As a seasoned gamer with over three decades of experience under my belt, I must say that Avowed has captured my heart and left me yearning for its release in 2025. With a rich history of RPGs spanning from the golden age of Baldur’s Gate to the modern masterpieces like Elden Ring, I can confidently claim that Avowed is unlike anything I’ve ever played before.
Among the perks of my profession is occasionally gaining access to sneak peeks at the development process of highly anticipated video games. I’ve had the pleasure of diving into several instances with Obsidian Entertainment’s Avowed, an upcoming semi-open world fantasy RPG set for release on Xbox and PC in early 2025. Recently, I was given another opportunity to do so: a second pre-release preview, offering me a largely unrestricted view of the game during its opening hours.
Experiencing the prologue, character customization, and initial play area of Avowed during my recent hands-on preview has only heightened my excitement for this game, leaving me eagerly awaiting my next opportunity to step into The Living Lands. I can’t wait to immerse myself in this world just like everyone else.
On the other hand, my ongoing forays into Avowed have sparked a query: Given that numerous gamers demand every fresh title to be an ambitious, groundbreaking creation that disrupts the entire gaming landscape, could it be that some may not find Avowed impressive?
My first look at character creation (that I can’t show you)
I managed to kick off a fresh game of Avowed right from the opening screen, which involved watching the prologue, customizing my character, and navigating through the beginning tutorial level. Unfortunately, I can’t demonstrate any of that as it’s still under development and has some rough patches compared to the main area I explored. However, I can discuss my first impressions of the character creator, if you’re interested.
Initially, Avowed’s recent marketing launch encountered a minor setback as its character creator initially only offered two races, humans and elves, despite the world of Eora being richly diverse. This decision was likely made to maintain consistency in player models for animations, combat, and interaction with the world. Interestingly, I found more customization options than anticipated, but they were still fewer compared to some of the most intricate character creators in gaming.
It’s true that when it comes to choosing your character’s race and body type, there are indeed only a few options available, specifically human or elf, both with feminine or masculine variations. However, the customization is quite extensive when it comes to your character’s facial features. You can select from various skin tones, hair types, colors, eye colors, facial structures, and even add markings, scars, makeup, and other details to truly make your character unique.
In addition to what I initially anticipated, there are various choices available for your divine traits. For those unfamiliar, “godlikes” denote individuals from any race who were influenced by one of Eora’s divine pantheon during gestation, inheriting some of their characteristics. Your enigmatic deity patron and the role as a godlike figure significantly impact the storyline in Avowed, allowing you to customize your godlike appearance.
In this game, you get to select one distinct feature from a range of facial and head traits. There’s an interesting blend of shapes and textures to help personalize your character’s look, although it would be even better if we could adjust the colors of each divine trait. Regardless, these divine attributes make your character stand out – uniquely, one might say. However, you have the option to hide these godlike features in-game, so they don’t influence your custom character. All NPCs within the game will still perceive you as a godlike entity and compliment your appearance, but to you, your character will appear as an ordinary human or elf.
After you finalize your character’s physical traits, you get to select their Aedyran backstory, which impacts your initial knowledge, stats, and dialogue possibilities. However, you have the flexibility to reallocate these attributes as desired at any point. There are six categories for distributing your attribute points, a setup that should feel comfortable for RPG enthusiasts.
In other contemporary RPGs such as Baldur’s Gate 3 and their ilk, the character creation tools are undeniably sophisticated or detailed. However, Avowed provided me with ample room to fashion a vibrant, distinct scholar, which I intend to recreate once the complete game is available. The fact that we didn’t get a glimpse of the character creator suggests that Obsidian might be cooking up additional features, implying that it can only improve from this point onwards.
Regarding the parts I can’t demonstrate, I don’t have much more to discuss than what I already shared in my preview. However, one of the opening cinematics truly impressed me, particularly with its stunning art direction. It first captured me with its vivid aesthetics and later left an impact with its unsettling visuals (without revealing any spoilers).
A dense, vibrant, and vertical world full of secrets
As a researcher immersed in the realm of gaming, I’ve had the privilege of sneak peeks into the latest Eora adventure, Avowed. My initial encounters were during discussions with the Avowed team about combat, companions, and choices, as well as at Gamescom 2024 where we delved deeper into gameplay and performance aspects. However, it was only during my recent exploration of The Living Lands that I truly felt unleashed. Once again, Obsidian Entertainment left me awestruck with their exceptional world-building prowess.
Following your initial encounter with the mysterious Dreamscourge plague in The Living Lands, you reach Dawnshore and are tentatively received as the recognized representative of the Aedyran Empire. Residents of The Living Lands have a reputation for being unruly and lawless, and they’ve been less than enthusiastic about the arrival of the organized empire within their territory. However, this is where your adventure starts, and it doesn’t take much time before you find yourself embroiled in trouble.
In this scenario, it seems that both the Aedyran envoy and the ruler of Dawnshore, along with the neighboring city of Paradis, have vanished without a trace. Your task now involves finding the missing Aedyran ambassador. It’s during your search that you encounter Kai, an intriguing character with azure skin who is known for his appearances in various Avowed trailers, walkthroughs, and previews.
After gaining my freedom, I didn’t delay in investigating Dawnshore and its surroundings. Although the plot didn’t allow me to venture into Paradis (the scene concludes as soon as you arrive there), I faced no other limitations. What I discovered was a world that had been intricately designed to feel both authentic and strange, which can be quite challenging to achieve. The Living Lands are vibrant in the same way that poisonous creatures are, with their lush and intense flora and fauna enhancing the diverse landscapes.
In my prior experience with Avowed, I found it largely confined beneath the ground. However, upon further exploration, I was struck by how much verticality Avowed offers – something I hadn’t quite grasped before. The movement in Avowed is delightful, featuring smooth mantling for traversal, a swift sprint, powerful dodges that are almost explosive, and even combat slides if you wish to use them. With these parkour abilities at your disposal, you can access areas usually out of reach in most games. Obsidian has made full use of this aspect by filling the world with hidden secrets and rich details.
I climbed over secured buildings to gain access via open windows and weakened roofs, left numerous groups of adversaries defenseless by assaulting from unforeseen directions and high grounds, and stumbled upon countless hidden riches within Dawnshore merely by deviating from the usual route. Obsidian has truly excelled in creating exploration engaging, not just because of what you might uncover, but also due to the stunning detail in the world’s design.
Of course, Avowed isn’t a graphical or technical showcase. Some have criticized Avowed for its colorful, pseudo-photorealistic art direction for not standing up to the AAA behemoths in the industry, but I personally love how Avowed looks. This art style is full of character and perfectly compliments the unique environments and architecture of The Living Lands. My preview was limited to 1440p rather than my monitor’s 2160p, but I cranked up every setting to the max, enabled ray tracing, and enjoyed beautiful views and smooth performance on my Lenovo Legion Tower 7i (Gen 8).
Regarding the combat aspect, it’s somewhat similar to what I encountered earlier, yet enhanced in this version as well. The actions like dodging, blocking, and parrying seem more responsive, making melee and hybrid fight styles more effective in challenging situations. The elemental status effects maintain their appealing visuals and offer numerous creative ways to utilize the battlefield. Delving deeper into the skill tree was a delight, although I wished for a few additional skills; however, it’s apparent that there’s ample room for customization when playing.
Apart from expressing my admiration for Avowed, I must mention its vibrant, neat user interfaces and exceptional audio engineering. The voice acting, ambient sounds, battle effects, and even subtle hints indicating hidden secrets create a captivating auditory experience that is distinctive and pleasing to the ear. Spending time within Avowed was incredibly enjoyable during my brief playtime, although there’s always room for improvement, which I will discuss further later on.
Playing the early stages of Avowed certainly introduced me to its engaging storyline. The tale of Avowed had me hooked (even more so after experiencing Pillars of Eternity), and it once again left me in awe of the expansive and rich fictional world of Eora. I was taken aback by the quality of the writing and narrative presentation in the first chapter of Avowed, although I didn’t discover any new details about the campaign that weren’t already known.
From my perspective, you’ll find an abundance of spoken exchanges in Avowed – if you choose to engage with them. The game offers numerous conversations, all expertly voice-acted, which significantly enriches the storytelling aspect. However, it might be a slight letdown that the choices available to the main character for dialogue are somewhat restricted. It would be helpful if conversation-advancing options were more visually distinct, as some choices can block further questions from being asked.
Made with passion, but without something to raise the bar
It’s clear to me that the team at Obsidian Entertainment is giving their absolute best in creating Avowed, which could potentially earn it the title of being their finest work. So far, my impressions of the game have been extremely positive, but I can’t guarantee that Avowed will establish a new standard for RPGs or become the talk of the gaming community for extended periods.
As a tech enthusiast, I’d say that Avowed is reminiscent of the timeless RPGs we’ve known from studios like Bethesda Softworks and Obsidian, complete with the charming quirks they’re renowned for. It may not offer the smoothest or pulse-pounding combat, the largest or most dynamic world, or the most intricate and adaptable storylines. There’s no multiplayer, no romantic subplots, no elaborate mechanics to create a breathing, living environment.
It appears that Avowed holds great potential to be a remarkable game, but it’s difficult not to compare it to renowned games such as Baldur’s Gate 3, Elden Ring, and Metaphor: ReFantazio (which I recently reviewed and currently consider as my Game of the Year). When placed alongside these iconic titles, Avowed seems to be missing that unique element that makes those legendary games so captivating and impactful within the gaming industry.
It’s apparent that some are trying to liken Avowed to Bethesda’s Starfield, suggesting it’s outdated compared to modern AAA RPGs. Initially, I can see why such comparisons are being made. However, having played both games, I must assert that within just a few hours of gameplay, Avowed has managed to captivate my heart and engagement more effectively than Starfield did.
Avowed offers a compact, carefully crafted role-playing game (RPG) experience set within the world of Eora. Each element I’ve encountered thus far exhibits thoughtful attention to detail. While it may win you over with its whimsical, vibrant characters, don’t be deceived – it can just as easily surprise you with grim, unsettling themes at unexpected moments. This unique blend of charm and darkness is not common in RPGs today, but Avowed manages to pull it off admirably, earning my appreciation for it.
Obsidian Entertainment and Xbox Game Studios might not be creating a grand epic like The Outer Worlds 2, but Avowed possesses an authentic spirit – a quality often missing in games produced by corporations targeting mainstream audiences and trends. While it remains to be seen how many will share this sentiment, I’m confident that even if I’m the only one, Avowed will still be among my top favorites of 2025 based on my experiences from two previews and interviews.
Officially announced, “Avowed” is set to debut on February 18, 2025, exclusively on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC. It will also be included in Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Xbox Cloud Gaming on launch day. Preorders for the game are now open, with three different editions available, including a limited steelbook version, through the Microsoft Store, Battle.net, and Steam. This might be the last look we get at “Avowed” before its release, so stay tuned for my full review next year.
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2024-11-21 17:10