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Review: Avowed
When I first stepped into Avowed's wondrous world during my preview, I was mesmerized by its ever-changing combat system and breathtakingly beautiful world. I was sure that it would have the makings of one of the best RPGs of 2025, and now that statement holds true with my full playthrough. Obsidian Entertainment has once again released a masterpiece, continuing the phenomenon that is the Pillars of Eternity series. Although Avowed isn't the third entry of the series that we had hoped for, it still captures the look and feel of this franchise by bringing us back to the enchanting world of Eora. Even if you aren't familiar with Eora and the events of POE, you don't have to worry about getting lost in its lore, as Avowed is more or less considered a standalone piece. Avowed begins like any other dark fantasy, where the threat of great evil plagues the world, corrupting animals, people, and the Living Lands. As both a Godlike and the Envoy of Aedyr, you must use your deity powers to end a contagion known as "Dreamscourge." Image via Obsidian Entertainment Avowed (PC, Xbox Series X|S [reviewed]) Developer: Obsidian Entertainment Publisher: Xbox Game Studios Released: February 18, 2025 MSRP: $69.99 You can think of Dreamscourge as a zombified fungal plague with a fantasy twist, similar to The Last of Us' Clickers, but slightly more colorful. While their designs are pretty grotesque to look at (that opening shot of an infected creature still haunts me), there is some beauty in it. Particularly, the Godlike features shown in character customization allow you to use this fungal-like design to create a hero unlike any other. This mechanic alone is one of the reasons why Avowed's customization is different from other games, placing vibrant spores on your face and hair. It can be a bit distracting, but fortunately, you can turn it off to get a good old-fashioned RPG character look, should you wish. There are classic role-playing backgrounds, from an Arcane Scholar to a War Hero. Each origin story heavily influences the dialogue choices you get, which can either benefit you or lead to some trouble. Regardless of the background you choose, everyone receives the same starting weapon and equipment. There will be plenty of tools to unlock during the beginning stages, which I immensely enjoyed as someone who often has difficulty picking a single one. The diverse array of weapons, abilities, and classes is exactly why I hold Avowed in such high regard. Too often, we are restricted to our classes in RPGs, limiting our strategies and making the experience feel tedious with the same tools over and over again. Avowed plays out much differently, where you can switch between loadouts and combine weapons that usually never mix together. A perfect example of this is my go-to "Wizard with a Gun" build that places a grimoire in one hand and a gun in the other. It made me feel like I was playing a Call of Duty-like fantasy RPG, a concept that I never would've imagined before playing Avowed. Screenshot by Destructoid When this build didn't come in handy for specific combat scenarios, I would just switch to my other loadout to better fit the situation. Is there an enemy too far away? Just swiftly change it to your bow and arrow loadout, and voilà, you are now a wizard-turned-archer. I've said it once before in my preview, and I'll say it again: this mechanic is something I've always desired in RPGs, and all video games, for that matter. I've run into too many scenarios where I wished I had a bow and arrow or some magic to take advantage of an enemy's weakness. With Avowed, I don't have any problems with this, especially since you can hold a ton of weapons at your disposal and swiftly send things over to the camp with a simple click of a button. Being encumbered has always been the bane of my existence, but thankfully, it won't be an issue in this title. Though you'll have plenty of weapons to use, enemies can still be overwhelmingly brutal. I felt fairly confident in the beginning stages of Dawnshore until I reached the ruthlessness of the second region, Emerald Stair. This area makes the game a lot more challenging than it already is, but there's no shame in lowering the difficulty when the going gets tough. I'll admit I was struggling on Easy mode at this point, despite grinding and collecting upgraded gear. It just goes to show how challenging Avowed can be, whether with a significant increase in enemy numbers or the sheer strength of one opponent's strike. I'm sure many Pillars of Eternity fans will appreciate it, given that POE and POE 2's combat experience was definitely harsh at times but still satisfying when you come out victorious. On the bright side, you'll have the help of your four companions in Avowed, all of whom have distinct powers to add to their uniqueness. While Kai can clear out debris with his fiery skill, Marius can ease the stress of the hunt by showing points of interest nearby.
When I first stepped into Avowed's wondrous world during my preview, I was mesmerized by its ever-changing combat system and breathtakingly beautiful world. I was sure that it would have the makings of one of the best RPGs of 2025, and now that statement holds true with my full playthrough.
Obsidian Entertainment has once again released a masterpiece, continuing the phenomenon that is the Pillars of Eternity series. Although Avowed isn't the third entry of the series that we had hoped for, it still captures the look and feel of this franchise by bringing us back to the enchanting world of Eora. Even if you aren't familiar with Eora and the events of POE, you don't have to worry about getting lost in its lore, as Avowed is more or less considered a standalone piece. Avowed begins like any other dark fantasy, where the threat of great evil plagues the world, corrupting animals, people, and the Living Lands. As both a Godlike and the Envoy of Aedyr, you must use your deity powers to end a contagion known as "Dreamscourge."
Avowed (PC, Xbox Series X|S [reviewed])
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Released: February 18, 2025
MSRP: $69.99
You can think of Dreamscourge as a zombified fungal plague with a fantasy twist, similar to The Last of Us' Clickers, but slightly more colorful. While their designs are pretty grotesque to look at (that opening shot of an infected creature still haunts me), there is some beauty in it. Particularly, the Godlike features shown in character customization allow you to use this fungal-like design to create a hero unlike any other. This mechanic alone is one of the reasons why Avowed's customization is different from other games, placing vibrant spores on your face and hair. It can be a bit distracting, but fortunately, you can turn it off to get a good old-fashioned RPG character look, should you wish.
There are classic role-playing backgrounds, from an Arcane Scholar to a War Hero. Each origin story heavily influences the dialogue choices you get, which can either benefit you or lead to some trouble. Regardless of the background you choose, everyone receives the same starting weapon and equipment. There will be plenty of tools to unlock during the beginning stages, which I immensely enjoyed as someone who often has difficulty picking a single one.
The diverse array of weapons, abilities, and classes is exactly why I hold Avowed in such high regard. Too often, we are restricted to our classes in RPGs, limiting our strategies and making the experience feel tedious with the same tools over and over again. Avowed plays out much differently, where you can switch between loadouts and combine weapons that usually never mix together. A perfect example of this is my go-to "Wizard with a Gun" build that places a grimoire in one hand and a gun in the other. It made me feel like I was playing a Call of Duty-like fantasy RPG, a concept that I never would've imagined before playing Avowed.
When this build didn't come in handy for specific combat scenarios, I would just switch to my other loadout to better fit the situation. Is there an enemy too far away? Just swiftly change it to your bow and arrow loadout, and voilà, you are now a wizard-turned-archer. I've said it once before in my preview, and I'll say it again: this mechanic is something I've always desired in RPGs, and all video games, for that matter. I've run into too many scenarios where I wished I had a bow and arrow or some magic to take advantage of an enemy's weakness. With Avowed, I don't have any problems with this, especially since you can hold a ton of weapons at your disposal and swiftly send things over to the camp with a simple click of a button. Being encumbered has always been the bane of my existence, but thankfully, it won't be an issue in this title.
Though you'll have plenty of weapons to use, enemies can still be overwhelmingly brutal. I felt fairly confident in the beginning stages of Dawnshore until I reached the ruthlessness of the second region, Emerald Stair. This area makes the game a lot more challenging than it already is, but there's no shame in lowering the difficulty when the going gets tough. I'll admit I was struggling on Easy mode at this point, despite grinding and collecting upgraded gear. It just goes to show how challenging Avowed can be, whether with a significant increase in enemy numbers or the sheer strength of one opponent's strike. I'm sure many Pillars of Eternity fans will appreciate it, given that POE and POE 2's combat experience was definitely harsh at times but still satisfying when you come out victorious.
On the bright side, you'll have the help of your four companions in Avowed, all of whom have distinct powers to add to their uniqueness. While Kai can clear out debris with his fiery skill, Marius can ease the stress of the hunt by showing points of interest nearby. Giatta is my personal favorite, as she has helped me out of a pinch more times than I can count. Support characters can sometimes be a hit or miss (I'm looking at you, Donald Duck from Kingdom Hearts), and Giatta certainly falls under the former. Companions, altogether, are an eccentric bunch that frequently conversate with each other at camp and in battle. I found myself listening to their conversations many times, as it provided much more insight into their backgrounds and personalities.
One aspect that I particularly enjoyed about the teammates is how they put in their two cents during major decisions. Every time I was stumped on a choice, there was typically an option to ask for their opinion on the matter. If I wanted someone who was a bit more level-headed with decisions, I would go for Kai. But, if I felt like being chaotic, I would see what wild thing Yatzli had to say.
I was impressed at how impactful decisions ended up being in Avowed's storyline. There are a lot of opportunities to be evil or good, affecting how characters react to you and the outcome of quests. Even a minor choice you make during the tutorial phase influences a future side quest, either making it easier to complete or adding another objective to the pile. Companions will also comment on how you approach specific situations, expressing their feelings towards your actions.
Besides the decisions, I was also surprised by how much is packed into Avowed's map, where not even 25+ hours could scratch the surface. I was always getting caught up in its many side quests, including deciphering treasure maps and helping the locals take out a formidable foe. Plus, free-roaming events frequently appear that don't tie into any specific mission; they're just there to give you more content. I was walking around and stumbled upon some folks gravedigging, which led me to a powerful new tool by the end.
You'll encounter a significant amount of these scenarios wherever you go, and it's made exploration much more inviting. I like having an extensive map with hidden treasures and storylines rather than one that looks big and beautiful but somehow feels empty. This is not to say that Avowed's world isn't visually pleasing because it is, as every region comes with its own unique charm and environmental features.
There are many more topics I could go on about the game, but it's probably best for you to experience it for yourself. Avowed is one of the best RPGs I've played in 2025, and I'm not even much of a role-playing genre fanatic. If that's convinced you enough, hop into the game on Xbox Game Pass Day One or PC.
The post Review: Avowed appeared first on Destructoid.
