Avowed Game Review: A Stunning New RPG 

Obsidian Entertainment is back with Avowed, a first-person RPG set in the world of Pillars of Eternity. Known for their rich storytelling and deep role-playing mechanics, Obsidian promises an expansive fantasy adventure filled with magic, choice-driven gameplay, and immersive combat. But does Avowed live up to the studio’s reputation, or does it fall into the trap of being just another open-world RPG?

In this review, we’ll dive into the game’s world-building, combat, and narrative depth to see if it delivers a compelling experience. Whether you’re a long-time fan of Pillars of Eternity or just looking for your next RPG fix, we’ll break down what Avowed gets right—and where it might miss the mark. Let’s explore whether this adventure is worth your time.

The Story

Avowed is set in the world of Eora, previously explored in the Pillars of Eternity series. You won’t get to explore the whole Pillars of Eternity world, though. This game is limited  to the untamed regions called The Living Lands. 

You’ll take on the role of a Godlike—a being touched by the deities of Eora—serving as the envoy of the Aedyran Empire. Your mission is to investigate a mysterious plague called the Dreamscourge, which is ravaging the land, causing madness and bizarre, mushroom-like growths among its victims. This journey will have you navigating a world teeming with political intrigue, moral dilemmas, and supernatural phenomena.

The Living Lands are depicted as a vast, open-world environment, characterized by its vibrant ecosystems and diverse cultures. If you’re familiar with the lore of Eora, this game will give you a better understanding of its history. But even if you’re new, Avowed is an excellent entry point for other games set in this world. 

And while the story itself is pretty typical for a western RPG, it does shine when it comes to the characters and their storylines, as well as the lore. 

Now, the choices you make are really important — but not always. If you ever played a game like this before, you’ll be able to predict when your choice will come to impact the ending. This usually happens before you’re about to enter a new area or progress the main quest. However, keep in mind that some of the smaller decisions can also make a difference. You might cast a spell that kills someone inadvertently and end up hated for it. Or you might make a dialogue choice that impacts the outcome of a side quest. 

But all of the choices you have along the way do make this game quite replayable in my opinion. In the end, you’ll be able to get a glimpse of what other things could have happened had you made a different decision at one point, which will definitely make you want to replay. 

Companions

Throughout your adventure, you’ll meet a cast of compelling companions, each with their own backstories and motivations. Building relationships with these characters can influence the narrative and outcomes of various quests. 

• Kai is an Aumaua fighter who’s also a former member of the Rauatai navy and is now a mercenary. Their weapons are a saber and a pistol. You’ll get to meet Kai once you complete the “Message from Afar” quest
• Marius is a human hunter assassin specialized in ranged attacks. You’ll meet him at the Grinning Balarok as you progress through the main quest (and enter the city of Paradis). 
• Giatta is a human animancer that will play a support role in your team. You’ll meet her during the “Ancient Scroll” quest — she’ll be arguing with Governor Vidarro in Fior mes Ivérno, the main city of Emerald Stair.
• Yatzli is an elf wizard that can dispel illusions. You’ll meet her near Emerald Stair, but you won’t be able to recruit her immediately — she’ll join your party later on, as you progress through the “Face Your Fears” quest. 

Once you recruit your companions, you can always keep two of them with you, and send the others to camp. Keep in mind that your team composition will likely influence the outcomes of your battles and progress, so choose carefully. 

And while you can’t romance characters in Avowed, you can definitely become good friends with them and form deep relationships. Spend a lot of time in camp and talk to the companions to find out about their lives and discover unique personal quests (which can help your main quests and influence the outcomes of your game). 

For me personally, some of the relationships felt a little shallow, and I would have loved an option to romance the characters, but I also understand why it didn’t happen here. 

Character Customization

Diving into Avowed’s character creation is like opening a box of possibilities—there’s a lot to play with, even if it’s not the most exhaustive editor out there.

You can choose between being human or elf, and then tweak your character’s look with various presets and sliders. Some of the presets can be a bit on the quirky side, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but with a bit of tweaking, you can craft a character that truly stands out.

One of the standout aspects is the Godlike features—unique, often otherworldly traits that can make your character look quite distinctive. These can range from ethereal glows to intricate patterns of mushrooms or horns. 

If they’re not to your liking, you can choose to make them invisible in your view, though NPCs will still see them and might comment on them.

You can also choose a background and this isn’t just for flavor; it influences your starting attributes and can open up unique dialogue options. The available backgrounds include:

• Arcane Scholar
• Court Augur
• Noble Scion
• Vanguard Scout
• War Hero

Each background not only shapes your character’s backstory but also affects how the world perceives and interacts with you. 

Combat

The combat in Avowed is a fun blend of strategic planning and fast-paced action. The game offers a variety of combat styles, and it’ll work for you whether you like close combat, ranged attacks, or spellcasting. 

Plus, you can play it both in the first person and third person perspective (or switch when you want to), so if you have motion sickness or just prefer one over the other, Avowed has you covered. 

Melee combat is all about timing and positioning—there’s a satisfying weight to each blow, and you’ll need to stay alert, as enemies can quickly swarm you. The game rewards you for learning enemy patterns and striking at the right moment, keeping you engaged in every fight.

For ranged combat, Avowed provides a selection of bows, crossbows, and firearms, allowing you to pick off enemies from afar. There’s a real sense of satisfaction when you line up the perfect shot or snipe an enemy from a distance.

Then there’s magic, which is where Avowed really shines. The spellcasting system feels rich and flexible, offering you a wide range of spells to choose from. Whether you want to cast fireballs, summon shields, or control the elements, magic adds a layer of tactical depth. You can mix spells with physical combat, creating some really dynamic and rewarding combos in battle.

Combat also has a fluidity to it, allowing you to seamlessly switch between melee, ranged, and magic on the fly. The ability to adjust your combat style depending on the situation—whether it’s switching to a ranged weapon when an enemy is too far away or casting a quick spell to heal—makes each encounter feel dynamic.

One thing I really loved here is that the enemies don’t respawn, so you won’t have to kill them over and over again if you need to revisit an area. But this is also a double-edged sword because then those areas feel empty. 

The enemy variety is pretty good and what you’d normally expect. Some of the bosses are really challenging, while some of the mobs feel repetitive after a while. But no challenge is insurmountable, and with all the quests and exploration you can do, it doesn’t get boring. 

Resource Management

An integral aspect of Avowed’s combat system is resource management. Upgrading your weapons and armor requires crafting materials such as wood, leather, and metal ingots. The scarcity of certain resources adds a layer of strategy to the game, as you’ll need to scavenge and manage your materials wisely to maintain and enhance your gear.

It’s not just about having enough resources; it’s about making smart decisions on what to prioritize. Whether it’s the basic metals for armor or rare herbs for crafting potions, every resource serves a purpose.

What I loved about the resource management system is that it doesn’t try to inconvenience you unnecessarily. You can easily send stuff to camp from anywhere, and food and materials are weightless. Plus, the amount of ammo and arrows is unlimited, so you won’t have to worry about that. 

The game’s crafting system is straightforward but rewarding, with crafting recipes that require a mix of common and rarer materials. Some materials are more difficult to find, so resource management isn’t just about quantity—it’s about knowing when to spend and when to hold onto your items for more crucial upgrades.

Inventory space is also something to manage carefully, as you’ll only have so much room. You’ll have to balance collecting everything you can with keeping your bag light enough for exploration. Fortunately, there are options for storing excess items in your base, which makes it easier to manage without feeling overloaded.

Exploration 

Exploring the Living Lands in Avowed is something that’s really worth your time. The game is designed with “open zones”—expansive, handcrafted areas that invite thorough exploration. Each zone is rich with hidden treasures, side quests, and environmental storytelling that reward your curiosity. 

Almost every quest can be initiated in multiple ways, so you can wander and discover paths that might not be immediately obvious. And what this means is that you can play Avowed many times in many different ways without ever feeling bored. 

You’ll see a variety of environments, from open fields and meadows to more challenging terrains. Avowed also has a dynamic day-night cycle and some events or quests can only be done during a certain time of day, which makes it all the more fun. 

In general, Avowed is the type of game that you want to explore fully. Every nook and cranny has different rewards and mysteries. Plus, everything is rewarded — the more you explore, the more you get to understand the world and find new things to do.

Quests

There are different types of quests you’ll get once you start playing Avowed. 

To begin with, your primary journey kicks off with “On Strange Shores,” where you find yourself shipwrecked and thrust into the mysteries of the Living Lands. As you progress, missions like “Message from Afar” and “The Animancy Method” deepen the plot, introducing you to key characters and pivotal decisions. I really enjoyed the main storyline and quest.

If you like exploring the world a bit more, you can also play the side quests. These will mostly give you more knowledge about the world, the characters, and the people of the Living Lands. They’re fun and they’ll give you some great rewards. 

Companions like Kai and Marius bring their own stories and quests. Engaging in their personal missions not only strengthens your bond but also unveils new facets of the game’s world. Playing these can influence your companion’s arcs. 

And if you’re up for a challenge, you can also do bounties and treasure map quests. 

Graphics and Audio

If there’s one thing Avowed nails right out of the gate, it’s atmosphere. That first cutscene? Gorgeous. It plays out like a living storybook, all hand-painted and rich with lore, setting the tone for what’s to come. The art direction is stunning—cinematic, detailed, and bursting with personality. The way light filters through the dense forests or flickers against ancient ruins makes every scene feel alive.

Characters? They look fantastic. Their designs are intricate, and their animations—whether in combat or just standing around—are impressively smooth. No stiff, robotic movements here; everything flows naturally, making fights feel satisfying and the world more immersive.

As for the audio, the music and ambient sounds do their job well, but they’re not always memorable. It’s atmospheric and fitting, but don’t expect a Baldur’s Gate 3 level of earworm melodies.

Final Thoughts

While Avowed isn’t a ground-breaking RPG, it’s definitely a great one. It has elements from other RPGs that we know and love, plus a fantastic cast of characters and a memorable story. It not only looks good, but it plays well too, and the tight focus when it comes to the world and combat that the developers went with only makes it more enjoyable.

I did experience a crash or two while playing, and some really (really) slow loading, which was frustrating, but didn’t ruin my enjoyment of this game at all. 

So, if you’re up for an RPG that’s both a little nostalgic and fresh, I highly recommend Avowed. 

FAQs

Is Avowed available on PlayStation?

No, Avowed is not currently available on PlayStation. Will it be available in the future? No one is sure, but we’re optimistic with the current Microsoft direction of enabling ports for consoles, so it might happen eventually.  

However, you can play it on PC and XBox. 

How many hours long is Avowed? 

Officially, Avowed is around 25 hours long — but that’s if you breeze through all the quests and ignore a lot of exploration and side quests. If you want a more balanced experience and to really get your money’s worth out of it, you have around 60 hours of really tight, great gameplay. 

Is Avowed an open world game? 

Avowed isn’t strictly an open-world game in the traditional sense, but it does feature large, open zones that give you a lot of freedom to explore. The world is divided into these expansive, detailed areas where you can roam, discover hidden secrets, and engage with the environment.