Exploring the Fantasy World of Eora; A Review of Obsidian's 'Avowed'
Obsidian Entertainment’s latest RPG, Avowed, has garnered attention for its technical achievements and engaging gameplay, though opinions on its narrative depth and innovation vary. Set in the fantasy world of Eora, the game follows a Godlike protagonist tasked with investigating a mysterious plague called the Dreamscourge in the Living Lands. While the game excels in combat, exploration, and world-building, it has been critiqued for its lack of originality and uneven storytelling.
Avowed leverages Unreal Engine 5 to deliver stunning visuals, with features like Lumen global illumination, Nanite virtualized geometry, and virtual shadow maps enhancing the game’s immersive environments. The Living Lands are divided into moderately sized, richly detailed zones, offering a balance between open-world exploration and focused storytelling. The game’s aesthetic, described as a blend of Elder Scrolls and Chrono Cross, features bold colors and towering structures, creating a visually distinct world.
Combat in Avowed is smooth and engaging, with players able to wield swords, bows, and spells. The game introduces a parkour system, adding a unique mobility element to exploration. However, enemy variety is limited, with repetitive encounters against skeletons, spiders, and bears detracting from the overall experience. Despite this, the game’s combat mechanics and skill trees provide depth, allowing players to customize their playstyle.
Narratively, Avowed shines in its world-building and dialogue, with a rich lore that builds on the Pillars of Eternity universe. The game features a dynamic story with meaningful player choices that impact the world and its characters. However, some critics note that the narrative lacks the emotional depth and surprise twists that have defined Obsidian’s previous works. The companion system, while enjoyable, offers shallow social links and no romance options, which feels like a missed opportunity.
Technically, Avowed is a significant step forward for Obsidian, with fewer bugs and performance issues compared to their previous titles. The game offers multiple performance modes on Xbox Series X|S, including 30fps quality, 60fps performance, and 40fps balanced modes, catering to different player preferences. The PC version supports hardware-accelerated Lumen and upscaling technologies like DLSS, providing a visually impressive experience for high-end systems.
In summary, Avowed is a technically impressive and enjoyable RPG that showcases Obsidian’s strengths in world-building and combat design. While it may not break new ground in the genre, it offers a solid, if familiar, fantasy adventure that fans of Obsidian’s previous work will likely appreciate.
Avowed is Obsidian's technical triumph - despite the typical heft of UE5
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Avowed Review - IGN
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Avowed review
Avowed is not the Obsidian fantasy RPG I wanted, but the decently fun spell-slinging parkour FPS I didn't expect.
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www.gamespot.com