Avowed promises to give you plenty of opportunity to roleplay and make important choices, but does it deliver?
Edge's hands-on preview found Avowed "a touch underwhelming." The slice of the game available was only a small section however, comprised of a system of caves. Taking place within the world of Eora (the setting of Pillars of Eternity), the demo sees you tracking down a lost expedition. The first member you find is injured and you're confronted with your first choice: give them a healing potion so that they live, or leave them to die. Not exactly the nail-biting tension you'd expect from the developer of Fallout: New Vegas.
Obsidian game director Carrie Patel explains that these smaller decisions are designed to add up, though. "It's about giving the player moment-to-moment opportunities to express and explore where they're leaning," she says. So, if you want to roleplay a meanie who doesn't like to share, this is just one way you can do that.
Patel adds that "The choices you get and the outcomes in front of you are going to depend on what you're able to find." So, in the full game, if the area before the caves has some difficult first-person combat, you may be out of potions and unable to help the injured man.
There are also bigger decisions to be made further down the line. You step into the shoes of an envoy from the Aedyran Empire, in the Living Lands to investigate a spiritual plague. You'll have to choose which factions and politics you want to support. "Giving players things to dig into - that's what makes it meaningful roleplay," Patel says. "It's about who you want to be in this world, and how these situations prepare you to express that."
While the demo didn't contain much in the way of character progression, Patel promises "The abilities you can scope into and the weapon loadouts you can choose give you a very different experience each time you play." The combat in Avowed looks to be a mix of magic, swords, and guns, so hopefully these all allow you to approach situations in your own way.
Avowed is due to launch next year, February 18, 2025. It was originally going to come out in November, but there are so many new games in 2024 that it was delayed to give it (and you) some breathing room.
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