Robin Bhuyan
Read our Avowed Review if you are still unsure whether to play the game. (Mild Spoilers)
Obsidian’s Avowed was one of the most anticipated games of 2025. Players had high expectations as a spiritual successor to Pillars of Eternity and a fresh contender in the RPG space. With its rich world, immersive combat, and multiple choices, the game promised to be a worthy addition to the RPG genre. However, while it succeeds in some areas, it falls short in others, leaving players with a mix of excitement and frustration. Avowed has a lot in common with the action RPG Jade Empire, which released 20 years ago, but unfortunately, most players will not find it as immersive as the latter. Yes, the game is quite fun and engaging, and it offers us vast exploration opportunities, and multiple endings, but also suffers from flaws such as excessive dialogue and a story that is somewhat predictable. After playing till the end and completing the game, here, we analyze the game’s strengths and weakness.
Strengths
Engaging Combat and Magic System: Avowed’s biggest strength is its combat system. It gives players a variety of options to approach fights, making each encounter feel unique rather than repetitive. With a huge number of spells and abilities to unlock, you can constantly experiment with new ways to take down the enemies that attack you on your journey. Whether you prefer melee, ranged, or magic-based combat, the game ensures you never feel stuck in one playstyle.
Expansive Exploration and Side Quests: For players who love to explore, Avowed has a lot to offer. The world is filled with various locations to discover, and the side quests also add further to the experience. While the main story takes around 20 hours to complete, a full 100% completion can stretch up to 60 hours. So, if you are someone who loves to get lost in a rich fantasy RPG world, this game might be for you!
Multiple Endings and Replay Value: The game has multiple endings (around 10 or more?) and this is a major plus, giving you the ability to choose how you want to end your journey. While the core gameplay may not change that drastically across playthroughs, these endings provide at least some replay value. In the future, you can decide to give the game another try to see how the story unfolds this time!
Weakness
- Endless, Unnecessary Dialogue: The dialogue in Avowed is excessive! Characters talk and talk and talk and talk…. and then talk some more! Even if you skip side quests, you are still bombarded with lengthy conversations that don’t always add much to the experience. The game needed to pay attention in creating pacing in its storytelling. Thankfully, at least like some games, the game doesn’t prevent you from skipping through the dialogues.
- Storyline could have been better: While the story is good, it lacks the depth and intrigue that could have made it much greater. Within the first few hours, most players will already have a strong idea of who the final villain will be. Unless you are new to the fantasy RPG genre, the game will not have much new to offer. The narrative plays it too safe, making major plot points feel more like checkpoints rather than shocking reveals.
- Underutilized Companions: The game only features four companions, which wouldn’t be a problem if they were well-developed. Unfortunately, they feel underutilized, and interactions with them don’t leave a lasting impact. Moreover, romance is almost non-existent, with only one option available, which doesn’t make much sense. Given that companions are a core part of the experience, there should have been at least 3-4 romance choices.
- Dialogue Options Often Lead to the Same Outcome: While the game gives you multiple dialogue choices, many of them don’t actually change the course of events. You often end up in the same place regardless of what you say, and this can be a bit frustrating.
- Difficulty Scaling and Excessive Grinding: Unless you’re playing on the easiest difficulty, the gameplay can feel unnecessarily tough. Forget bosses, even mid-level enemies can be brutal unless you constantly grind, craft, and upgrade your equipment- and level up your character. So, if you want to just focus on the story and exploration, this requirement for excessive grinding can feel like a chore.
Final Thoughts
Avowed is a game with a solid foundation, but it struggles with balance. The combat and world-building are engaging, yet the excessive dialogue, predictable story, and underwhelming companions hold it back from reaching its full potential. Many players are comparing it to Skyrim, which is quite unreasonable, as both games provide different experiences.
Avowed is a game that will satisfy some players, especially those who like fantasy stories and are into RPG and action games. Whether you’ll love or hate Avowed depends on your tolerance for its shortcomings.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
