On paper,Avowedhas all the hallmarks that helped make Obsidian one of the greatestRPGdevelopers ever.
Its even set in theirPillars of Eternityuniverse, the setting of two excellent Obsidian games.
Yet, the genre pieces didnt quite fit together.
I had faith thatAvowedhad a final form, but it wasnt clear what that game looked like back then.
Hours into the final version ofAvowed, all was finally revelated to me: Obsidian has essentially made aBorderlandsgame.
Shortly into yourAvowedadventure, though, youll be blessed with your first pieces of loot.
Armor, weapons, and trinkets of color-coded rarity and quality.
Avowedchallenges you to create your own character class by experimenting with a wide variety of loot and abilities.
Youre meant to mix and match skills that complement the most unique and powerful weapons you come across.
The only thing more exhilarating than experimenting with all that loot is exploring the world you find it in.
For those who see open worlds as the necessary modern standard, that may come as a disappointment.
Avoweds worlds are lovingly crafted, visually vibrant, and packed with scripted and organic discoveries.
The thrill of exploring these spaces makes the fundamentally enjoyable act of looting and leveling that much more rewarding.
Playing through that core experience in a rich world youll enjoy simply existing in makes quite the difference.
More importantly,Avowedtruly values its various items and how you discover them.
Quests will yield valuable items, but some of the best stuff is reserved for the truly adventurous.
Its the rare gameplay loop that is satisfying yet actually takes you places.
Its just a shameAvoweds combat isnt quite substantial enough to support everything else the game is doing.
Theyre also quite gullible.
The problem is that there are few ways to add variety and strategy to these encounters.
The same can be said of loot, though high-level upgrades to unique items do offer some excitement.
Fights can still feel trivial, but at least the VFX are more impressive.
Unfortunately, that thin combat is an extension of the thin role-playing qualities that really dragAvoweddown.
For instance, dont stress too much about picking your characters background.
Notable decisions with substantially different outcomes are few and far between.
Anyway… and then getting back to their more meaningful dialogue.
In practice, I dont imagine that will be a problem.Avoweds overall story is…fine.
Its just that so many of the individual interactions that make up that narrative are pretty dry.
So many decisions seem to lead to roughly the same places.
Avowedlacks much of the humor and the clever characters that often highlight other Obsidian RPGs.
Even your companions stories feel surprisingly dull.
Everything aboutAvowedpasses the eye test for a proper RPG, but it all proves to be so thin.
But thats not enough to keep you from wondering whatAvowedcould have been.
If it had beenThe Outer Worldswith this combat and build system, it could have been something great.
What were left with instead is a game stuck somewhere in the middle of so many more intriguing possibilities.
But as an Obsidian RPG,Avowedis a miss.
Avowed is out on Xbox Series X/S and PC on Feb. 18.
Premium Edition owners get early access to the game starting today.
