Avowed - Review @ RPGamer

RPGamer reviewed Avowed:

Avowed Review

An Empire of Mushrooms

Obsidian Entertainment is in a much different place today than when it Kickstarted the original Pillars of Eternity. A move that ended up saving the company after a string of cancelled projects, it was also one of the first wave of titles to bring isometric RPGs back into the popular sphere. That game was filled with Obsidian’s fingerprints, from its verbose musings on existentialism to a somber setting where mortals live under the gaze of meddling gods. In the decade since, the company has been acquired by Microsoft and placed in a much less precarious position, one which has given the opportunity to craft something on the scale of its newest title Avowed. Re-envisioning the world of Pillars of Eternity as an action RPG is a task that loses some of that game’s charm, but forges its own identity that’s worthwhile all its own.

Taking place in Eora some time after the events of Pillars of Eternity II, Avowed sees the player taking on the role of the Envoy. Tasked by the Aedyran Emperor with uncovering the truth about a potential plague, the player sets off to The Lost Lands, an outlying island outside the jurisdiction of all the major powers. Upon their arrival, not only do they learn that the plague, known as the Dreamscourge, is real, but they must also contend with hostile natives, an encroaching imperial reach, and the brutal efforts of the zealous paladin order the Steel Garrote. There is also the voice in their head that keeps talking to them in their dreams.

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Avowed is a surprising title, less in how entertaining it is and more in the ways it is entertaining. Obsidian set out to take the Pillars of Eternity franchise in a big, dumb action direction and largely it succeeded. It’s a blast to play, reducing a lot of the friction in the RPG mechanics while gaining strides in the action department. It feels good in the hands in ways that its contemporaries don’t, zipping the player all around the map. Even with a less-intriguing script, the decision-making doesn’t feel compromised. Every other issue with the game feels as though it can be addressed without having to crack the foundation open, leaving curious thoughts of what a sequel might be able to accomplish. Ignoring that, Avowed is still absolutely an adventure worth the time.

Score: 5/5