Avowed

Очень посредственен каждый элемент игры

9/10. This game was a hidden gem. First time in a long time I actually cared about the story and characters. Fun combat that makes you evolve your strategy.

Not the best RPG from Obsidian, but still worth it.

Excellent.

C'est... plutôt bien ? L'histoire est sympa, ancrée dans le même univers que les Pillars of Eternity donc si vous avez joué à ceux-ci il y pas mal de références sympathiques. Difficile d'en dire plus sans spoiler, mais disons que l'univers est original, mais souffre d'un certain classicisme visuel. Les quêtes annexes oscillent généralement entre le bof et le bon, mais certaines sont vraiment bien et réhaussent clairement le niveau (généralement associées à des donjons). Côté gameplay, je ferais la différence entre les combats et l'exploration. Concernant les combats, ils sont sympas mais limités par le système de progression: le classique arbre de compétence propose des choix intéressant, permettant de mixer les 3 classes du jeu à l'envie, mais en réalité, le "sel" des builds viennent des armes légendaires, dont les effets peuvent être assez marrants. Cependant, le jeu n'encourage pas de changer régulièrement de builds à cause du coût d'amélioration des armes, qui est assez important. C'est dommage, j'aurais aimé pouvoir expérimenter plus. Pour l'exploration, c'est une réussite : il y pas mal de petites histoires racontées par l'environnement et des recoins cachés à découvrir. Cependant, le plaisir est assez diminué aussi par l'aspect récompense, un peu limité par celle associé aux armes légendaires. Les accessoires ont aussi été traités assez simplement, avec pas mal de bonus simple de caractéristiques plutôt que des effets plus originaux. La durée de vie est bien calibrée, même si je pense qu'on aurait pu supprimer certaines zones. Pour finir, j'aborderai deux gros points noirs : le nombre de combats BEAUCOUP trop élevés. C'est presque au niveau d'un DOOM avec un combat par salle ! Cumulé au fait qu'il n'y a pas énormément de variété d'ennemis, la lassitude arrive rapidement. Enfin, j'ai trouvé la partie finale complètement ratée avec deux combats tout nuls. Ca fait un peu pétard mouillé, surtout que narrativement, il y a pas mal de bonnes idées qui nous vendent bien les affrontements finaux, nous les font anticiper. Pour finir, c'est un jeu honnête, de bonne facture qui vous satisfera si vous acceptez ses qualités et ses défauts.

Es verdad que no es el sucesor de skyrim ni un sustituto, pero es bastante entretenido y tiene muchisimas mecanicas y exploraciones muy variadas

Had a fun time. would recommend getting on sale

On the one hand, Avowed surprised me a bit, and on the other, it disappointed me. As far as I’m concerned, at certain points the developers seemed to overthink whether they were definitely taking the game in the right direction, and this hesitation clearly affected the final quality of the product. It’s a decent, average-to-good RPG - but not an outstanding one - that in any other scenario would have found its niche and enjoyed steady growth... but since it’s a game from Obsidian, it wasn’t meant to be. Avowed simply gives the impression of a game where the director had to make concessions to the producer and operate within a strictly defined budget. It’s not a AAA game, but rather an AA title that serves as an experiment within a specific franchise. Of course, the fact that Microsoft priced it at an absurd amount ($70 at launch) didn’t help the game at all - it just inflated the hype bubble even more. All they had to do was set a normal price in the $35–$45 range, and I’m sure most of this problem simply wouldn’t have existed. [b]Would I recommend it? Yes, provided you buy it on sale. [/b] Why do I recommend it despite everything? Because it’s still a decent albeit average game, that I actually enjoyed playing quite a bit. It’s not an outstanding production, but it’s also not something that deserves to be tarred and feathered either. ✅[list] [*] Game looks beautiful. Vibrant, lively color palette typical for tropical countries, properly implemented ray-tracing, detailed locations which are loyal to existing PoE lore. Other than that it is also well optimized. [*] Well-made tutorial as well as easy to access tutorial database. [*] Overall, both the main story and the quests are decently written. While the main plot isn’t particularly surprising, it does manage to throw a proverbial wrench into the works of Eora’s metaphysics. The side stories are okay; they vary in length and quality, of course, but I can’t say any of them bored me from the start. On top of that, there’s bounty and treasure hunting. [*] I like that the events from the first and second PoE have such a huge impact on the game world. They did a great job of showing just how much of an impact the players had and how that changed the balance of power seen in the current game. [*] Honestly, combat is very satisfying. Of course, this is due in part to the wide variety of weapon types and the fact that each one fights a little differently. Game also features one of the best-designed dual-wield combat systems in a first-person perspective. It’s smooth and intuitive; it’s easy to master and to get a feel for the weight and power of the weapons you’re using. [*] Magic, however, deserves a chapter of its own. Combat is fluid and spectacular, and the progression system allows you to create both a well-rounded wizard and a character specialising in a specific type of spells. Unlocking new spells by finding the right grimoire is a nice touch. It’s worth noting that a grimoire not only allows you to cast spells your character doesn’t yet know, but also increases the level of a spell by one if your character already knows the spell recorded in that book. [*] Companions are written as the voices of their respective factions. Their involvement in the envoy’s mission may sometimes seem contrived, but they have a specific purpose. They offer advice that benefits their faction and challenge decisions that threaten the stability of their homes. I grew to like all four of them, though more for their personalities and ambitions than for their backstories or the tasks associated with them. [*] A semi-open world - vast maps connected by “gates”. Developers have designed five biomes, each with its own unique style and character. They are well designed, which makes exploration interesting. In addition, verticality has been added, which expands both the maps and the available options. [*] I like that they’ve carried over one mechanic from the Pillars series - you earn most of your XP by completing quests rather than by clearing the map. Equipment upgrade system balances the game’s economy and eliminates the “rich player” phenomenon. [*] UI and journal are well designed. Clear, concise, easy to use and navigate. [/list] 😐 [list][*] We might find a quest item linked to a quest we haven’t discovered yet, and picking it up won’t automatically trigger the associated quest. Unfortunately, game sometimes trigger dialogues or descriptions suggesting that the MC and their companions know exactly who the item is for. [*] Soundtrack is okay. It has the feel of the TES series and is reminiscent of the music that accompanies exploration in that series of games. Unfortunately, it lacks something that would make it stand out from the rest. It’s pleasant background music. Pleasant, but not particularly memorable. [*] In my opinion, bestiary contains too many monsters familiar from the previous games, and only one that could be considered characteristic of the Living Lands. [*] It’s clear that the developers planned for deeper interaction with the environment, but unfortunately they weren’t able to fully implement it (probably due to budget and time constraints). [*] I think that if someone does not know plot of previous games, events and overall world lore he might feel a little bit lost while playing the game. References and subtle nuances are great, but everyone needs to be able to pick them up and understand them. It would be useful if the game started with a general summary of what happened in the first and second PoE. [*] Shader compilation every time I launch the game. Subsequent are faster than first one but still… [/list] ❌[list] [*] Even though we are the Ferconyng’s envoy and officially represent the interests of the Aedyr Empire in the Living Lands, the game fails to do justice to the weight and significance of our title and status. Furthermore, the regional storyline has been somewhat neglected and forces the player to take a stance on the spectrum of good and evil. This is surprising, as our meeting with the Aedyr ambassador suggests that there should be a more balanced approach. [*] Main villain, just like her organization, is exceptionally poorly written. According to the world lore, the Steel Garrotte serves Woedica, so they ought to be more ‘lawful evil’, and their actions should follow the maxim ‘an iron fist in a velvet glove’. Instead, we’ve been given a one-dimensional religious fanatics who are evil simply because someone has to be. By Obsidian’s standards, the quality of their characterization is rock bottom. [*] Starting price of the game was more proper for an AAA production not for an AA spin-off of main series. [*] Dialogues are of a mixed quality. Overall, they’re not quite up to the standard of the Pillars games. [*] I don't like that the threat to the player is so heavily based on their equipment level. If your gear is e.g. “common”, battles against enemies one level higher are a monstrous challenge. Upgrading your equipment makes these fights manageable again. [*] In my opinion, this game could use more side quests. The maps are cool, but you still get a sense of emptiness and untapped potential. [*] NPCs don’t react when they’re being robbed + there’s no reaction from the game world whatsoever. [*] Third-person camera was glued together half-heartedly. [*] No VA for MC during dialogues. [*] We can't upgrade or change the equipment belonging to our companions. From what I've been able to find, the cosmetic option to change NPCs' appearances is only available in the premium edition. [*] Achievements for completing the game on the highest difficulty level. [/list]

There is one thought that was always repeatedly coming to my mind while playing this game. "When will this end" This game is very good in terms of everything except the performance, but this game is lacking something fundamental that makes it unenjoyable. After playing RPGs like baldurs gate 3 and kingdom come delivernace 2 this game feels like an old gen game Also this game is horribly optimized and i want to refund it but cannot anymore. Dont buy this if you dont have the hardware to enjoy this unoptimized mess, its not worth it Update: Now im starting to get accustomed to the mechanics of the game after 25 hours. When i entered Ryngrim's Domain, it felt like a whole new game, all the content before this quest was not worth paying attention to. To be fair this game doesn't deserve a negative review because i was too early to judge the game and despite all the cons, there are many pros to play this game. The price is still not justified so buy it if you can on a discount

Ein super Spiel! Einziger Wehrmutstropfen: die Passagen in denen sehr viel geredet wird, sind ganze Brocken. Im Sinne: unausgeglichen in Hinsicht auf den gesamten Spielverlauf. Manche Spielsessions hätte ich komplett mit reden füllen können- ohne unmittelbare Angebote alternativ etwas erleben zu können. Ansonsten: Super Charakterzeichnungen! Super Story! Super Entscheidungsvielfalt! Vergleichsweise diverse Entscheidungsmöglichkeiten! Sichtbare Konsequenzen gibt es viele! Schlüssige Logiken, genügend Möglichkeiten zur Rekapitulation! Gelungenes Balancing! etc. Ansonsten könnte die Grafik ein wenig besser sein und mehr NPCs zu sehen sein. Außerdem sind die Ladezeiten teilweise extrem lange (besonders zum Spielstart, aber auch Schnellreisezeiten) Meckern nur auf hohem Niveau - abgesehen von den teilweise langen Babbelpassagen