Avowed review: not quite Skyrim, but much stranger

It would be easy to assume that Avowed is merely Obsidian Entertainment's take on Skyrim, given that it's also a first-person fantasy role-playing game - and it arguably fills a certain void since there's been a nary a peep on what's happening with The Elder Scrolls 6. That would however be a reductive take, as it's really a spin-off of the studio's acclaimed Pillars of Eternity series, also set in the same fantasy world of Eora, but given the AAA treatment and realised in breathtaking detail with Unreal Engine 5.

This isn't however Obsidian's first stab at such an ambitious undertaking, having developed cult favourite Fallout: New Vegas as well as sci-fi action RPG The Outer Worlds in the past, the latter being quite comparable as Avowed's world is also made up of large but self-contained maps rather than one vast seamless open world.

Avowed isn't the kind of huge immersive world that you're going to find yourself spending hundreds of hours or years in, but you will however find yourself adventuring to a variety of locales with a diverse cast of characters from different walks of life, political persuasions and substantial backstories.

It may feel like I'm trying to spend the start of this review explaining what Avowed isn't, but I do think once you're able to unshackle certain preconceptions then you'll find this to be a very imaginative and enjoyable action RPG that retains a lot of the character-driven quests and tough decision-making that Obsidian's always excelled at in its own right, just played out on a richer and more beautiful canvas.

Avowed review: welcome to the Living Lands

There's a fair bit to unpack when Avowed begins but you basically play as the Envoy, a customisable avatar who's been sent by the Aedyran empire to the Living Lands, a region that's been ravaged by a strange plague referred to as the Dreamscourge that's slowly making its victims lose their minds, turning into hreamthrall. Think of it a bit like The Last of Us's infected as it's also manifests itself in a fungal and flowery way, though a bit more metaphysical in that it's a plague of the soul as much as it is the mind and body.

What's strange or perhaps just a coincidence is that you almost resemble these hreamthrall as your protagonist is a godlike, a being blessed by a mysterious god, but which also manifests in unusual physical traits that means people either revere or revile you. While you do have the choice not to have this condition made visible if you don't want it getting in the way of your own painstaking character creation, but people will still react to you as a godlike.

Complicating matters is the strange voice inside your head, as well as how the empire you're serving will clearly have you questioning 'are we the baddies?', not to mention other people you will meet who have their own agendas. It all makes for an intriguing role-playing set-up with plenty of mystery and dilemmas.

Avowed review: godlike power and wonder

Of course, choices aren't just for the narrative but also in how you play Avowed. As you level up, you will gain ability and character points, the first granting you new abilities or passive perks while the latter increases different attributes like might or intellect (these incidentally also might give you new ways to respond in certain conversations).

But the most flexible part of the game is how you choose to wield weapons. For instance, you needn't have a sword and shield, why not dual-wield a melee weapon with a spell, mix and match a sword with mace, or opt for two-handed weapons like a bow or great sword? Better still, setting up a secondary weapon loadout means you can switch between weapon styles quite easily even in the middle of battle.

Combat is a lot less clunkier than The Elder Scrolls, and during fights against tougher enemies, it's very pleasing to gradually max out their stagger gauge so that you can land a punishing critical attack. Yet Avowed seems to also take this as an excuse to stretch its mechanics a bit more than you might like.

At times it can get quite overwhelming, especially as enemies do not scale to you, so the onus is on you to not only grind XP to get stronger but also find or upgrade your gear. Quest and enemies are at least marked with skulls to indicate just how tough they're going to be with your current loadout.

But even with up to two AI-controlled companions to back you up, who you can also issue commands to by temporarily pausing the action, some battles can get so relentless when you have to deal with wave after wave of enemies that it becomes a bit of a slog in the latter half, and you'd be forgiven for wanting to turn the difficulty down. It's also worth opting for third-person mode just to be able to see better when you're being surrounded in skirmishes, although this has to be switched via a menu option rather than in-game.

Avowed review: the fine art of choices

Despite quite a focus on action and combat, which may have accounted for me favouring a more physical and might-based build, violence isn't always the answer. True to Obsidian's style, many quests offer multiple solutions and choices, and you'll find yourself torn in dilemmas where whatever you decide it's almost certainly going to upset someone or have unintended consequences. It's very much the kind of RPG where you'll be tempted to make multiple saves just so you can go and see what the other outcome would have been.

Exploration is just as important as well, which also helps that you'll automatically clamber up edges while platforming. In other ways, it's also less immersive than other RPGs as you're free to pilfer items in someone's house or pick locks without anyone batting an eyelid, while swinging your sword at a random person in town won't yield any response.

That's not to say the world isn't absorbing in its own right, even if there are fewer locations than the world map suggests. There's a vibrant colour to the Living Lands' environments, from the sunny climes of Dawnshore to the scorching wilderness of Scattersharp, and underground dungeons giving off an ethereal glow, that makes it more fantastical than a lot of fantasy games trying to stick to a more grounded and realistic (read dull) palette.

That doubly goes for your companions who take the form of different colourful races that also hail from the Pillars of Eternity universe. While you don't have the option to romance anyone (though one character who's already spoken for does enjoy being a bit flirtatious), they each have their own arcs and backstories filled with past regrets that's worth delving into, from conversations when you have some downtime when resting at a camp, which also reveal companion-specific quests that develop over the course of the story.

Anyone expecting a Skyrim beater should probably temper their expectations as Avowed isn't operating on the same epic scale, and indeed you can mainline its story in about 20 hours, though its myriad choices make it worth replaying to see how different choices or play-styles might affect your journey. It's nonetheless a fun and flavourful fantasy fling.

Avowed review: verdict

Avowed may not reinvent the RPG wheel or be the next game that takes over your life but it still does a good job of giving the Pillars of Eternity universe the AAA treatment. With flexible action-packed combat, vibrant world and characters, and engaging moral dilemmas, it's a blast while it lasts.