Summary
- There is a negative sentiment surrounding Avowed, despite the game not having been released yet.
- There are claims that people “want to hate” Avowed because they’re unhappy with Obsidian’s decision to develop the game.
- Fans of the game are tired of the constant negativity being spouted about a game they enjoy.
Avowed is set to receive a general release later today but has been available since February 13 for those who pre-ordered the game’s premium edition. Despite the majority of potential players not having played it yet, there are already arguments brewing between Avowed’s proponents and critics.
The ongoing debate was addressed in a recent Reddit thread by YeahhhhhWhateverrrr who laments the current negativity surrounding the title. Their main gripe is that any discussion about Avowed is warped by people who seem determined to dislike the game, regardless of its actual merits and flaws.
Everyone Has An Opinion
“It’s like people don’t even like games anymore,” they write. “It’s just about what’s popular… about fitting in. I can’t stand it anymore, and I think it’s a genuine problem that needs to be addressed.” They subsequently say that influencers monetarily benefit from negatively portraying a game because of the views generated by “drama, hate and chaos.”
Critically, Avowed has performed quite well. Obsidian Entertainment’s latest offering currently holds an average critic score of 82 on OpenCritic. TheGamer’s own Editor-in-Chief Stacey Henley enjoyed it less than other critics, saying “Avowed is a valiant attempt at fantasy you can play your way, but while it delivers well enough with combat, the narrative just isn’t there,” in her 3/5 review.
A cursory glance over forums dedicated to Obsidian Entertainment’s games paints a picture of general satisfaction with Avowed, with much of the criticism coming from outside these communities. The comments in the aforementioned thread tend to agree with the original poster, with one commenter KatyaBelli saying “The misinformation is the kicker for me. People just buy that the game lacks world reactivity or exploration when there are multiple out-of-the-way side quests that completely alter the world state and even the main quest of the game.”
Although Avowed debuted to ‘Very Positive’ reviews on Steam, the negative reviews tend to highlight the “barebones” nature of the title, with some detractors saying that they expected better from a studio that prides itself on its role-playing releases. Avowed’s world of Eora was first introduced in the studio’s beloved CRPG series Pillars of Eternity, with some calling Avowed an “indirect sequel.”
Avowed releases later today for Xbox Series X/S and PC.
- Released
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February 18, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Violence