I’ve been an Obsidian fan ever since the days of Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords and Neverwinter Nights 2. There is something uniquely magical about their storytelling that I have not yet found in another dev. Pillars of Eternity and its sequel Deadfire had some of the best writing that I have ever seen in a video game. When I heard that Avowed was going to take place in the same universe, I was cautiously optimistic. It seemed like a gamble. Now, after finishing the game, I’m glad to say that it definitely paid off.

Avowed is not Skyrim. That’s the first thing you need to understand. In fact, besides the first person and dual wielding, there is very little it has in common with any Elder Scrolls game. Instead it takes inspiration from BioWare classics like Mass Effect and Dragon Age: Origins, where the focus is on the narrative and the companions, not how much you can simulate realism in an open world. There are also a lot of similarities in the game mechanics with old school European RPGs like Gothic, Risen, and even Fable. As long as you adjust your expectations accordingly, you’ll enjoy the game a lot more. I’ll list the other details below.


1. Avowed is extremely beautiful. The setting is not exactly a dark fantasy. It can be as silly as it is grim, and that’s the aesthetic the game tries to capture. The characters are very pleasant to look at, and there is a lot of variety among their appearances. But it is the environment that takes the cake. Each zone is distinctly different and well crafted. Every hub looks unique with buildings and structures that reflect the local culture. Most importantly, the designers embraced a colorful palette rather than going with the dull gray that seems common in a lot of medieval fantasy games.

2. The combat of Avowed is extremely enjoyable. I played on the highest difficulty which was quite fair. The enemy AI is quite clever. I had to take advantage of food buffs for some of the tougher fights in the last two zones. The way the game handles magic is very well done. For the majority of the game I stuck with a pistol on one hand and a grimoire in the other. Melee can also be very enjoyable.

3. The character levelling is very satisfying. While it’s true that the number of ability points you get feels very little compared to the actual abilities available, but what you need to keep in mind is that each point is VERY significant and not just a 5% increase in damage like certain games. The devs want the players to make meaningful choices even when it comes to building the character. It’s quality over quantity.

4. The companions are well written and feel very alive. They have their own beliefs and agendas. While you can’t actually make them leave until the endgame, they will be very vocal if they don’t approve of your actions. Similarly, the main character can also call them out.

5. The choices and their consequences are implemented very well. You will come across with NPCs that you helped or betrayed later on, and depending on your decision they can either reward or punish you. I was pleasantly surprised to see how many minor NPCs related to faction or side quests showed up at the endgame.

6. Speaking of quests, most are very fun and they reward thorough exploration. You’ll often find extra ways to solve a quest depending on which book or journal you have found and read.

7. I liked the main story quite a lot. Sure, it's not as deep as Pillars or Deadfire, but that's not surprising since this is more of an action-RPG. However, in true Pillars fashion, we still deal with deep issues of morality, existence, power, empathy, colonialism, and much more.

8. There are a lot of ambient dialog between NPCs, usually about lore and player choices. This makes the world feel more alive.

9. The maps are full of secrets and treasures, which makes exploration a treat. And the way upgrading gear works, none of the loot is actually useless. You can utilize even starter loot at endgame. I had a lot of fun looking around every corner and finding shiny stuff behind every corner.

10. You can jump, climb, and parkour your way to most hard to reach places, which is a ton of fun and makes the game feel very mobile. As a bonus point, there is not much difficult platforming (which I personally hate).

11. The environment reacts to magic. You can temporarily freeze or electrify water, set fire to explosives and flammables etc. This is very fun and can be used to solve puzzles. Just be careful not to electrify your companions.


1. It’s probably not an Obsidian game without a buggy launch. In my case, my CPU got really heated and I faced crashes every single day that I played the game. It’s not just me. A lot of people have faced the infamous UE-Alabama crash. The devs haven’t addressed it yet at the time of my writing this review. My friend also faced some really annoying in game bugs and decided to stop playing until more patches came out.

2. Avowed is not very well optimized for PC. The devs decided to opt for AI upscaling instead of manual optimization, like most modern games I’m guessing. I expected better from Obsidian. In fact, no matter how many times I turned AI upscaling off, every time I launched the game, it was turned back on, so these last few weeks I had to manually turn it off every time I played, which is probably another bug.

3. The game is definitely overpriced. I love it, but let’s face it, it’s not a $70 game, especially not when it’s available on Game Pass.

4. The base game doesn’t have any extra companion outfits. If you are bored of looking at Kai’s shirtless chest, you’ll have to spend real life money to buy the DLC with bonus clothes.

5. While the gear upgrading was a fun mechanic, it was very counter-intuitive. Most people try to hold off on upgrading gear for a while, but in this game the longer you remain without upgrades, the more you are penalized. The game does not explain this mechanic at all.

6. Though magic is very fun, it doesn’t scale with gear or abilities like weapons do. You only get access to more powerful spells. This makes the initial spells less useful by the endgame, unless you are using them mostly for damage over time or debuffs.

7. I would have liked some more interesting boss fights. As of right now, all the boss fights are just more powerful version of regular enemies.


1. In many ways Avowed is a step up from Outer Worlds, especially the combat, but I think some social elements of Outer Worlds were better implemented, such as crime and reputation. While these are not essential elements, they are always fun to have.

2. Certain dialog options depend on your attribute scores and some of the more interesting solutions to quests are often hidden behind these options. This forces the player to think beyond just combat bonuses. Do you want your character to be more perceptive, more intelligent, resolute? Their available dialog options will vary accordingly. However, a small tip- If you go for Survivalist rank 3 and make a bunch of Charming Libation drinks, it should help with those checks.

3. I feel like a basic mistake the marketing team made was to reveal that the game was initially supposed to be like Skyrim. While the devs changed their mind very early in the production cycle, it still made people expect another game like Skyrim, which I think disappointed some players.


I expected Avowed to be a fun action RPG with decent writing and fun gameplay, not Pillars of Eternity 3 and definitely not a new Skyrim, and that’s exactly what I got. The game even managed to surprise me a few times with its colonial theme and metaphysical questions. While it’s not perfect, it’s definitely a new feather in Obsidian’s crown and I hope they make more like it.

Final verdict: 08 / 10

[h1]A Solid ARPG with a Quintessential Obsidian Core[/h1] I’ve been an Obsidian fan ever since the days of Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords and Neverwinter Nights 2. There is something uniquely magical about their storytelling that I have not yet found in another dev. Pillars of Eternity and its sequel Deadfire had some of the best writing that I have ever seen in a video game. When I heard that Avowed was going to take place in the same universe, I was cautiously optimistic. It seemed like a gamble. Now, after finishing the game, I’m glad to say that it definitely paid off. Avowed is not Skyrim. That’s the first thing you need to understand. In fact, besides the first person and dual wielding, there is very little it has in common with any Elder Scrolls game. Instead it takes inspiration from BioWare classics like Mass Effect and Dragon Age: Origins, where the focus is on the narrative and the companions, not how much you can simulate realism in an open world. There are also a lot of similarities in the game mechanics with old school European RPGs like Gothic, Risen, and even Fable. As long as you adjust your expectations accordingly, you’ll enjoy the game a lot more. I’ll list the other details below. [h2]The Good:[/h2] 1. Avowed is extremely beautiful. The setting is not exactly a dark fantasy. It can be as silly as it is grim, and that’s the aesthetic the game tries to capture. The characters are very pleasant to look at, and there is a lot of variety among their appearances. But it is the environment that takes the cake. Each zone is distinctly different and well crafted. Every hub looks unique with buildings and structures that reflect the local culture. Most importantly, the designers embraced a colorful palette rather than going with the dull gray that seems common in a lot of medieval fantasy games. 2. The combat of Avowed is extremely enjoyable. I played on the highest difficulty which was quite fair. The enemy AI is quite clever. I had to take advantage of food buffs for some of the tougher fights in the last two zones. The way the game handles magic is very well done. For the majority of the game I stuck with a pistol on one hand and a grimoire in the other. Melee can also be very enjoyable. 3. The character levelling is very satisfying. While it’s true that the number of ability points you get feels very little compared to the actual abilities available, but what you need to keep in mind is that each point is VERY significant and not just a 5% increase in damage like certain games. The devs want the players to make meaningful choices even when it comes to building the character. It’s quality over quantity. 4. The companions are well written and feel very alive. They have their own beliefs and agendas. While you can’t actually make them leave until the endgame, they will be very vocal if they don’t approve of your actions. Similarly, the main character can also call them out. 5. The choices and their consequences are implemented very well. You will come across with NPCs that you helped or betrayed later on, and depending on your decision they can either reward or punish you. I was pleasantly surprised to see how many minor NPCs related to faction or side quests showed up at the endgame. 6. Speaking of quests, most are very fun and they reward thorough exploration. You’ll often find extra ways to solve a quest depending on which book or journal you have found and read. 7. I liked the main story quite a lot. Sure, it's not as deep as Pillars or Deadfire, but that's not surprising since this is more of an action-RPG. However, in true Pillars fashion, we still deal with deep issues of morality, existence, power, empathy, colonialism, and much more. 8. There are a lot of ambient dialog between NPCs, usually about lore and player choices. This makes the world feel more alive. 9. The maps are full of secrets and treasures, which makes exploration a treat. And the way upgrading gear works, none of the loot is actually useless. You can utilize even starter loot at endgame. I had a lot of fun looking around every corner and finding shiny stuff behind every corner. 10. You can jump, climb, and parkour your way to most hard to reach places, which is a ton of fun and makes the game feel very mobile. As a bonus point, there is not much difficult platforming (which I personally hate). 11. The environment reacts to magic. You can temporarily freeze or electrify water, set fire to explosives and flammables etc. This is very fun and can be used to solve puzzles. Just be careful not to electrify your companions. [h2]The Bad:[/h2] 1. It’s probably not an Obsidian game without a buggy launch. In my case, my CPU got really heated and I faced crashes every single day that I played the game. It’s not just me. A lot of people have faced the infamous UE-Alabama crash. The devs haven’t addressed it yet at the time of my writing this review. My friend also faced some really annoying in game bugs and decided to stop playing until more patches came out. 2. Avowed is not very well optimized for PC. The devs decided to opt for AI upscaling instead of manual optimization, like most modern games I’m guessing. I expected better from Obsidian. In fact, no matter how many times I turned AI upscaling off, every time I launched the game, it was turned back on, so these last few weeks I had to manually turn it off every time I played, which is probably another bug. 3. The game is definitely overpriced. I love it, but let’s face it, it’s not a $70 game, especially not when it’s available on Game Pass. 4. The base game doesn’t have any extra companion outfits. If you are bored of looking at Kai’s shirtless chest, you’ll have to spend real life money to buy the DLC with bonus clothes. 5. While the gear upgrading was a fun mechanic, it was very counter-intuitive. Most people try to hold off on upgrading gear for a while, but in this game the longer you remain without upgrades, the more you are penalized. The game does not explain this mechanic at all. 6. Though magic is very fun, it doesn’t scale with gear or abilities like weapons do. You only get access to more powerful spells. This makes the initial spells less useful by the endgame, unless you are using them mostly for damage over time or debuffs. 7. I would have liked some more interesting boss fights. As of right now, all the boss fights are just more powerful version of regular enemies. [h2]The Others:[/h2] 1. In many ways Avowed is a step up from Outer Worlds, especially the combat, but I think some social elements of Outer Worlds were better implemented, such as crime and reputation. While these are not essential elements, they are always fun to have. 2. Certain dialog options depend on your attribute scores and some of the more interesting solutions to quests are often hidden behind these options. This forces the player to think beyond just combat bonuses. Do you want your character to be more perceptive, more intelligent, resolute? Their available dialog options will vary accordingly. However, a small tip- If you go for Survivalist rank 3 and make a bunch of Charming Libation drinks, it should help with those checks. 3. I feel like a basic mistake the marketing team made was to reveal that the game was initially supposed to be like Skyrim. While the devs changed their mind very early in the production cycle, it still made people expect another game like Skyrim, which I think disappointed some players. [h3]Conclusion[/h3] I expected Avowed to be a fun action RPG with decent writing and fun gameplay, not Pillars of Eternity 3 and definitely not a new Skyrim, and that’s exactly what I got. The game even managed to surprise me a few times with its colonial theme and metaphysical questions. While it’s not perfect, it’s definitely a new feather in Obsidian’s crown and I hope they make more like it. Final verdict: 08 / 10