Five years after its announcement at the Xbox Showcase in July 2020, Avowed is finally coming to Xbox Series and PC: is players' patience being properly rewarded? Developed by the Obsidian Entertainment studio (Pillars of Eternity, The Outer Worlds, Grounded…), this new RPG has all the ingredients for a perfect recipe, at least on paper. This game takes the acclaimed fantasy universe of the Pillars of Eternity saga and offers it new opportunities to shine thanks to first-person action gameplay and a storyline tailored for an immersive single-player experience. Add to that a convincing artistic direction and increasingly advanced role-playing elements to obtain a title with phenomenal promises.
But what about the controller in hand? Obsidian lives up to its reputation and once again proves its expertise with an RPG that already promises to enter the pantheon of the genre. Avowed will be coming to Xbox Series and PC on February 18, while owners of the premium version can enjoy it in early access starting today. If you're still hesitant to try the adventure despite the title's presence in the Ultimate and PC packages of Xbox Game Pass, here are three reasons to get started without further delay.
The perfect mix between Skyrim and Baldur's Gate III
You can't wait any longer for The Elder Scrolls VI and you've already completed several runs of Baldur's Gate III in the absence of a new favorite of the genre? Avowed arrives just in time to satisfy all your desires for adventure. It doesn't take more than a few hours of play to realize how much Obsidian's latest game has mastered its formula to perfection. In fact, the first mission - which also serves as a tutorial - is already enough to put stars in our eyes by setting the tone for the grandiose adventure to come. In this introductory sequence, the game naturally guides us through the main aspects of the game: combat, infiltration, exploration and dialogues.
Avowed will please Skyrim aficionados thanks to its first-person gameplay, enhanced by a combat system that is both rhythmic and strategic. No RPG of this kind has yet managed to offer such a variety of movements and abilities for the different weapon archetypes. Special mention for the magic wand and tome combo that gives the impression of playing a Harry Potter FPS. Fans of Baldur’s Gate III will be delighted to discover an RPG with an equally well-crafted narrative, with rather familiar choice and characteristic mechanics. The voice performances of the NPCs are more than convincing and greatly contribute to reinforcing the immersion offered by this game. It doesn't take long to understand that Avowed is a role-playing game full of resources ready to draw us into its universe.
Choices that matter
From the character creation interface, Avowed shows that the player is free to decide his destiny. In addition to its many appearance customization options, this first menu offers essential first narrative and gameplay choices. By choosing the main character's past, the game assigns us characteristic points (which can be redistributed by the most experienced adventurers) and unlocks future dialogue options related to this personal story. From the first exchanges of the game, the player can decide to respond to NPCs by following this predefined character trait or take a completely different path.
The dialogues systematically offer a wide variety of responses that have an immediate impact on the situation at hand. The interlocutors can be offended, agree with you, and much more. If Avowed manages to charm us so quickly, it is above all because the experience it offers seems sincere and natural. Don't feel like being a pure-hearted hero? Feel free to pursue this quest with a lot of questionable choices worthy of an antagonist. Even though Obsidian has woven a clear red thread for this adventure, the weight of the decisions is truly felt and suggests a replayability worthy of the best CRPGs.
A good dose of accessibility and comfort
Although extremely popular today, RPGs still often tend to meet the specific needs of a gaming audience experienced, leaving budding adventurers who can’t catch up on years of training and knowledge on the sidelines. But Avowed finds a way to satisfy all player profiles thanks to numerous accessibility options. Everyone can configure the game to their liking (difficulty, specific needs related to vision or hearing disorders, etc.) to live the experience that suits them best. The Obsidian teams have also made a lot of efforts on the narrative structure side to make this adventure an ideal first step into the world of Eora. Whether you are familiar with this universe through Pillars of Eternity or not, you will be able to enjoy the story without ever feeling lost.
Avowed also manages to break the cliché of boring RPGs by offering clear and easy-to-navigate interfaces – both with a controller and with a keyboard and mouse – as well as varied and understandable skills from the first moments of play. No need to wait halfway through the adventure and spend hours reading spell descriptions to have fun bombarding enemies with elemental projectiles and other powers. Also note the possibility of switching from one arsenal to another with a simple press of a button, allowing you to play both magician and barbarian in the same fight. However, players on higher difficulties will have to pay attention to the smallest details of their arsenal to emerge victorious from the most complex confrontations. The heart of Avowed is to offer an experience as convincing, immersive and modular as a tabletop RPG, with the ambitions of the biggest video game blockbusters: and the bet is successful.
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