Credit: Obsidian Entertainment
reviewReview
Avowed is a smaller RPG with a world worth exploring
May 29, 2026·6 min read
Avowed is not the giant fantasy RPG some players expected when Obsidian first revealed it. It is not Skyrim with sharper writing, and it is not a first-person version of Pillars of Eternity with every system carried across. It is smaller, stranger, and more focused than that, for better and worse.
Once I stopped expecting a huge open-world epic, I found a game with a lot of charm. Avowed works best when I am walking into a new region, poking through caves, finding odd side quests, and letting the Living Lands pull me away from the main path. It stumbles when the story asks for more weight than it can carry, and its progression systems can make exploration feel fussier than it should. But when the world opens up, the game has a bright, old-school sense of adventure that kept me moving.
The Living Lands make the best first impression
The Living Lands are the strongest part of Avowed. Each region has its own color, mood, and strange natural logic. Fungal growths, glowing caves, ruined temples, coastal settlements, overgrown paths, and dangerous wilderness give the game a strong visual identity. It does not look like a generic fantasy world, and that helps it stand apart even when the quest structure feels familiar.
Exploration has a nice rhythm. I often set out toward one objective and ended up chasing a cave entrance, a locked door, a distant ruin, or a path that looked like it might hide something useful. The game is not truly open-world, but its zones are wide enough to encourage wandering without becoming bloated. That tighter shape suits Obsidian. The best areas feel hand-built rather than stretched to fill a map.
The world also rewards curiosity often enough to make detours worthwhile. Unique gear, hidden fights, bits of lore, side stories, and small environmental details give exploration a steady pull. I did not always care about the main mystery as much as the game wanted me to, but I cared about what might be over the next ridge.
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Combat is better than I expected
The combat surprised me. First-person fantasy combat can easily feel weightless, but Avowed gives its weapons and spells enough punch to make fights enjoyable. Swords, pistols, wands, shields, bows, and magic can be mixed freely, and that flexibility gives the game a looser, more playful feel than a strict class system would have.
Magic is the highlight. Freezing enemies, throwing fire, shocking groups, or combining spells with melee attacks gives fights a satisfying pace. I liked switching between loadouts depending on the situation, especially when an encounter forced me to rethink distance, crowd control, or defense. Avowed is not a deep tactical RPG in first person, but it gives me enough tools to feel involved in each fight.
The problem is that combat becomes tied too tightly to gear upgrades. If my equipment fell behind, enemies could start feeling spongy in a way that was more annoying than challenging. That undercuts the freedom. I wanted to experiment because the tools were fun, not because the upgrade curve was pushing me into maintenance work between fights.
The story has good ideas but uneven hand
Avowed has the kind of setup that should suit Obsidian well. I arrive in the Living Lands as an envoy, sent into a politically tense region dealing with the Dream Scourge, a plague that twists people and exposes deeper conflicts around power, faith, colonization, and control. There are factions with competing interests, and the game gives me enough dialogue choices to shape how I move through those tensions.
The issue is that the main story does not always feel as sharp as the world around it. Some choices are interesting, and there are moments where the writing digs into uncomfortable questions about empire, belief, and responsibility. But the larger plot can feel oddly flat. I often understood why something mattered without feeling it land emotionally.
The side quests are more consistent. Smaller stories give the game room to be funny, strange, sad, or morally awkward without carrying the whole campaign. That is where Avowed feels closer to Obsidian’s best instincts. A local dispute, a hidden secret, or a personal request can do more for the world than another reminder that the central crisis is getting worse.
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The companions add warmth without stealing the game
The companions are useful company, even if they are not among Obsidian’s strongest cast. They bring different combat roles, comment on the world, and give the journey a more social texture. I liked having them around because they made the Living Lands feel less empty, especially during long stretches of exploration.
Kai is the easiest to warm to, with a grounded presence that helps settle the early hours. Other companions bring their own perspectives on the world’s politics, faiths, and dangers. Their personal quests add some welcome character work, though not every thread has the depth I wanted. They are good traveling partners more than unforgettable figures.
That still matters. Avowed would be a much colder game without them. Their banter, reactions, and occasional disagreements help soften the familiar structure of clearing camps, searching ruins, and returning to hubs. They rarely transform the story, but they make the road better.
Progression gets in the way too often
The weakest part of Avowed is how often progression feels more rigid than the rest of the game. The skill trees are simple enough to understand, and I liked building toward a flexible mix of magic, melee, and ranged options. But the gear system can become a drag, especially when upgrade materials and weapon tiers start deciding how smooth combat feels.
That creates a strange tension. The world invites me to explore naturally, but the upgrade curve pushes me to loot and break down everything because falling behind is expensive. I do not mind preparation in RPGs. I do mind when it starts making every chest feel like part of a supply chain.
The game is also not as reactive as it sometimes appears. There are choices, and some of them matter, but Avowed is usually more controlled than truly open-ended. That is not always a problem. A focused RPG can be stronger than a sprawling one. But the best moments made me wish the systems, consequences, and character building had a little more bite.
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Avowed is worth playing on the right terms
Avowed is not Obsidian’s deepest RPG, and it is not the grand fantasy landmark some players wanted. The main story is uneven, the companions are likable rather than exceptional, and the upgrade system puts too much pressure on a game that is more enjoyable when it feels loose.
I still think it is worth playing. The Living Lands are beautiful and strange, combat has more spark than expected, and the side quests give the world enough personality to carry the weaker parts. Players looking for a massive, endlessly reactive RPG may walk away disappointed. But if you want a colorful, compact fantasy adventure with strong exploration and a clear Obsidian flavor, Avowed has enough charm to earn the trip.
Avowed
Xbox Series X|SPC (Microsoft Windows)PlayStation 5
Released
February 18, 2025
Developer
Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher
Xbox Game Studios
Systems
Xbox Series X|S
PC (Microsoft Windows)
PlayStation 5