Avowed, Obsidian’s latest fantasy role-playing game, has been out for a few weeks now, and has taken (some of) the gaming world by storm. Set in the studio’s Pillars of Eternity universe, the title has players inhabiting the role of a member of the rare Godlike species traveling to a continent known as the Living Lands to investigate a mysterious plague called the Dreamscourge. This is a game from Obsidian (The Outer Worlds, Fallout: New Vegas, Pentiment) so, of course, things get a little more complicated later on.
While Avowed’s current Metacritic score of 80 implies a mostly positive yet not completely vaunted reception, many critics have showered the game with praise, highlighting its combat system, storytelling, and enchanting world design. Others lower on the experience overall have decried its uneven difficulty, lack of Elder Scrolls-type immersive sim mechanics, and overly “Whedonesque” companion dialogue.
Though no one at The Punished Backlog has finished Avowed as of the time of writing, several have played large portions of the game and have strong feelings on the experience so far. So, without further ado, here are some (spoiler-free) thoughts from editor Sam Martinelli and contributors Clint Morrison, Jr. and Gary Wilson.
Q: How much of Avowed have you played so far? Do you intend to finish it anytime soon?
Sam Martinelli (SM): So far, I’d say I’m in the 15–20 hour range (something’s weird about playing on Xbox Series X with Quick Resume, so the game says I’ve played for more than three whole days). Right now, it’s my main game, and the way things are going, I could see myself playing through the whole thing within the next couple of weeks.
Clint Morrison (CM): 5–6 hours; I plan to finish it before the end of our spring term!
Gary Wilson (GW): Clock says 30 hours. I, uh, doubt I’m anywhere near an ending. I have played far enough to open the second map and gain three of my companions. I do plan to finish the game in time, but some upcoming releases may get in the way.
Q: How would you rate this experience so far, out of 10?
SM: Honestly? At LEAST a 9/10, though there are moments when I’m closer to 9.5 or so. To put it briefly: This is the kind of game I’ve wanted from this generation for years. An epic (yet restrained in scope) first-person RPG that fully respects the player’s time and isn’t in any way afraid to get extremely weird. Combat encounters present the right level of challenge and variety, the quests are well-written and teeming with detailed lore, and the Living Lands are a visual delight, even in the creepiest of areas. In a gaming atmosphere chock-full of bloated open worlds and boring variations of the same lock-on combat mechanics, it’s nice to play a game with very little fat in its world design and a level of confidence in its quirky mechanics. (Also, as a lifelong Legend of Zelda fan, I thoroughly enjoy looking around for every single chest I can find, even if all I get is more crafting materials.)
CM: Solid 9/10. I love it! It feels like the streamlined RPG that I’ve wanted for most of my 30s, with memorable characters.
GW: 8/10, and the best 8/10 you can get. I referred to Avowed as video game junk food when I first started, and I stand by it. But this is high-quality junk food, like dried mangos with minimal sugar added. The game flows so nicely, and it is very easy to get into a long playtime groove. It has amazing pick-up-and-play functionality as well. I will pop in for an hour or two, kill some xaurips, finish a quest, and log off for the evening feeling satisfied. The zone structure also helps it from feeling overwhelming; instead of the Skyrim or modern Assassin’s Creed feelings of Too Many Things To Do-itis, when you’re done with an area, you can actually be done.
Q: What’s your history with Obsidian games?
SM: My experience with Obsidian definitely skews toward their more recent output versus their older games. Fallout: New Vegas is the exception, but at the same time, I didn’t play that right away when it came out. Beyond that, I’ve played The Outer Worlds (which I liked quite a bit at the time) and Pentiment (underrated gem of this generation), and I’ve dabbled with the beginning of Pillars of Eternity (an impressive game, though just not really for me).
For the most part, I’m glad a studio like Obsidian still exists and gets to experiment with quirky ideas. Sure, the team cuts their teeth doing notable sequels to beloved franchises, but the fact that they’d even try games like Pentiment and Grounded is fairly bold, especially given how risk-averse a lot of studios owned by big corporations kind of have to be. Avowed, so far, is definitely a bright spot in the company’s history, and we’ll see if they bring the same type of energy for The Outer Worlds 2 later this year.
CM: I love Fallout: New Vegas, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, and Pentiment. I replay each of them when I get the chance. I still think Pentiment is the best medieval game on the market and a love letter to Eco’s The Name of the Rose. I wanted to enjoy The Outer Worlds more than I did, but I’m hopeful about The Outer Worlds 2.
GW: My history is pretty standard, and none too surprising. I enjoyed KOTOR II a great deal, and New Vegas remains the best modern Fallout game. Pillars of Eternity has some great ideas but poor console execution (an issue with most CRPGS, to be fair). I fell off The Outer Worlds through no fault of its own, and never gave Pentiment a shot even though it always intrigued me. Overall, I’d call myself a fan of the studio, but not a diehard.
Q: What’s been the highlight of your Avowed experience so far? Favorite moment? Favorite mechanic/system/design element?
SM: Overall, I’d say Avowed has a really smooth flow, yet doesn’t feel overly streamlined or frictionless. Going from combat to basic overworld traversal to dungeon/temple exploration to camp conversations to side quests to treasure hunting all feels fairly seamless (you can accomplish a lot in this game in just an hour or so of play), yet there’s plenty the game does to push back and challenge the player. Quests like totem fragment hunts and systems like armor/weapons upgrading force the player to be constantly mindful of what they’re doing, yet when actually playing through the game, nothing feels especially laborious or pointless.
In terms of a favorite moment, I’d say everything surrounding the “Dawntreader” quest is fairly fascinating. Without spoiling too much, the quest brings you to a dangerous, abandoned temple full of fun battles, puzzles to solve, some platforming challenges (underrated aspect of the game), and a potentially impactful story decision to make, the kind where you genuinely don’t know if you made the right choice no matter what you do. It’s a beautiful vertical slice.
CM: I get to be a dual-wielder with a pistol in one hand and a grimoire in the other! What else can I ask for! The atmosphere also cleverly blends the vibe of Vandermeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy with a fantasy world.
GW: The highlight has been the level design and the companions. Obsidian designed a world where exploration and curiosity are really encouraged and highlighted. Around every corner, every nook, every cranny, there’s an item or a lore drop or even just a scary spider ready to bite your eyeballs. The push to explore has been amazing, and a major drive to keep me coming back.
Along with that, the companions I have met so far have been wonderfully built. Kai is my favorite companion in any game since Garrus Vakarian (it helps that they share a voice actor!) and Giatta is a delight. Conversely, the less said about Marius, the better. He’s fine.
Q: Conversely, what’s been a lowlight?
SM: Honestly, I find the music fairly boring. I know Avowed has invited a lot of (in my opinion, unfair) comparisons to the Elder Scrolls games, but Oblivion and Skyrim have iconic, unforgettable tracks that stick with me to this day, even if I haven’t played either of those games in years. Avowed isn’t necessarily *bad* in this department, but it’s nothing to write home about.
The only other notable flaw is that, at least when playing on Xbox Series X, performance mode means some framerate chugging, usually during conversations. It’s not a big deal (thank goodness I haven’t experienced this during battles with hordes of skeletons), but it’s very noticeable.
CM: Some of the quests that focus on fetch highlight the issues with the genre (though not nearly as time-consuming as Kingdom Come: Deliverance II). I’m also a little annoyed by folks who expected this to be Oblivion or Skyrim; the game isn’t and is better for it.
GW: While I have enjoyed the combat overall, fights can devolve a little into group control whackfests. I’ve been knocked down or critically injured from a blind spot more often than I’d like to admit. Along with that, companions’ usefulness in combat can vary wildly. Often it feels like one enemy has been hacking it up with my companions for a minute while the other 20 have engaged me. It gets irritating!
Q: What are your thoughts on the narrative elements of the game? How do you like your companion(s)? The overall story? Side quests?
SM: I’m actually slightly mixed on this, but mostly because I don’t really know what’s going on with the lore most of the time. Broadly speaking, the basic plot is compelling enough, but it’s mostly just there to get you to explore and interact with the denizens of the Living Lands. The constant conversations with a magical voice in your head are fascinating (and reminiscent of Baldur’s Gate 3), yet a lot of these moments come off as overly philosophical gobbledygook. Maybe that part of the game gets more coherent later on, but for now I find it a narrative weak point.
However, the companions and side quests are absolutely strong points. It’s not so much that every side quest has the narrative depth of a Baldur’s Gate 3 or Witcher 3 quest, but they’re fairly straightforward and come with some interesting (and sometimes hilarious) dialogue options. So far, the only companions I have are Kai (my new scaly best friend) and Marius (useful dickhead), but I appreciate that they feel like fun, fleshed-out characters who enhance the bigger picture without getting in the way too much.
CM: This is Obsidian’s writing at its best (second only to Pentiment). The side quests are memorable. The story that I’ve played so far is intriguing. I love Kai (totally not Garrus) so far.
GW: The narrative is simple but compelling. I’m not entirely familiar with the lore of the Pillars of Eternity universe, so I find myself referencing the in-game codex often. Luckily, Obsidian knew that many may jump into Avowed without that background information. Important lore phrases are highlighted in characters’ speech text, and a quick button prompt brings up the definition and surrounding context. I definitely didn’t know what happened during the Deadfire before starting; I definitely do now!
Side quests are where Avowed really shines. There are so many delicious character beats and world notes hidden within them. Even smaller events like bounty hunts highlight the state of the Living Lands, and present complex moral questions as to what your role is. Since the Envoy (your main character) is sent to the Living Lands as a vehicle of a colonizing empire, it’s up to you, the player, to decide what they will do about that. I’ve already had multiple opportunities to shape how the Living Lands view me, and seen the ripple effects from there. While the choices made aren’t always cut and dry, the impacts can be seen.
Q: Thoughts on the game’s presentation?
SM: As mentioned before, the music isn’t great, but the sound design is spot-on. Every sword slash and magical fire spell has real sonic weight to it, enhancing the atmosphere of each enemy encounter.
Visually, Avowed is stunning. It’s impressively detailed graphically (unless you pay too much attention to mouth movements), yet the color grading and world architecture are what really stand out. For a game that challenges the player to wander to whatever places look fun to check out, Avowed seems to really care about creative signposting and tantalizing structures.
CM: I’m happy with how it runs on both my PC and my Xbox Series S.
GW: My biggest issue with Skyrim was the bland, icy, cool colors of the world. While certain areas sparked with color, I missed the bright blooms and sharp terrain of Oblivion. Avowed is just that follow-up in the world department. Colors pop, and fauna grows out of every corner. It’s a delightful world to be in!
I know some folks have hit graphical issues and framerate drops, but I have had a smooth experience.
Q: The combat has always been a major focus of this game’s marketing. How do you feel about it? What’s your preferred combat build/strategy?
SM: It’s the best single aspect of Avowed, in my view. Most first-person RPGs kind of suck in terms of basic combat mechanics, if we’re being honest. Oblivion and Skyrim are clunky and largely uninteresting. The Fallout games only work when using V.A.T.S., and The Outer Worlds‘ shooting mechanics are cromulent but forgettable.
Avowed, on the other hand, fixes this issue by A) giving the player a varied arsenal of different weapons and abilities and B) allowing you to easily swap between different weapon loadouts with the single press of a button. As of the time of writing, I have one “wizard gun” loadout where I can cast elemental spells and knock down weak enemies from a distance, but can quickly switch to my big-ass sword to take down tougher, tank-like baddies. Pair that with your own learned active abilities AND your companions’ special attacks, and you have a consistently engaging and varied combat system.
CM: This is one of my favorite parts of the game. I spent much of the first five hours flipping between play styles. I am very much enjoying playing as a pretend mage-pirate with magic and pistols.
GW: So far, I have been playing primarily a spellblade, using a combination of spell tomes and a handaxe. It’s been great! Both feel fleshed out, with heavy rewards in terms of crowd control and spike damage, and heavy downsides in the defensive areas. As such, I spend a good amount of time hanging on the fringes of fights before diving in axe first. I love how impactful different status effects and elemental effects feel; nothing is more satisfying than freezing someone in place before burying an axe in their dome.
Q: I know it’s early, but do you see Avowed being a GOTY contender for you?
SM: I would say yes right now, even if there’s still so much left to come out this year. Let me put it this way: I doubt another fantasy action-RPG surpasses Avowed on my end-of-year tier list for 2025, mostly because Avowed is just scratching such a particular itch for me that I don’t expect from most AAA companies nowadays. We’ll see what happens when I actually finish the game (for all I know, the ending could really sour the experience), but for the time being, I don’t think it’s weird at all to view Avowed in that light.
CM: A personal one, yes. It is hitting all of the right notes (and I can’t wait for my partner to start playing it). I think the expectations for this game to be something that it isn’t are unfair and will keep it out of GOTY conversations, which is devastating. Avowed deserves every RPG lover’s time.
GW: While maybe not for the #1 spot on my GOTY list, definitely a contender for the list! There is a joy in Avowed that you don’t get all the time. It is the perfect balance of time-waster and narrative driver, with good feelings through the gaps. It may not be my favorite game I’ve played so far this year, but it’s a really damn good one.
Q: What’s something from Avowed (good or bad) that you hope companies can learn from when making future first-person RPGs?
SM: It may seem small, but the fact that you can click the X button during conversations and immediately bring up a small glossary of definitions of lore-specific terms and phrases absolutely enhances every single conversation. I know basically nothing about the lore of Pillars of Eternity, and I still wouldn’t say I know a ton now, but at least if someone mentions Woedica or the Deadfire, I don’t have to check my phone or remember to look it up later: I can just press a button and get more context right away.
RPGs (especially fantasy RPGs) tend to pride themselves on having a tight yet expansive lore to draw from, and in many ways, that’s the bedrock of good storytelling. Still, it’s tough to remember so many proper nouns and idioms, and I appreciate that Obsidian recognizes that difficulty.
Although, for real Obsidian, you made a character as compelling as Kai and didn’t put romance in the game?! FOR SHAME!
What Do You Think of Avowed?
Agree or disagree with what we shared? How do YOU feel about Avowed? Let us know in the comments!
