Avowed

What a fun Game so far! Having a blast searching every off path tracks for loot and the fighting in the game feels really responsive and unique.

Scratching that skyrim itch. Much better combat and a 'chosen one' story full of politics and existential questions that you are tasked with answering.

Avowed is a fun RPG on its own, no-brainer if you're a fan of the world of Eora and Pillars of Eternity. [h1]Review[/h1] The Living Lands is a great setting, and I thought thematically the transition from isometric to first-person, with an emphasis on exploration, made a lot of sense given the themes of the game. You're essentially breaking the frontier of wild lands, in a gameplay loop that asks you to explore to your heart's content. I personally think this thematic consistency between gameplay loop and the world being presented is the best thing in the game. That said, because it's my favourite thing about the game, it's also where I'm the most critical. Avowed asks you to explore if you want to engage with the world the way it's intended, which makes sense given that for the most part these are wild lands. My criticism lies in the rewards for exploring. You'll be doing some platforming, finding hidden pathways, and solving small environmental puzzles, among other things, to loot unique items, and that's it. Don't get me wrong, I love looting, but I'm playing an RPG set in Eora by Obsidian and I often found myself asking why this item is here. What the background is for finding this unique accessory on this skeleton after going through a platforming section (Bear with me. After dozens of unique items looted, it's hard to keep track of the exact way I got that accessory). To be fair, you do get some lore here and there, mostly if you're exploring within a designated quest dungeon (looking at you, Maxim Vidarro), but it's far too little for a studio that is phenomenal at world-building. Ultimately, I wish the exploration were better tied into the world-building, either through environmental storytelling or stronger ties to questlines, even at the cost of a few dozen unique items. The other systems in Avowed I found serviceable. Character progression is very standard, nothing memorable. I think the simplification of the Pillars of Eternity classes doesn't do the game any favours. Your class isn't part of who you are as the Envoy. It's just a system for combat. Playing on Path of the Damned, I found very few perks that actually allowed for player expression in a fun way and I honestly thought it was one of the weaker parts of the game. Attributes are a bit more relevant since they actually affect how you interact with the world and come with some nice effects in combat. Companions are both an improvement in how you interact with them and underwhelming in terms of how they exist in the world and their narrative progression (with the exception of Kai). I really like that they feel like they live in the world, and you get these casual interactions where you get to know them. It's a very different flavour of companion if you're familiar with how they worked in Pillars, where every interaction meant advancing their plot. In Avowed you actually get to know them, just chat and vibe, which I really liked, even if the delivery and tone often leaned funnier and more sarcastic than I would've prefered. I also liked how they'd remark on my actions, even remembering things I'd done hours earlier. That said, I thought their character arcs were pretty underwhelming. Obsidian played it very safe with their motivations, to the point where they stick by you even when you take actions that go directly against what they stand for (which you know, because you've gotten to know them). There's one exception to their reactivity, but more on that later. Mechanically, outside of Kai's taunt abilities, I don't think companions add much to the gameplay. The story was actually quite nice, and I enjoyed some of the side quests and how they build the world. I do think the game's themes are handled a bit too safely. I can't help but draw comparisons to the same themes in Pillars 1 and 2, where I think the writing was more ambitious and took a more grounded, realistic approach. That said, I think playing it safe works for this setting, where everything leans more towards a humorous heroic adventure. For that reason, I do find that one of the routes for the story is a bit undercooked. There are essentially two paths you can take with some nuance here and there, but the escalation and consequence for one of them is so underwhelming and heavily backloaded (literally final thirty minutes of the game) that I almost would prefer I didn't have that option for a more fleshed out singular path with deeper exploration of the themes in the game. [h1]Veredict[/h1] I loved my time with Avowed. It definitely exceeded my expectations, especially given the discourse around the game. I hope the Avowed 2 they're secretly cooking up does come around someday. It's a solid 83/100 for me.