Avowed Hands-On - After 4 Hours This RPG Bought Me with Its Story and Dialogues. Obsidian Knows What It's Doing

My relationship with Avowed can certainly be considered complicated. On the one hand, it's a game I've been eagerly waiting for because it means a return to my favorite fantasy world. On the other hand, the first materials from the game weren't optimistic... to put it mildly. So I was skeptical because Avowed seemed like a title many years too late. However, subsequent presentations gave me hope that there was something with potential behind this not-so-attractive facade.

So we've come to the present moment, when a preview version of the game ended up in my hands. And you know what? Obsidian proved two things to me: First, they can't advertise their own games and they harm themselves by doing so. They should finally hire better people for doing trailers and gameplay showcases. Second, Avowed looks promising and could be an impressive return to form after a moderately successful The Outer Worlds. This is really an inconspicuous gem that can surprise many people.

A hero with character

As part of the preview, I received a limited version of the game, which was supposed to offer about 2 hours of gameplay. However, I wouldn't be myself if I didn't squeeze everything I could out of this particular demo, so I ended up spending over 4 hours in the Living Lands. I naturally began by creating my character, as the fragment of the game given to us wasn't a segment "cut out" from the middle of the title, but rather the complete prologue of the game and the prelude to Act I.

From the very beginning, I was pleasantly surprised. The character creator in Avowed is awesome. The developers managed to achieve the perfect balance between offering the player many options. Don't expect the same level of extravagance as the creator of Dragon’s Dogma 2, but Avowed offers a much broader range of options compared to Baldur’s Gate 3 (although Larian's RPG provides a larger selection of playable races).

It's very easy to adjust facial contours, decorations, scars, makeup, tattoos, eye colors (separate for each eye - there is heterochromia), hair, and skin. There are so many hairstyles to choose from that this is one of the few RPGs that I wouldn't want to expand it with mods (though don't count on advanced physics from The Veilguard, here we have a level known from BG3). Finally, add to this the numerous physical signs of divinity, such as various types of mushrooms, roots, and coral reefs, which can be used to decorate the protagonist's face.

Appearance is just one side of the coin, the other remains the adjustment of statistics and character of our protagonist. During its creation, traditionally for this type of RPG, you will need to allocate points to individual statistics and choose the origin of your hero. We have multiple options in this respect, and everyone will find something suitable for themselves - whether you enjoy playing as an adventurer who has become entangled in the Aedyr court, or as a descendant of an aristocratic family with a natural inclination for imperial intrigues.

Following the example of the best RPGs, these choices aren't merely cosmetic but will accompany us throughout the whole game. During conversations with NPCs, at every step, we are given a choice of both regular dialogue options and those dependent on our statistics and origin. Sometimes, they help in solving problems (e.g. the traditional ability to deter enemies through sufficient physical prowess to keep them out of our way), while at other times they serve as an additional tool for a more complete portrayal of the character, simply giving the protagonist some character.

It's best to illustrate this with the example of my character, whose origin affectionately led me to start calling her "a zodiac enthustiasts." She is a seasoned elf in magical duels who loves to share her observations about the astral world, connections with mysterious forces, and broadly understood mysticism. She often did this in such an absurd and chaotic way that it threw some NPCs off balance and made others wonder if they were talking to a mentally healthy person. On the other hand, she was able to draw certain conclusions about the plague afflicting the visited region more quickly.

On the trail of the mysteries of the Living Lands

Now that I've mentioned the dialogues, it's worth delving a little deeper into the plot of Avowed itself. The story, after completing a few main and side quests, looks really interesting. At the start of the game, we learn that Aedyr, our homeland, is in crisis - the crops aren't as they used to be, the gods don't respond to the prayers of the faithful, and society is plunging into chaos. In the hope of conquering new lands whose wealth could improve the situation, the emperor sends us to the Living Lands - a dangerous territory where Aedyr began to establish its first colonies some time ago.

Unfortunately, nothing is going according to plan, as the fort, which was supposed to be our asylum, opened fire on our ship, and our protagonist ended the voyage as a castaway. After dusting off and exploring the area, things didn't get any better. The fort's crew has gone insane and killed each other, and a mysterious plague is to blame. We are unwelcome in this area, and to make matters worse, we start hearing voices. There is also one more small detail - we are representatives of the divine, that is, beings marked by the gods, but no one knows which god bestowed his blessing upon us.

This immediately puts us in the heart of the action, with plenty of mysteries to unravel. There is no room for boredom or slow unfolding of the story. The plot immediately grabbed my attention and made me very curious about where it's headed. Especially because the preview version of the game ended with a cliffhanger, which was a low blow considering that there are still three months left until the release of Avowed.

However, it's already clear that the storyline will be a very strong point of the game. This is particularly noticeable in the dialogues, which are brilliantly written. I hope this level will be maintained throughout the entire game, as I haven't come across any dull and generic exchanges of sentences during the prologue and the first act. Here, even a short conversation with the first random shopkeeper turned out to be a funny story about his separation from his wife, who (horror of horrors) runs another shop right next to him. Interacting with key characters is pure pleasure - especially since the dubbing is of equally high quality.

It's also worth noting the only companion I had the chance to meet, who was a representative of the Aumaua race named Kai. If the other companions are equally interesting and charismatic, we can expect a lot of interesting interactions within the party. I liked Kai from the very first moment. He is a mercenary with an exceptional sense of humor, always delivered with a stone face. I am very eager to learn his full backstory.

Beautiful journey

However, the scenario is an element that previous games in this world could also boast (both installments of Pillars of Eternity). Avowed has something else that may convince some people, who were skeptical about PoE - a three-dimensional world. While I find the isometric maps from "Pillars" charming, I know that for some, it is considered an archaism. The virtual world from Obsidian's latest RPG is absolutely stunning. Every now and then, I caught myself taking screenshots while walking around the map simply because a particular view seemed like a postcard.

Sometimes I encounter beautiful rock formations, walk through overgrown caves, observe sailboats standing in the harbor in the light of the setting sun, and explore picturesque forests. The buildings also looked great, showing the severity of the living conditions of the Living Earth. The developers responsible for this project really deserve a raise. As for me, I can't wait to explore other areas of this region, because, after all, the devs announced that we will visit many diverse biomes.

The structure and design of the location aren't everything. I have the impression that Avowed looks much better in motion than even on the official screenshots. During the game, I was very impressed with the lighting and beautiful colors. The only aspect related to the graphics that falls somewhat short of the wonderful vision I am presenting here is the facial expressions of the NPCs. They seem rather unfinished. This is particularly noticeable in moments when the character is supposed to laugh - they just stiffly open their mouth and that's it, showing no signs of real joy. At times, it's so unnatural that I really can't tell if it's due to ongoing work or if this element will also cause confusion on the day of the release.

If not with a wand, then with a sword

However, I still haven't mentioned the element that has been causing my greatest concerns since the first announcements - the combat. On old gameplay footage, it looked quite stiff and outdated. In my case, it brought up strong associations with Skyrim, which is quite old (and at the time of release, combat wasn't its strongest point). Fortunately, at least in part, these turned out to be just appearances.

The clashes are actually much more dynamic than I thought. The only clumsy element is the movement itself, which still gives the impression of controlling a rather awkward block. However, the combat system works flawlessly and allows for great freedom. Players have the option to play as a traditional warrior or archer, but the inter-class flexibility mentioned by the developer works just fine. For me, the clear favorite at the moment is a mage armed with a sword - the style in which we alternately cast spells using a grimoire held in the left hand and wield the blade in the other is very satisfying.

It seems that everyone will be able to develop their own technique and the game won't interfere with this (at any time we can also respec our character for a modest fee). Not all of the classes may be equally effective, but I believe that players who like to experiment with creating specific builds will be more than happy. In my mind's eye, I already see wizards running among enemies with a gun - after all, everyone knows that heats are more effective than a wand.

There will be plenty of opportunities to test various tactics. In the game, we not only have to fight many battles, but we also frequently encounter mini-bosses. Occasionally, as I explored the map, I found more powerful enemies with a broader range of attacks, and the challenging fight was compensated with valuable loot.

Unfortunately, there is one case in which this whole system stops working. I'm talking about a third-person perspective. The devs suggested from the beginning that Avowed is created with the FPP mode in mind and you can see it. Providing the option to play in TPP is more of a nod to players who begged for its introduction rather than a real alternative. Observing the surroundings from such a perspective makes it harder to navigate in a fight. A closer "eye-level" perspective makes it easier to notice various attacks from opponents, which makes it more difficult and simply less enjoyable. Noticing any notes or items to collect is also more difficult, and the world appears less impressive when not seen through the protagonist's eyes.

There is something to work on

If you've reached this part of the text, you've probably noticed that it is exceptionally optimistic. Essentially, I praise every element of the game and create a vision of an upcoming hit. So, is it time to crush your dreams and list the entire list of issues that ruin the gameplay in Avowed? Well... Not really. Obsidian's new RPG looks promising, and if the rest of the game is as good as the first few hours, we could have a sure-fire hit. However, the financial side may be different, considering its availability on Game Pass and competition from other big releases such as Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 or Assassin's Creed: Shadows.

Nevertheless, this doesn't mean that I have nothing to complain about. The game still has some minor problems, which are more the result of ongoing work than something that will be a problem after the launch. The movement animations in TPP mode simply look unfinished, and the same can be said about Orlan's ears, which I suspect are supposed to be an additional expression of these characters' facial expressions, but for now, they only shrink and enlarge at selected moments. There are actually several more unfinished elements, including cutscenes that currently exist only as sketches.

The only element that raises more serious concerns is optimization. The devs still have time to improve this aspect, and let's hope they will do it because the game is currently very demanding on the computer. Some areas led to clear decreases in FPS, slightly detracting from the focus on the gameplay. Interestingly, I never experienced them in fight, which would have been the most painful.

Brace yourself for February

It seems that 2025 might bring us a really good RPG that was missing this year (fans of Dragon Age, forgive me). What I saw makes me believe that Obsidian knew what they were doing and can deliver a great game, which was simply poorly advertised. So we just have to hope that the game doesn't experience another delay and will be as good overall as its first few hours. I already know that I will be waiting to return to the Living Lands with immense impatience.