for weapons and armor, and by using specific materials, you can upgrade these tiers to boost their effectiveness. This enhancement makes your gear more powerful, thereby helping you perform better overall.

To sum it up, each ally brings their own distinct abilities to the table. Working effectively with your allies is crucial during tough battles, particularly boss fights. Therefore, don’t forget to consider your allies too, and equip them with skills that complement your own toolkit.

Combat

In Avowed, combat plays a crucial role and Obsidian Entertainment has excelled in making it entertaining and thrilling. The sheer joy of wielding various weapons to destroy enemies is a gratifying experience. However, the enjoyment may differ based on personal preference as some players might prefer a first-person perspective during combat while others may find the third-person view more appealing. Fortunately, in Avowed, you can easily switch between these viewing options at any time. Remarkably, both perspectives offer an exceptional combat experience. The fundamental mechanics such as attacking, blocking, and dodging are all responsive, ensuring you have full control over the action.

Engaging your allies in offensive moves and combos will help you manage the enemies effectively. In addition, attacking foes or using special potions will fill up your ability gauge. Using these abilities adds excitement to combat since they can be combined with your companions for powerful combos. Furthermore, a gratifying aspect of combat is the slow-motion finishing move. When you deal a fatal blow to an enemy, the action slows down, accompanied by a satisfying sound effect.

Sound and Visual Effects

In contemporary RPGs, the sound design of Avowed stands out as one of the finest. Every minor aspect from the world’s ambiance, character actions, effects, and music is exceptionally well-crafted, giving an immediate impression that Obsidian has excelled in this area. Furthermore, the visual effects in Avowed are stunning, adding to The Living Lands’ overall aesthetic appeal. All the voice actors have delivered outstanding performances, breathing life into every character whether they are secondary or central figures. During interactions with these characters, one can truly feel their presence.

Verdict – Score 9/10

One of the top action RPGs released recently, Avowed, stands out due to its commitment to respecting player choices. With numerous decision-points and outcomes, the game is entirely player-driven. Whether you prefer to play the role of a hero, helping others, or a power-seeking villain, the choice is yours in Avowed. The combat, world interactions, puzzle solving, crafting, upgrading, and character development are seamlessly integrated, creating an incredible fantasy adventure. Any RPG enthusiast should definitely give Avowed a try; you won’t be disappointed by Obsidian’s latest offering.

Appreciate your attention as you’ve gone through our review for Avowed. Mark your calendars, as Avowed is set to launch on February 18, 2025, for both Xbox Series X|S and PC platforms.

2025-02-13 17:35