Avowed: A Missed Opportunity for Obsidian

[Yuki]

Avowed: A Game That Feels Like It Didn’t Even Try

Let’s be honest—Avowed had a lot going for it. Obsidian Entertainment, the studio behind classics like *Fallout: New Vegas* and *Pillars of Eternity*, was stepping into the first-person RPG space with a game set in the rich, lore-heavy world of Eora. But after spending hours in the Living Lands, I can’t help but feel like Avowed is a game that didn’t even try to live up to its potential. It’s not just disappointing; it’s frustrating because you can see glimpses of what *could have been* buried under a mountain of missed opportunities.

The gameplay is... fine. But “fine” doesn’t cut it for an RPG in 2025. Combat is flashy at first—swinging swords, casting spells, shooting arrows—but it quickly becomes repetitive. Enemies are either brain-dead or sponges, and there’s no real strategy to fights. You just mash buttons until everything’s dead. The skill tree is shallow, and gear progression feels like an afterthought. I found myself using the same sword for hours because nothing better dropped, and crafting? Don’t get me started. It’s basically “collect sticks and rocks to make your sword 2% stronger.” Not exactly thrilling.

Exploration is another letdown. The world looks pretty, but it’s empty. There’s no sense of discovery, no hidden secrets or meaningful rewards. It’s like the developers forgot why people love exploring in games like *Skyrim* or *The Witcher 3*. Even the quests are boring—fetch this, kill that, rinse and repeat. I kept waiting for something to surprise me, but it never happened.

The Living Lands are visually stunning, I’ll give them that. The colors pop, and the environments are detailed. But that’s where the praise ends. The world feels lifeless. NPCs just stand around like mannequins, and they don’t react to anything you do. Steal something right in front of a guard? They don’t care. Attack someone? They just stand there. It’s like the game doesn’t even want you to interact with it. Compare that to *Skyrim*, where NPCs have routines, react to your actions, and make the world feel alive. Avowed’s world is a pretty painting, but there’s nothing behind it.

Obsidian is known for its writing, but Avowed feels like it was written by someone who’s never played an RPG before. The story is generic fantasy fare—an ancient evil, a chosen hero, blah blah blah. There’s no depth, no twists, nothing to make you care. The companions are even worse. They’re supposed to be your allies, but they have all the personality of a wet paper bag. I couldn’t tell you a single thing about them because they’re so bland. NPCs are absolutely some of the worst you will find in a game now our days, conversations are a joke. And the choices? What choices? Every decision feels meaningless. You can say “no” to an NPC, and they’ll just act like you said “yes” anyway. It’s like the game is on rails, which is the exact opposite of what an RPG should be. Obsidian used to be the king of player agency, but here, it feels like they didn’t even try.Who the hell thought it was a good idea to make 90% of npcs just standon the streets doing barely anything? Character design is awful too.

I don’t know what happened during development, but Avowed is riddled with bugs. Frame rate drops, stuttering, long load times—you name it, it’s there. I had my equipment unbind itself multiple times, and the camera got stuck more than once. These issues aren’t just annoying; they pull you out of the game and make it hard to stay immersed. For a AAA title in 2025, this is unacceptable.

Avowed’s most damning flaw is how it compares to both its predecessors and its contemporaries. Games like Skyrim, The Witcher 3, and even Obsidian’s own Pillars of Eternity and Fallout: New Vegas set a high bar for RPGs, offering deep worlds, engaging stories, and meaningful player choices. Avowed fails to meet this standard, feeling more like a generic action game with RPG elements tacked on. Even Oblivion, a game nearly two decades old, is cited as a better experience by some players.

Avowed’s attempt at being "inclusive" and "progressive" feels less like genuine representation and more like a checklist of corporate-mandated diversity quotas. The characters and dialogue are so sanitized and politically correct that they lose any sense of authenticity or depth. It’s as if the writers were more concerned with avoiding offense than creating compelling, relatable characters.
The result? A cast of cardboard cutouts who spout bland, virtue-signaling lines instead of feeling like real people. The game’s world, which should be gritty and immersive, is instead filled with characters who feel like they were designed by a committee of HR managers. This isn’t inclusivity—it’s tokenism, and it’s insulting to players who expect more from a studio like Obsidian. Worse yet, the game’s narrative choices often feel like they’re pandering to a specific agenda rather than serving the story. Instead of exploring complex moral dilemmas or challenging the player’s worldview, Avowed opts for safe, preachy messages that add nothing to the experience. It’s not just boring—it’s patronizing. Games are supposed to be a form of escapism, not a lecture on modern social politics. If I wanted that, I’d watch the news.
Obsidian used to be a studio that took risks, that wasn’t afraid to tackle difficult themes with nuance and depth. But in Avowed, they’ve traded their creative integrity for a bland, corporate-approved version of "inclusivity" that does nothing but alienate players. It’s a shame, and it’s one of the many reasons why this game feels so soulless.

Avowed is not a terrible game, but it is a deeply disappointing one, especially coming from a studio with Obsidian’s pedigree. It lacks the depth, polish, and soul that fans expect from an Obsidian RPG. While the combat and visuals have their moments, they are not enough to carry the experience. For those seeking a rich, immersive RPG, Avowed is hard to recommend. It’s a game that feels like it was rushed to meet a deadline, sacrificing the very elements that make RPGs memorable.

If you’re looking for a true RPG experience, you’re better off revisiting older titles or waiting for something new. Avowed, unfortunately, is not the game it could—or should—have been.

[nomadpad]

naah, game is good. and you wrote a whole monolog over a pointless opinion based on ignorance.

[LazyJoeBeard]

引用自 Mimind 🐭：

time to return to oblivion

If I were to want to play an RPG right now I would likely play elden ring.