Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed has been near the top of the list when it comes to the most anticipated games of 2025, and that's all thanks to its honorable ambitions and the esteemed work of its Outer Worlds developer. Since it was first unveiled, Avowed has presented itself as a classic take on the fantasy RPG formula, with narrative roots deep in Obsidian's Pillars of Eternity series, a vivid, colorful, and imaginative world for players to discover, and action-packed combat designed to keep them on their toes. Now, Avowed is finally here, inviting players to the Living Lands of Eora, where they have been tasked with uncovering the mystery behind a deadly plague.
At first glance, and even after spending dozens of hours with it, there's no denying that Avowed has all the right ingredients for a great fantasy RPG with real depth and charm. Unfortunately, it ultimately feels like those ingredients haven't been cooked long enough, as what is served up feels rushed. If this is what the game intended to achieve, that would be a different story. However, it's all too clear what Avowed wants to do, which is what makes its failure to reach the heights of its own self-defined potential all the more disappointing. What Avowed does get right makes the journey worth having, but that journey largely takes place on a one-way road that doesn't do much to call players back to it in the end.
Avowed's Choice-Driven Story Climbs High to a Plateau
Lore Is the Heart of Avowed's World
Up until now, Avowed's marketing has revealed only the surface of its story, making it seem as though players are nothing more than a heroic and capable individual sent to a diseased land to investigate it. On the contrary, Avowed's story ventures much deeper than it has been letting on, and that's all due to the backdrop painted by its firmly established Pillars of Eternity lore. Furthermore, one thing Avowed specializes in and executes very well is player choice, which, when coupled with the rich lore of its world, produces a narrative that is as profound as it is compelling.
What Avowed has disclosed about its premise thus far is true — players are indeed an envoy of the Aedyran Empire who has been sent to investigate a mysterious plague known as the Dreamscourge in the Living Lands of Eora. However, upon their arrival and a major subsequent event, the Envoy finds themselves caught in the middle of a major political war for the Living Lands, with pivotal pieces moving behind the scenes that gradually come to light as the story progresses.
Avowed's narrative approach is very similar to Spiders' GreedFall, both in terms of the plot itself and its reliance on lore entries and dialogue to tell that story.
Avowed is intended to be a standalone experience, despite digging its roots into Obsidian's Pillars of Eternity series. Even so, it's not likely to feel immediately accessible to those who have never played Pillars of Eternity, as much of Avowed's introductory moments are steeped in jargon that might be enough to turn its more casual players away before things really start to take off. That being said, once Avowed begins committing itself to its own story, rather than simply being the extension of the Pillars of Eternity universe that it is, it becomes much easier for anyone with no prior knowledge of that universe to follow the game's narrative.
Choice Is the Soul of Avowed's Story
Avowed might heavily rely on lore to establish context for its story, but it depends even more on the part players have in telling that story. Avowed leans into role-playing as much as possible with its emphasis on player agency by very rarely making it clear what the "right" choice is. In fact, there really isn't ever a ''right" choice to make in Avowed, with the game's companions even frequently informing the player that what really matters is that they are secure in the decision that they've made.
Choice-driven RPGs have long been scrutinized due to their tendency to offer choices that are clearly black and white, which generally encourages players to prefer one route over another. Avowed's choices, on the other hand, are so morally ambiguous and gray that those who prefer a little more handholding might even find the whole system frustrating. The ambiguous nature of this choice system is even further perpetuated by the vast number of dialogue options available in almost every conversation, making discerning the best foot forward even more difficult.
Despite the challenge such a system may present players, however, there's a beauty in its flexibility that makes Avowed one of the more distinguished RPGs currently on the market when it comes to player choice. Instead of forcing players into its own interpretation of who the game's protagonist should be, Avowed frees players of the shackles that have been known to imprison them in other RPGs by presenting moral dilemmas where the consequences are real, but the losses either aren't immediately apparent or aren't tangible enough that one option is objectively better than another.
This is all even more realized in Avowed's companion system, as they will never leave the player if they disagree with a decision, and the lack of affinity mechanics means players don't have to worry about missing out on a potential romance or some other gameplay benefit by letting down their companions. There are several big choices to be made during Avowed's story where players will disappoint at least one of their companions, regardless of the path that they take, but that disappointment will never mature into something that negatively impacts gameplay. In this way, Avowed's companions are integral parts of the story, rather than merely being stats.
Avowed's Conclusion Leaves Much to Be Desired
Since Avowed places so much value on its story and the choices players make throughout, it would need to tie up that story and those choices in a meaningful and memorable way. After all, a story is often only as good as its ending. Unfortunately, the ending, regardless of the choices players make during the game's narrative, is very anticlimactic. Any moral stress and political tension that was built up throughout the story just sort of fizzles out at the game's conclusion, offering no chance for players to wrap things up with companions or other allies, and no opportunities to experience the state of the world beyond the finale.
I would chalk this up to the fact that, while players do get to see the ramifications of the paths they've chosen before the credits roll, those consequences are merely summarized in a "here's where they are now" slideshow kind of way, with a narrator reciting a series of expository text in the background. It might have been better for Avowed to actually allow players to experience those consequences in a more direct manner, rather than simply being told about them, whether that be through cinematics or gameplay. Instead, Avowed's ending is extremely bare-bones and almost as quick as a split-second sneeze after a prolonged inhale.
This isn't to say that players' choices don't matter in Avowed, as they absolutely do. Despite the fact that its story concludes with nothing more than a slideshow of images detailing the effects of those decisions, the impact of player choice in Avowed is still present and accounted for. In that sense, Avowed should appeal to the hardcore side of its role-playing demographic, but that ultimately does nothing for those wanting a little more meat on the bone.
It's also strange that a role-playing game aiming to reach the depths that Avowed does is without a New Game Plus mode, especially considering its emphasis on player choice and build diversity. Even some kind of endgame would have been fitting for Avowed, as there's no way for players to go back out into the world after they complete the story. Avowed's concluding sequence even rewards players handsomely with plenty of crafting materials and other valuables that are essentially pointless because they can't be used at any point after that. That ultimately makes any looting done after Avowed's point of no return a waste of time, which would be better received as an oversight but doesn't feel like one.
Finally, while a game's length is not indicative of its quality, Avowed probably could have been a bit longer. My playthrough took me close to 50 hours, and that's after doing almost every side quest and thoroughly exploring each region. I'd imagine it's possible to rack up around 60 hours, depending on playstyle, but it's the gameplay-narrative imbalance that ultimately throws everything off. By itself, the story feels pretty short for a modern AAA RPG, and that's likely due to how much attention was given to Avowed's open areas and its plentiful optional activities. More specifically, while it would make sense for completionists to spend around 60 hours doing everything in Avowed, the story is probably no more than half that length.
Avowed didn't need to be longer just to be longer; there's a specific reason I'm bringing this up, and it has to do with the game's companions. Although players can spend as much time as they want engaging in dialogue with their companions in Avowed, it truly does end up feeling like a band of strangers got together to save the world, but they never really invested in one another and therefore remained strangers until the very end. I found it difficult to get behind comments from Avowed's companions about "everything we've been through," simply because it didn't feel like we'd been through very much at all. A longer story might have allowed more time for those relationships (and the companions themselves) to be further fleshed out.
There is also only one companion quest Avowed, and while it's one of the best quests in the game, it would have been nice to do the same for every other companion.
Avowed's Gameplay Is at Odds With Itself
Avowed's Combat Is a Breath of Fresh Air for First-Person RPGs
It's interesting that one of the biggest points of criticism when Avowed first started showing more of its gameplay was its combat because that has turned out to be one of its best features. Very rarely do first-person RPGs have combat that is as fast-paced and involved as Avowed's, and that includes its melee combat. In fact, even though Obsidian has made it clear that Avowed's "situational combat" would keep players on their toes and punish them for relying too much on one playstyle, the game does its best to keep things as close-quarters as possible, giving its melee combat more time to shine than any other playstyle.
Almost every enemy in Avowed fights aggressively, and they will zero in on the player in mobs the moment they get a chance. I personally found it difficult early on to fight with ranged weapons for this reason, but as combat becomes more complex, Avowed's firearms and magic playstyles shine. As Avowed's story neared its conclusion, however, I had the chance to craft the best sword and arquebus in the game, and my playstyle immediately shifted as a result.
Very rarely do first-person RPGs have combat that is as fast-paced and involved as Avowed's, and that includes its melee combat.
Every hit in Avowed packs a punch, whether that hit is coming from the player or an enemy. While bosses and tougher enemies can feel a bit spongy at times, there is an impact to Avowed's combat overall that is thoroughly satisfying and adds to the chaotic scramble that most of the game's combat scenarios quickly become. Whether players choose to play more tanky, more like a dodging rogue, or as a spellcaster who prefers to keep their distance, Avowed's combat is a fast-paced frenzy not regularly seen in first-person RPGs.
Avowed's Skill System Falls Short of Its Ambition
One of the most appealing elements of Avowed's gameplay ahead of its release has undoubtedly been the potential it seems to hold for an unprecedented degree of build diversity with its skills. This is largely on account of the fact that players can select skills from three different RPG class archetypes — Fighter, Ranger, and Wizard — without being restricted to a single one. That aspect of Avowed's skill system is firmly in place and functions the way it is meant to. However, there are a couple of roadblocks that prevent players from having the full extent of freedom that Avowed proposes, with its leveling speed being chief among them.
Initially, it's fairly easy to gain levels in Avowed, with each level offering players a skill point they can use to unlock an active or passive ability from the skill tree of their choice. Unfortunately, the rate at which players gain a new level in Avowed significantly decreases over time, until it is eventually out of harmony with the rate at which the game's story progresses.
By the time I arrived at the final boss fight in Avowed, I had done almost everything there is to do in the game and had only reached Level 27, meaning I had acquired only 26 points to spend on Avowed's three skill trees. While that may sound like plenty, there are 70 skills to unlock in Avowed, and almost every single one of them has at least three upgrade tiers, each of which costs a skill point. To unlock and upgrade everything in the game would cost over 200 points, and while it would be nonsensical for the game to allow players to acquire that many, the unbalanced proportion of skills to skill points earned nonetheless leaves Avowed's potential for build diversity largely unmet.
Instead of being able to have a true hybrid build in Avowed, I essentially had to focus my investments on one of its archetypes, all while picking up only two or three skills from the other two trees. Since I wanted to fully upgrade the abilities I liked, that meant spending even more points on those skills, thereby leaving me less to distribute elsewhere.
This is also yet another area where Avowed would have benefited from a New Game Plus, as players would not only have been able to play through the story again and make different choices, but they would have had the opportunity to acquire more skill points and experiment with their builds even more. It is possible to respec abilities and attributes in the game at any point, but doing so costs money — which is required by Avowed's gear upgrade system and its merchants on top of that. As such, players can't be expected to respec their character countless times throughout the game until they get the build they want, but they don't really have a choice.
Avowed's World Is Beautiful but Repetitive
By far, one of the most memorable characteristics of Avowed, even in its marketing ahead of release, is its vivid and breathtaking world. Avowed isn't open world, but it does have five sizable open areas that are chock-full of opportunities for discovery, and the fact that each area is nice to look at is a huge bonus. From the moment players step into Avowed's first region, they might find it difficult to stay on the beaten path, as the surrounding environments are likely to beckon them to no end.
However captivating these areas may be, though, it doesn't take long for them to feel repetitive in their gameplay design. At least by the time they arrive in the third region, players may start to feel the fatigue that often accompanies actual open-world games, as each of Avowed's regions has been designed to behave the same way, with little more than their environments and personal stories to distinguish them.
Each region in Avowed has a considerable number of side quests for players to complete, as well as around five bounties that see them hunting down specific monsters in the world. The side quests are more than worth doing, as they not only offer compelling optional stories for players to experience, but they also naturally progress the broader world and narrative in unique ways. However, exploration is largely where these regions fall short, as it merely involves looting as many crafting materials as possible from vegetation, chests, and enemy mobs. In other words, Avowed's five regions may all have a different coat of paint, but they are still the same house.
Avowed does have a refreshing approach to collectibles, luring players in with audio cues rather than displaying them on the map.
One thing that does make Avowed's exploration more fun than it might have been otherwise is its polished and responsive parkour system. Players shouldn't feel bogged down by slow climbing mechanics or unresponsive ledge grabs, as Avowed ensures they can move through the world freely and swiftly. Avowed's exploration also takes advantage of its parkour system by frequently providing more than one route to an area. For instance, players might be able to climb on top of a roof to get inside a building, but they could also pick the lock on the door instead if they wanted to.
Avowed's Jank Is Both Charming and Frustrating
As any old-fashioned RPG should, Avowed has plenty of jank — some of it charming, the rest of it frustrating. The charming bits are things like the ability players have to explore parts of the map that aren't intended to be explored, simply due to Avowed's excellent parkour mechanics. However, the more frustrating aspects involve some intense immersion-breaking bugs that can either lead to humor or bitterness.
For example, during my playthrough of Avowed, I bore witness to everything from enemies teleporting across the map to conversations abruptly ending upon me selecting a line of dialogue. One quest took me to a chest that could only be unlocked with a key obtained from a specific NPC, but upon completing the quest, the NPC told me they were planning to give me the armor in the chest but that I had already opened it. I was permanently locked out of the chest from there. Other instances were more frustrating, like side quests that would eventually break and become unfinishable, leaving me with no choice but to swallow my pride as a completionist and move on.
Chances are, Obsidian will have a lot of this ironed out through Avowed's early access period starting on February 13, and if not then, shortly after. At the same time, Obsidian has noted that jank is just an expected part of games like Avowed, so perhaps only the most frustrating, game-breaking parts will be fixed. It's things like this that deserve a bit more grace in the gaming industry, as it's ultimately a game's design that can truly make or break it.
Avowed Still Has a Future Ahead of It
Avowed is a game that carries immense potential but ultimately struggles to fully realize it. The foundation is solid — its richly detailed world, morally complex choice system, and dynamic combat mechanics set it apart as an ambitious RPG with plenty to offer. Yet, for every strength Avowed puts on display, there is an equally present shortcoming that hinders its ability to truly excel. Its commitment to player agency is admirable, but the narrative payoff is underwhelming. Its combat is fast and satisfying, but its skill system feels immensely underutilized. Its world is vibrant and steeped in lore, yet its exploration quickly becomes repetitive. These contradictions make Avowed an intriguing but ultimately inconsistent experience, one that feels more like a first step toward something greater rather than a fully fleshed-out masterpiece.
While Avowed's successes should not be overlooked, its shortcomings highlight the need for refinement later on. If nothing else, Obsidian has something worthwhile here that might actually reach its full potential if it were given a sequel. As it stands currently, however, it is a game that will likely resonate most with dedicated RPG fans who appreciate the weight of moral decision-making but may leave others feeling like their journey through the Living Lands was cut short just as it was beginning to hit its stride.
Reviewed on PC
- Platform(s)
- Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- Released
- February 18, 2025
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Xbox Game Studios
Pros & Cons
- Satisfying First-Person Gameplay
- Compelling Dialogue System
- Choices Matter
- Anticlimactic Story
- Repetitive Exploration
- Underutilized Skill System
- Immersion-Breaking Bugs
Avowed is available on February 18 for PC and Xbox Series X|S, with its Premium Edition granting early access to the game on February 13. Game Rant was provided a PC code for this review.
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