Avowed is a first-person, fantasy-adventure role-playing game designed by Obsidian Entertainment. It returns to Eora, a world established by past Obsidian games. But gamers don’t need to be familiar with those titles to enter this questing and battling adventure.
Players slip into the shoes of a male, female or nongendered person known as a “godlike.” This very small group of people is linked to, and “blessed” by, one of Eora’s pantheon of gods and goddesses. In the game’s narrative, you’re an Envoy of the Aedryan Empire. And you’ve been sent to the Living Lands, a lush island that the empire is attempting to expand into.
But there are challenges in the mix.
First of all, there’s a small populace of resentful and rebellion-minded people already living in those lands. And a blight called the Dreamscourge has infected the domain’s animal and human populace, transforming them into destructive, fungi-covered zombies. Not only that, but the empire’s Inquisitor Lödwyn and her tyrannical squad of Steel Garotte paladins are already ramrodding their way through the land in an attempt to beat everything into submission.
It’s up to your protagonist, then, to set the Living Lands problems aright through conversations with foes and newfound allies; quests and explorations through cities, temples and relic-littered ruins; the solving of environmental puzzles; and by taking on many magic and melee-filled battles.
There’s also one other layer of intrigue. Soon after arriving, your “godlike” hero is sent into short, glazed-over spells as a mysterious voice whispers into your mind. This unknown entity even invests your hero with its power as it reaches out for connection.
Is it a lost god of this land? Is it good or deceptively evil? Does it have something to do with the deadly and destructive Dreamscourge? Those are but a few of the questions that your hero must answer.
Gameplay wise, you’ll encounter four large and densely packed regions of the Living Lands to investigate. Each map is obscured by a “fog of war” effect until explored. Your hero ventures forth with a number of gained allies who each have their own skillsets and battling advantages to add to the endeavor.
There are scores and scores of people to encounter, converse with and accept quests from. And based on your dialogue choices and actions, individual interactions and even the game itself can end with several different positive or negative outcomes.
This single-player RPG does not require an online connection and it cannot be played as a multiplayer or cooperative game.
Avowed is rich with thoughtful interactions and character development as your hero attempts to fix (or worsen, if that’s your choice) the Living Land’s many problems. And players must rely on their personal wisdom and instinct to guide them forward.
This game world is also dynamically colorful and immersive. There are many opportunities to help or rescue the people around you. And, with wise management, this is an adventure that not only offers many hours of play but the opportunity of replay with a different outcome as well.
This is also a digital world populated with people who often make foul political, social and spiritual choices. Even when your character tries to choose peaceful and wise options, there are those who will attack you verbally and physically.
Battles involve swords, axes, bows, guns and magic blasts. And blood spatters as foes are bested with cries of pain (sometimes with slow-motion strikes). We see instances of mass murder, dismembered bodies and bloodstained walls and floors.
This is also a world swirling with gods and goddesses. Characters kill for the sake of their patron god. Characters can even bring forth demonic entities that aid them in battle. And the entity that connects with us can be something good or evil based on the choices we pursue.
Characters are also brought back from the dead. Animancers are scholars who use technology to manipulate souls. And one such individual runs a farm that brings corpses back to life to perform manual labor. One individual taps into the afterlife to read people’s souls and future tendencies.
Characters can also pick up and consume alcoholic beverages. People talk of smoking a mind-numbing substance called “svef.” Some spit out foul language, including f- and s-words as well as uses of “a–hole,’ “d–n.” “b–tard” and “godsd–ned.” And there are winking sexual comments made—especially from one tiny female wizard who flirts with comments about her prowess in the bedroom.
As mentioned above, players’ in-game choices can lead to dark and dismal outcomes, including one in which your character is beheaded.
Avowed is an M-rated adventure RPG that some have likened to a Skyrim or Dragon’s Age game. And like those titles, it has its own character-driven intrigues … and dark, messy problems.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
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