I’m currently in Japan, but I put in close to 20 hours into Avowed before I left. For me, this is a strange game. There are times when I love aspects of the game. But, then there are sections where it annoys and frustrates me. I have not played Skyrim or Baldur’s Gate 3, which this game is being compared to. So, I can’t compare the three games. Even though I don’t have the same experience, I can see why people are.
Exploration is so damn fun
The thing that stands out the most for me with Avowed is its sense of discovery. I began this game focusing on the critical path. There is a lot of uncertainty and “misdirection” thrown your way. From the game’s early twist, I am enjoying how this game is taking you on an adventure in different ways. This is a game where you’re forced to think. There have been many times when I’ve thought to myself: “is my character the bad guy?”
Since I’m enjoying the exploration, I’m spending more time doing all the side content. From the many bounty missions to random encounters, there is a lot to discover. I like that you can find a rare chest, only for a group of bandits to ambush you in the process. At the same time, a straightforward bounty could lead you to an ancient ruin with a rare item for you to discover.
Even in those moments when I’m trying to follow the story, I will often go left when I should have gone right. Sure, this might be a waste of time, but you’re almost always bound to find something. Yes, it might only be some crafting materials, you will almost always need it at some point.
Please, don’t ask me to explain the plot
Since I am spending a lot of time doing side content, I am not invested in the story. Currently, I’ve reached the game’s third major city and now have four party members to choose from. Yes, there are some interesting aspects to the main campaign, but I’m not grasping the whole story. I can’t seem to care about the people I’ve come across. You interact with so many people, it’s hard to keep track.
It’s hard to follow everything because I’m not always sure who is important and who isn’t. I bumped into someone outside of a town, they made it seem like they were important, but I’ve never seen them again. A lot of this could be because of the decisions I’ve made so far. I’ve been very sympathetic, letting people who should perish go free. It might bite me in the butt later on.
I’m also bad with names. Again, because I’ve met so many people, I don’t remember any of them. There might be references that completely go over my head because I don’t recall the person. I only have a grasp of my companions. Unfortunately, I have other problems with them that frustrate me.
My squad is useless
I cannot believe how bad the AI is. For a game that relies on squad combat, your companions are unreliable. In most fights I’ve had, it’s common for my allies to fall in battle. I have yet to have a fight, where I didn’t have to stop to revive. It wouldn’t be so bad if they weren’t standing in the middle of an open space, making them even harder to reach.
This is the situation regardless of the squad make-up. It feels like they are useless on purpose. Sure, they are helpful in non-combat scenarios, but those are short requests. I’m not a fan of having to micro-manage my squad. It was my least favorite aspect to the Mass Effect series. At least there, my squad was smart enough not to get killed in combat.
Also, I’m not sure why they don’t level up at the same cadence my character does. Currently, my Envoy is Level 15, which seems decent. In general, I find the level-up system is underwhelming. It’s even worse for my companions. This far into the game, they still have most of their skills locked. They don’t have that many to begin with, which is also weird compared to how robust yours is.
Still, I want to finish the story
With all that said, I still want to play more Avowed. Again, I put close to 20 hours in about a week of playing. When I get back to Canada in a couple of weeks, I will go back to play more. At the same time, this makes me eager to play more RPGs, including finally returning and giving Baldur’s Gate 3 a shot. Also, I can’t wait to play The Outer Worlds 2, since I enjoyed the first one, many years ago.
