Video Game Review: Avowed
Avowed is the new CRPG from Obsidian Entertainment, makers of The Outer Worlds, Pillars of Eternity, and Fallout New Vegas amongst others. There was a lot of rumours about this game being like The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, however, I would liken it to a game called Dark Messiah of Might and Magic (a game released in 2006 by Ubisoft).
Avowed plays as a first-person CRPG but can be toggled to 3rd person for preference (I have been playing in 1st person). So far, I have played for 12 hours, this is broken up into about 2 hours on an X-box series x, 5 Hours on an i5 Laptop with a 6Gb Nvidia RTX350, and 5 Hours on the cheapest MSI Claw available. Needless to say the Laptop graphics are the best of the three, the X-Box version is the easiest to play, and the Claw is the worst of the three (it still looks good, and apart from the odd stutter plays smoothly). Please note that I bought the game on the X-Box and so got the PC version free, the Claw seems to work 100% this way, whilst the Steam version says it is playable on Steam Deck with issues.
The official Blurb…
Welcome to the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger.
Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment.
The Living Lands is an island where the air hums with ancient magic, the flora seems to move with a mind of its own, and the ground beneath your feet shifts with secrets waiting to be Now, the Living Lands faces a dire threat—a mysterious plague that defies nature and reason, spreading chaos across its sprawling wilderness.
As an envoy of Aedyr, you are sent to investigate, but what begins as a mission of duty soon becomes deeply personal—you feel as though the land recognizes you and is pulling you toward something greater. The choices you make will ripple across the Living Lands, shaping the fates of its people, its creatures, and even yourself. But beware, for every decision carries weight, and the forces you encounter will not hesitate to test your resolve.
Can you navigate the tangled web of intrigue, power, and danger to uncover the truth? Can you save this unknown frontier and your soul from the forces threatening to tear them asunder? Unearthed.
The blurb probably tells you all you need to know to be honest. You create your character and then get caught up in a shipwreck, and then the game begins. Skill trees are between Fighter, Ranger and Wizard. You also have a Godlike Tree for powers that you pick up on your travels. Stat wise you have Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Perception, Intellect, and Resolve. As you level up you get points to put into your skill tree and/or Stats.
Weapons are the usual collection of daggers, swords, pistols, rifles etc. There are also various types of armour ranging from light to heavy. Both the weapons and armour start off as common but can be upgraded with materials you find on your adventures. There are magic items to find too, and these can be further enchanted in your camp. The higher the rating of your equipment the better damage or protection it gives.
The creatures you encounter do not scale up as you do, so it is worth trying to clear each area before you move on. Quests have a skull rating with 3 being the hardest, so avoid these if you aren’t too powerful and the skull rating will change as you level up.
There are companions that will follow you in to battle, and you can level up their skills. You also use these skills from the radial menu. They do seem to be more of a help than a hinderance, so I can’t complain about the AI.
There are chests hidden everywhere, many are on the tops of buildings. This is where parkour (the games choice of wording – looks like climbing to me) comes in handy. Some chests are locked or magically sealed. Locked chests need 1-3 lockpicks to open, while sealed ones need you to be a certain level in a skill.
The gameplay is more akin to an action RPG than anything. Unlike the likes of Skyrim you don’t gain bounty for stealing, and you cannot accidentally kill a friendly person. You fight enemies, rob anything with a glow around it, level up, increase you items, etc It is all done well, and looks gorgeous on the right machine. And when all is said and done it is great fun, and isn’t that what a game should be?
