Although it doesn’t look the part, Obsidian’s newly-released RPG, Avowed, is actually a spin-off of the Pillars of Eternity franchise. The game takes place in Eora, the world in which the PoE games are set, and it features many of the series’ enemies, locations, and characters. In Avowed, players assume the role of an envoy of the Aedyr Empire who is sent to the Living Lands, a frontier island in the far north of Eora, to investigate a mysterious plague called the dreamscourge that is quickly spreading across the region.
The envoy in Avowed is a Godlike, a rare type of Kith (humanoid being) that was touched by the gods prior to their birth. Godlikes have special magical powers and fungus-like facial features that distinguish them from the average person in the world of Avowed. Players can customize the appearance of the envoy to their liking at the start of the game, and they can even toggle the Godlike facial features off if they so desire. The one thing the game doesn’t allow players to do, though, is give their character a proper voice.
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The Lack of a Voiced Protagonist in Avowed is A Bit Disappointing
The Protagonist’s Lines in Avowed Are Conveyed Through Text, Not Through Speech
Although Avowed‘s character creator lets players choose a voice for the envoy they play as, there is little to no voice acting for the main character in the game. The only things that the envoy ever utters are occasional grunts during combat and chants when casting spellings. Aside from that, they almost never move their lips, at least not explicitly. While Avowed‘s protagonist does speak during the conversations they have with NPCs in the game, all of their dialogue is conveyed through text instead of speech. For the most part, the envoy pretty much just stands there without making any sort of facial expressions.
Most Obsidian Games Do Not Have Voiced Protagonists
The lack of a voiced protagonist in an Obsidian game is nothing new. Most of the company’s prior works, including the Pillars of Eternity games, have featured silent main characters. In fact, the protagonist of Obsidian’s most-popular title, Fallout: New Vegas, is famously not voiced. It’s important to note, though, that almost all of these Obsidian games feature protagonists that are created by the players. As such, they usually don’t have predefined character traits or backstories.
With that being said, Obsidian has released a few titles with voiced protagonists, such as the 2010 spy thriller RPG Alpha Protocol. This Sega-published game features limited character customization and Mass Effect-style dialogue wheels. It is also more cinematic (or, at least, as cinematic as a mid-budget Xbox 360 action game can be) than other Obsidian games of that era, such as the aforementioned Fallout: New Vegas. Additionally, unlike Avowed, Alpha Protocol‘s protagonist is a predefined character by the name of Michael Thorton.
Although Its Omission is Understandable, A Voice-Acted Protag in Avowed Could Have Made the Game More Immersive
In some respects, it’s understandable why Avowed doesn’t have a voiced protagonist like Alpha Protocol. Firstly, Obsidian would have to hire multiple voice actors to voice all the dialogue options and lines in the game, since the main character is not predefined, and that may have been too costly a task to perform. Secondly, the developers may prefer mute protagonists, especially in choice-driven RPGs like this one, because it lets players step into the shoes of characters more easily. Taking this into account, the lack of voice acting could have been an intentional design decision.
Voice-acted main characters in role-playing games can sometimes be controversial. However, in Avowed‘s case, maybe a voiced protagonist would have been better for the game. The dialogue options in Avowed aren’t that wordy compared to something like Pillars of Eternity and other classic CRPGs, so voice acting may have been more suitable here, especially since the envoy’s complete silence and lack of facial expressions can often be immersion-breaking. Voice acting, so long as it didn’t sacrifice the quality of writing and the amount of dialogue options, could have made Avowed a more realistic RPG.
Welcome to the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger. Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment.
You are the envoy of Aedyr, a distant land, sent to investigate rumors of a spreading plague throughout the Living Lands – an island full of mysteries and secrets, danger and adventure, and choices and consequences, and untamed wilderness. You discover a personal connection to the Living Lands and an ancient secret that threatens to destroy everything. Can you save this unknown frontier and your soul from the forces threatening to tear them asunder?
- Released
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February 18, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Violence
- Publisher(s)
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Xbox Game Studios