Avowed [Xbox Series X] | REVIEW

Obsidian Entertainment has built a strong reputation for delivering deep, choice-driven RPGs, and Avowed continues that tradition with its wonderful blend of engaging storytelling, creative combat, and its brilliant world full of tantalising sights and intriguing characters.

Check out some screenshots down below:

In Avowed, players take on the role of an Adeyran Envoy sent to the Living Lands to investigate the origins of a plague known as the Dreamscourge, but of course, it doesn’t take long before the mission becomes far more complicated, drawing the protagonist into faction conflicts, political struggles, and the mystery of their own godlike nature. It’s very ‘fantasy RPG’ in its design and leans into some very familiar tropes, but remains engaging throughout thanks to the creativity of the scenarios you find yourself in, the likable and well-written characters and companions that join you, and the fact that the decisions you make along the way will determine how your journey will unfold.

Your choices play a significant role in shaping the world and the way that its inhabitants’ will react to you, with some decisions affecting faction relationships, some decisions shaping the path you take through quests, and some even determining the survival of certain characters. Rather than being simple choices that are relevant to just one scenario, many decisions come with unforeseen consequences that don’t become clear until much later in the game when something will happen and you’ll be left to think, ‘oh yeah… I did that’. Companion interactions also reflect these choices, as they will frequently voice their opinions – both positive and negative – of the player’s actions. It all adds an extra layer of depth to Avowed’s storytelling and world, with the game offering a dynamic structure that ensures each playthrough can bring with it plentiful differences. And more importantly? It makes the story all the more interesting and makes you feel like you really are an important part of the Living Lands.

The Living Lands serve as Avowed’s primary setting, and Obsidian has done an excellent job in crafting a world that doesn’t only feel alive, but that also looks absolutely gorgeous too. As its name suggests, the region is known for its unusual flora and fauna, with vibrant landscapes ranging from dense forests to sprawling plains, from treacherous mountains to bustling cities. The variety in biomes makes exploration rewarding, with each area feeling distinct in both design and atmosphere. And believe me, the top-notch visuals ensure that each is an absolute treat to explore, with the wondrous vistas and distinct landmarks ensuring that the Living Lands always feel special to be a part of.

The game’s structure is somewhat open-ended, allowing for free exploration within each major region. However, it isn’t a true open-world experience, with Avowed instead following a hub-based design similar to the likes of The Outer Worlds or The Witcher 3, where players can move between large, self-contained maps rather than one seamless world. It’s something I actually appreciated, with the segmented design making the world easier to navigate and the side quests and collectibles of the world more streamlined to manage.

“Avowed may not redefine the action-RPG genre, but it still delivers a brilliant experience that’ll keep players enthralled from start to end.“

Hidden lore, environmental storytelling, and interactive elements encourage thorough exploration throughout, with the game packed with notes, books, and conversations that flesh out the history of the Living Lands. It’s optional stuff and it won’t be for everyone, but the sheer depth found across the world is undoubtedly impressive, and there were plenty of times where I found myself simply scouring for these additional details just to learn more about the area I was exploring.

The main questline of the game is a treat to get through, with it offering plenty of creative scenarios, bombastic set pieces, and moments of choice where players determine how events will pan out. However, it was the side quests that shone the most for me, with each introducing quirky characters, unique objectives, and moral dilemmas that added to the creative depth of the world. Some side quests are directly tied to faction conflicts, while others provide self-contained narratives that often offered a whimsical break from the more serious undertones of the main plot. They’re all REALLY fun but be warned: you’re unable to return to side quests after a certain point of the game (which is clearly indicated), so they’re worth doing when you encounter them if you want to maintain a steady pacing.

One of Avowed’s greatest strengths is its combat system, which allows for a high degree of customization and creativity as players blend together their magical capabilities with more standard weaponry. Players can equip weapons, shields, or magical grimoires in either hand, creating unique combinations that suit different playstyles, whilst there’s also a quick-swap system that lets players seamlessly transition between two loadouts, adding fluidity to encounters.

The flexibility in combat means players can tailor their approach – whether it’s wielding a sword and shield for a balanced melee experience, dual-wielding weapons for speed, or combining magic with ranged attacks for a more tactical approach. Spells and abilities are tied to a skill tree, allowing for further specialization as you progress, all whilst offering plenty of changeability by letting players mix together varied ability types to make for a flexible skillset that can suit any playstyle or handle any situation.

Check out some screenshots down below:

I REALLY liked it, with combat feeling fast, satisfying, and weighty, but also rewardingly complex and strategic thanks to the varied nature of your capabilities. The strong enemy variety bring with them plenty of weaknesses to exploit and strengths to be wary off too, ensuring changing your loadout on the fly and putting together effective strategies always feels rewarding. Add to that some satisfying boss encounters and the wonderful set pieces found across the main game that lean heavily into enemy showdowns, and it’ll be clear that Avowed absolutely nails its combat design.

It’s clear then that I had a really good time with Avowed, but there were a few issues I faced when playing. I suffered a few drops in the frame rate in busier combat scenarios in both the Balanced and Quality graphical modes, whilst there were plenty of oddities with graphical and physics glitches here and there. Nothing game breaking, of course, but they were all quite noticeable.

It could also be argued that Avowed doesn’t do anything that you wouldn’t have seen before. Whilst its world feels unique and beautiful, the storytelling, the choices you make, the questing, and the combat… it all felt like things that I’d seen done before. In fairness, Obsidian Entertainment have done a good job of ensuring that all aspects of the game’s design hit a very high standard, so it’s not an issue at all. It just would have been nice if Avowed offered a few more surprises to help set it apart from some of the other releases in the genre. But hey, it’s still brilliant to play, so it’s hard to complain too much.

Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Platform(s): Xbox Series X|S (Reviewed), PC
Website: https://avowed.obsidian.net