Avowed isn’t the game I expected it to be. I’ve been watching it from afar ever since its initial reveal several years ago. Many have painted it as a competitor to Skyrim and Baldur’s Gate 3 with its incredibly large open world and complicated RPG mechanics. I’ve only just made it past the introduction, so it could well take on those characteristics eventually, but right now it feels more focused, dense, and considered in its execution.
It’s The Outer Worlds meets Pillars of Eternity, with Obsidian Entertainment acknowledging the importance of creating locations that are rewarding to explore and characters you want to fall in love with, instead of packing the experience with bloat and hoping for the best. It’s the impression I’m getting after only a few short hours, and I’m curious to see more, but what I’m most enthralled with right now is the slapstick nature of its combat.
Killing Enemies In Avowed Is So Much Fun
It doesn’t take long for Avowed to make clear exactly how many options are available to you in combat. You can be a ranger who wields a sword and shield with epic precision, a ferocious warrior who slams giant hammers down on enemies, or a wizard who dual wields wands and grimoires with devastating effect. The existence of two individual loadouts encourages us to create a duo of distinct skill sets that can be switched between at any moment. I can already feel myself formulating strategies in my head, or trying to figure out exactly what direction my character will eventually go in.
If you aren’t happy with your progression, you can pay a few pennies to do it all over again and respec.
Things start quite simply as you pick up an axe, then a sword, then a wand, then a book, and a few other odds and ends as you battle with a small army of lizards that can be dispatched with ease. Combat is surprisingly considered, and requires you to attack from specific angles while using blocks, dodges, and parries to avoid an early grave. I’d even argue it’s a little bit difficult at points with health potions and healing items in unusually short supply.
Yet the satisfaction that comes from executing a perfect sword slash and watching a recently dispatched enemy fly across the screen is incredible and oftentimes hilarious. It’s a grounded fantasy adventure for the most part with a saturated fungal presentation, yet its systems are geared towards letting the player create their own displays of mayhem. What it reminds me of most is Dark Messiah of Might & Magic, a flawed yet immensely fun game by Arkane Studios where you can kick enemies off ledges, into spikes, and dispatch them in the most wondrous ways possible. It is eccentric and satisfying, just like Avowed tends to be.
Now All It Needs Is A Dedicated Kick Button
One of the most memorable things about Dark Messiah Might & Magic is its dedicated kick button, which allows you to violently punt enemies around the environment with ease and kill them in myriad spectacular ways. It was so fun and ridiculous, that when Arkane sought to bring it back with Deathloop fans couldn’t help but rejoice. Another game where combat offers an endless number of strategic options, yet at its core, is endlessly fun and rewarding no matter what direction you decide to take.
Avowed doesn’t have a kick of this magnitude, but it has the potential to create just as silly possibilities if I progress my character in the right way. The fact that, no matter what route I decide to take on the skill tree I can play as a badass who wields a gun in one hand and a magic wand in the other is a power fantasy I don’t think anyone has ever considered before. It lets me be a silly, violent, gun-toting wizard who dashes about the place with ease, and so long as that keeps improving, I’m in for a treat with this game.
- Released
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February 18, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Violence