This review was made possible thanks to a review sample provided by Xbox Game Studios.
Obsidian Entertainment and Xbox Game Studios had no input nor saw the contents of this review prior to publication.
Avowed review: What is it?
A goddess fell in love with one of Eora’s moons, and in her desperation pulled it to earth. One of those pieces rested in this lake.
Premium Edition and Premium Upgrade owners can play up to five days early on Feb. 13, 2025.
You canbuy Avowed nowfrom $69.99 at Best Buy.
Instead, Obsidian Entertainment brought The Living Lands to life by filling this world withlife.
Dawnshore combines beautiful, golden beaches and lush plains with rocky crags and perilous mountains.
Emerald Stair is saturated with lush foliage, dense trees, and a vast array of colorful fungi.
Scattersharp is characterized by its ancient seabed, iron-rich desert, and sweeping cliffs.
A goddess fell in love with one of Eora’s moons, and in her desperation pulled it to earth. One of those pieces rested in this lake.
Galawain’s Tusks isolates itself with a violent volcano and burning lava flows.
I haven’t even mentioned the plethora of entirely unique features each region boasts.
From both visual and acoustic standpoints, Obsidian Entertainment did a standout job.
The music, combat sound effects, environmental and ambient noises — they’re all very well done.
It’s in animations where you begin to see Avowed’s more limited scope.
I can also say the same about performance.
Overall, though, Avowed is more than playable and plays decently smooth.
Avowed’s performance especially struggled in the latter two areas, but I elected not to show you those locations to avoid spoilers.
This isn’t an action RPG with high-speed, ultra-responsive combat.
Instead, it builds an eclectic suite of abilities and weapons atop a consistent, tactile movement system.
There are a ton of different ways to approach combat, and combat itself is hectic and satisfying.
There are usually multiple ways to approach quests, and you often have to discover those options for yourself.
Combat is slower-paced, but I don’t mind that.
What I do mind is how slow character progression can feel at times.
At least exploring for that unique gear and the materials to upgrade your equipment feels worthwhile.
I stopped disaster before it threatened, so the carnage on this night wasn’t nearly as bad as it could’ve been.
I loved exploring The Living Lands in search of hidden boss fights, undiscovered secrets, and unsolved puzzles.
Burn, freeze, shock, poison, bleed, paralyze, and stun your enemies.
Unmask The Living Lands' treasure trove.
I leapt from a lighthouse on a cliff into the ocean. Kai thought it was funny.
Refine your character’s combat, traversal, and conversation abilities.
Assist the people you meet along the way.
There’s a lot to do, and it’s possible for you to spend alotof time doing it.
I used this bleeding sword and a flaming sword + grimoire for a long time.(Image credit: Windows Central)
Avowed is a bit bigger than we were led to believe.
You are an envoy of Aedyr, sent to investigate and stop the Dreamscourge from destroying The Living Lands.
To that end, the decisions you make during the story have very real, very lasting impacts.
If you want to know where I found that sword, there’s this sneaky little quest here.(Image credit: Windows Central)
Save one woman near the beginning of the game?
It may save you from a fight with smugglers later on.
Help a business owner protect her livelihood?
I may have murdered my way to the queen the first time, but I used my time powers to reload.(Image credit: Windows Central)
You may turn a sworn enemy into an unlikely ally.
The characters in Avowed are also well-written and well-acted, especially the companions.
Sorry, no romance, though (I wish there was).
Avowed does have its share of fun little glitches, but there are some more serious bugs, too.(Image credit: Windows Central)
Engaging with this world never stops being fun.
I just wish you had more impact on the world outside of quests.
Despite the smaller focus, though, Avowed benefits greatly from being a part of a larger universe.
This game has a beautiful sense of style.(Image credit: Windows Central)
Xbox really needs to step up its localization game across the board.
It also does darkness quite well.(Image credit: Windows Central)
Your first introduction to The Living Lands is Paradis, but each area is more interesting than the last.
Exploring the ruins of an ancient civilization and discovering how you’re connected is a fascinating adventure.
You have lots of options for how the game runs, to make recklessly leaping off high places as comfortable as possible for you.
Avowed takes its most relevant settings from each section and lets you access them all through the “Accessibility” menu, which I always enjoy.(Image credit: Windows Central)
This includes basic options for customizing the UI and camera, but you do have a lot more control over the HUD than this.(Image credit: Windows Central)
Of course, you can customize your subtitles.(Image credit: Windows Central)
Finally, you’re given a variety of gameplay-related options.(Image credit: Windows Central)
I had enough fun in Avowed that I’m already thinking of my second run (I’m going to be a meathead).
