I have been very skeptical about everything that Avowed has shown off ever since that initial reveal trailer built up expectations to a product that was never really in the works. Not just to the scale they seemed to be implicitly implying by the frame of the game, but even on a visual artistic level that original vision seems almost unrecognisable to the game we're seeing nowdays. That being said I am a huge fan of Pillars of Eternity and find the promise of the franchise expanding out a bit, particularly towards the direction of The Living Lands, a place I was always interested in since playing the original, peaks my interest quiet a bit. Of course it's not the game I wanted it to be, but I think we're all starting to come to the realistation that Obsidian are never going to be the company to make those kind of grand visions come to fruition ever again. They're happy how they are, and that's just the way things are.
Avowed promises to do something actually pretty stark in the gaming world- they want to create a satisfying first person melee combat focused game which isn't a heavy medieval simulator. In fact, the question of 'Gamefeel' seems to be something the team kept going back to try and improve for knowledge of just how integral that would be. That's how we're getting the quick switch magic system with it's dual wielding beams of magic for all the flash and pomp you could possibly want as you cut down the country side! Of course, many of the core rules of the universe are being scuppered in order to make the more action-RPG crowd happy and in doing so expanding this universe out into more than just a digital TTRPG. Whether it comes together is nigh on impossible to determine from an outsider's glance. I would need it in my hands. But it looks good, at least.
What the team are now trying to insist is that common war between showcases and marketing we always see brought up whenever RPGs go to bat- that there is player agency and consequence to the actions that you take. Avowed already had a gameplay event from a year ago touching on a little conversation with branching conclusions, but what we've seen recently is a more dynamic example of the same sort of thing. A colony of dangerous creatures you are required to infiltrate throughout which the slaying of the inhabitant enrages their queen mother inspiring an unavoidable boss fight, whereas successfully sneaking past and around them opens up the possibility to negotiate. Now sure, this is literally taken note for note from Deus Ex Mankind Divided- but it was a great idea then and that remains now- I love that level of intentional consequence you can stumble upon by just being a dumb careless gamer!
Another addition to the way this world works is that of weapon improvement. That sure existed in the first game, albeit in static tiers that were supposed to represent + 1, +2 and so on - were we to use DnD parlance. Essentially this creates a power creep throughout the stages of the game where enemies will start to become resistant to your lower area weapons requiring improvement. I've never been a fan of this kind of scaling for how easy it is to screw up and make it all feel excessively contrived- but there are ways to make this work. Visual and audio cues, different classes of enemies, different species of enemies- I think a smart enough game designer can pull this off without breaking immersion- and Obsidian tend to have a reputation for housing smart artists.
I also have to say that visually I'm really starting to come around on the game. It's still not quite as gorgeous as that reveal trailer had led us to believe, and I still think that Aumaua look downright ugly up close, there's a pleasing gentle stylisation that retains the spirit of true-to-life fidelity whilst seeking a more evergreen balance that it sure to still impress in years to come like The Outer Worlds still does. I also notice the lighting appears to veer towards the more cinematic Spacer's Choice school of design. For somewhere as supposedly vibrant as the Living Lands I'm really starting to buy that this was actually a really appropriate choice in direction and scope.
Remixing the Unreliable from The Outer Worlds, Avowed allows you to interact within a camping environment which evokes sensations of Baldur's Gate 3 in the best way. It's always nice to have that special little space away from the action and carnage to mingle with your close group of allies- and having them all interact and live together really amplfies that sensation of being 'part of a unit. I really hope they lean into this more than just in the surface level manner, allowing party mates to move about and have interactions with one another in way that makes them feel alive. That was one of the problems with Mass Effect in my opinion, your team never left their set areas of the ship and thus felt separated- which is why Andromeda was so wise to update that and have people pop up all over the place to go visit each other! Another careful concept I want them to take their time with.
And lastly there is general game-feel- not just in the moment to moment action- but in the actual way it feels to move around the world. There's a weight here that seems all but absent in Bethesda games, regrettably, and I envy the connection to the game world that imbues. Simply feeling the weight of a short hop down a small cliff face feedsback in that natural way you expect, rather than the stiff and stilted way that Bethesda Creation Engine games feel like they have to. But of course, Game-feel does extend to combat. Feedback looks effective, I'm seeing actual honest-to-goodness recoil from sword slaps. Some people might be umming and ahhing about sponginess- but I consider that a non-problem in games like these. I'm genuinely vibing with the offerings so far.
This might be the first time I've given Avowed the time of day and to be honest- I still can't get myself hyped about the thing- not to a level of "imagine the possibilities!" But I can appreciate what's there and see the game at it's own level and pick up some cool little factors about it that sound like they're coming together. A great game is just one where all the pieces slot together in something of a satisfying manner and Avowed- well, that's what I think it's shaping up as. It may be the ultra-realistic gritty game that most of us were seemingly sold from the reveal, but it is seemingly a title somewhere up my alley to some small degree. It really depends how much they lean into the 'Immersive Sim' angle. I'm hoping a lot. Never had a fantasy Immersive Sim before (outside of Dishonoured) could be cool.
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