A Godlike RPG Adventure in the Living Lands?
I can’t count the amount of times that accusations of Xbox “having no games” has been levied against the family of consoles, and regardless of whatever happens, it seems to stick like glue. However, late in 2024, for the first time in a very long time the narrative began to shift. This was thanks to a certain whip-cracking, smart-talking adventurer who stepped away from the big screen after a couple of dodgy outings.
I am, of course, talking about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Granted, it’s a timed exclusive but nevertheless sent a warning shot that the “no games” accusation was absolute tosh. More so because there are plenty of big first party Xbox games on the horizon, and it falls to Avowed to kick off the string of releases proper.
This latest project from Obsidian Entertainment is a first-person RPG set in the world of Eora. If that rings a bell then it may be because players originally got the opportunity to explore these lands in the Pillars of Eternity franchise. In Avowed you step into the shoes of an envoy from Aedyr, sent to the Living Lands by the emperor to investigate reports of a strange plague.
You are a “godlike”, a being supposedly “touched” by the gods and who has a connection with them as a result. It doesn’t take long for you to encounter contact from a mysterious being, further adding complexities to the mystery and intrigue in Avowed.
A World of Beauty and Wonder
There’s no other way to say it, Avowed looks absolutely stunning. The Living Lands are spirited, sumptuous but most of all savage. As is customary these days, you can fiddle with the settings to either favour quality, or performance. Avowed supports ray tracing and will comfortably run at 60fps. And there are several regions you will be able to explore in the Living Lands, from lush island forests to arid, scorching wastelands. Each area is beautifully designed and there is never a hint of repetition or formula, feeling as random as mother nature intended which will tempt you into going off piste and seeing what is out there waiting to be discovered.
Your map will prove important as you discover more of the world in Avowed, and there’s an awful lot to see and do. It’s vast, but not overwhelming as you can cover decent ground on foot fairly quickly. In fact, you can get around by climbing and sprinting with no fatigue setting in. Your character is a keen swimmer too and the underwater sections are extremely pretty and add to the sense of scale and freedom in Avowed.
Making Your Way in Avowed
If you’re in a rush, then you’ll be glad to know fast travel points are also unlocked as you discover them, and you can use them at most points straight from your map. These take the form of totems and party camps. It’s in the latter where you can get to know your travelling companions better, upgrade your items, dabble in a bit of cooking and much more.
As you may expect, loot is a big part of Avowed. There are loads of items to find, often locked away in hidden treasure chests scattered about the Living Lands, many of which are used for crafting, cooking and improving your gear. Weapons and armour are tiered, but you will also find unique pieces during your adventure. Each has its own aesthetically pleasing design, and these can be imbued with special upgrades that other weapons can not benefit from.
You can also skill up with attribute points which fall into four different classes, depending on the type of character you want to play. A similar system is in place for your companions also, and if you have the coin you can reset your skills tree and start all over again. As a godlike, you will also have the opportunity to learn some very special abilities indeed.
Avowed’s Main Story and Side Quests
There’s a main quest chain to follow in Avowed, however there’s plenty of substantial, well thought out side quests that really flesh out the experience. They are complex, expand on the lore and sometimes take you to areas you would have never found otherwise. For example, hunting down a missing expedition team sees you exploring beautiful semi-sunken ruins, meeting a very important character and of course, bagging some exclusive loot.
You can also start some quests from various points, picking them up from different characters. Once triggered you have a choice on how to tackle them, ie striking a deal or going in all guns blazing. This adds further to the theme of choice and freedom that runs through Avowed. Will you play the diplomat or get things done with an iron fist? The choice is yours.
Uncovering the Secrets of Eora
Avowed is a game steeped in lore and there are many ways to educate yourself as you play. Reading journals and other texts you find during your adventure is one way, again many of which are only to be found whilst side questing. Chatting to characters in game is another sure fire way to find out more about the Living Lands, including your own party members whilst at camp. What’s rather cool is the in-chat lore guide, where keywords are highlighted so you can dig deeper into their meaning.
First-Person Perspective and Fluid Combat
Playing Avowed in first person is certainly the way to go. It puts you right in the thick of the combat, face to face with huge creatures as they lunge at you, as well as allowing you to appreciate the jaw droppingly beautiful world that has been created. Getting an up close view of your preferred weapon in action also adds to the exhilarating rush of combat, especially as you finish off an enemy with a wonderfully cinematic critical combo. However, at any point from the settings menu you can switch the perspective to the third-person if you should feel the need to. You can also alter the framing zoom around your character, however if felt like the performance was a little rougher than when in the first person.
Talking of combat, this is one of my favourite elements of Avowed. Despite the game being an RPG, the real time scrapping feels intuitive and fluid, bearing similarities to the FPS genre. This allows you to really get stuck into each encounter, rather than choosing from a selection of set moves or abilities. You can instantly swap between two loadouts, meaning you can play around with class types at the touch of a button, mid battle. Axes, Swords, Guns, Wands, Grimoires and more are all waiting to be played with. Experimenting and choosing the right combos will make encounters much, much easier. Oh, and there’s no durability to worry about either.
Balancing the Challenges in Avowed
You aren’t alone as your other party members will get stuck in and combining classes effectively will make battles much easier. Apart from their skill tree you can’t control other aspects of their build, the AI will take care of the rest. You can swap out your party just before leaving camp too.
Enemies get tougher as you go deeper into Avowed, but do not level with you. This means upgrading your weapons and armour is essential, otherwise you’ll struggle to survive the marauding mobs. To do this you’ll need the required resources, but I found that naturally I pretty much had what I needed thanks to my penchant for exploration.
A minor criticism is that enemy variety is lacking at times, with the same types appearing in numerous areas albeit being tougher to take down. Another element of this are the boss characters which sort of fizzle out as you get deeper into the game, at least as part of the main story chain anyhow. You can still hit up the bounty board in town to seek them out for decent rewards if you need some extra cash.
Your quest journal, and enemies in the wild, will display one to three skulls if they’re likely to cause you some trouble, which denotes how likely you are to survive the encounter. Just a clue, three skulls is not a geat sign. It doesn’t mean you won’t scrape through the battle, but your chances won’t be good and you will likely rely on a lot of items in the process. Oh, and if it isn’t clear enough that you probably aren’t ready, your companions will heckle your inferior gear, urging you to go back to town and sort it out.
Avowed’s Approach to RPG Mechanics
Instantly accessible fast travel and no weapon durability are two signals that we have covered already which show Avowed is an RPG which doesn’t try to slow your progress. The gameplay mechanics are clearly designed to remove the need for grinding and keep things moving at a brisk pace, certainly when compared to some traditional RPGs. This is a balance that I absolutely love, and there is plenty more evidence of this approach.
First up, your inventory system. The best way I can describe it is forgiving, meaning it isn’t a hassle at all. You can carry plenty before becoming encumbered and when you do, simply send items to storage at any time, or break them down for resources immediately to make space. Your items are also neatly organised by type and automatically organised so you can find what you want quickly.
Another feature that keeps things moving is death. This may sound like an oxymoron, but you have a “second wind”, meaning you can get straight back up and into the fight if your health is depleted. If you get struck down again, you’ll start from one of the numerous, regular autosave points and won’t have to travel to find your body, dropped loot or any rubbish like that.
A final example to bring this point home is that enemy mobs don’t respawn as soon as you leave the area. This means once you clear a path, it’s clear, but more importantly you relish each battle because you aren’t endlessly grinding through enemies to level up or get to the nearest save point. There is simply no need thanks to how Avowed has been designed.
A Streamlined and Satisfying RPG Experience
There’s easily over thirty hours of gameplay to get stuck into in Avowed, providing you are curious to explore each and every corner of the Living Lands. The strong narrative and free-flowing combat will make the hours pass by all too easily, and sometimes you will have barely moved the main story forward.
I can see how some may struggle with the streamlined approach to the RPG genre that Obsidian have gone for here. However, this choice allows the strongest parts of the game to really shine and as a result Avowed is all the better for it.
Avowed is a gripping, utterly absorbing adventure that strikes a pleasing balance in the genre. Once picked up, it’s hard to put down.
Your Avowed Links
Avowed Arrives on Xbox and PC, Inviting Players to Explore the Living Lands – https://www.thexboxhub.com/avowed-arrives-on-xbox-and-pc-inviting-players-to-explore-the-living-lands/
Don’t Miss These 9 Epic New Xbox and Game Pass Games Launching in February – https://www.thexboxhub.com/dont-miss-these-9-epic-new-xbox-and-game-pass-games-launching-in-february/
Avowed Headlines This Week’s Xbox Game Pass Additions – https://www.thexboxhub.com/avowed-headlines-this-weeks-xbox-game-pass-additions/
Avowed Standard Edition – Buy or Use Game Pass – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/avowed-standard-edition/9MSVPJCHHRPR/0017
Avowed comes in Premium Form too – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/avowed-premium-edition/9NFHQ2719J83/0010
