Avowed (PS5) Review: Obsidian Action RPG Was Worth the Wait

It took a year, but PlayStation 5 owners can now enjoy Obsidian Entertainment and Xbox Game Studios’ action role-playing game Avowed. Taking place in the same world as the Pillars of Eternity series, the RPG features a fun world to explore, plus it has a whole host of improvements thanks to the new Anniversary Update. There’s no doubt that the year-long wait was worth it for PS5 owners looking for a new fantasy game to dive into.

While there is a central story that makes it clear what to do next to make progress, one of my favorite aspects of Avowed is how it allows you to really explore its world and even get into bad situations if you’re too adventurous. The game doesn’t level up its enemies with you, so some areas will naturally feature deadly foes that can wipe you out quickly if you go to a dangerous corner of the world that you shouldn’t be in. This leads to some awesome moments over time, such as returning to a place that troubled you early on once you’ve gained enough upgrades to take it on, or finding some good pick-ups by trekking into a dangerous area early. The world of Eora is definitely one of its strengths and Avowed really makes the Living Lands feel … well, alive.

Having had fun with Avowed on Xbox upon release, it was most exciting to jump back into Obsidian’s action RPG with a new build. While I previously had a magic-based wizard, I instead went for a fighter who focused on smashing opponents with melee weapons. Considering how magic-based my previous experience was, I was surprised to find out that no matter how you play, Avowed winds up being a fun time. The combat encounters are quite varied and exciting when tackled differently, so it was a blast getting to experience the story again in a new way, especially since you can quickly switch between two builds.

As mentioned, the PS5 version of Avowed comes with the Anniversary Update already installed. This includes a ton of upgrades and new content, such as three new playable races (including dwarves!), graphical improvements, more stun finishers, customizable difficulty settings, the ability to change appearance mid-game, plus a photo mode and a New Game+ mode. There’s never been a better time to jump back into the game, and new PS5 players get the best possible experience off the bat.

Obsidian’s storytelling has always been the studio’s strong point, and that continues here. The main character in Avowed is a godlike, which allows you to gain the abilities of the gods as the game progresses. The world and the characters’ mixed relationship to the gods gets explored, and there’s a ton of great dialogue options as the game plays out. By playing within the already existing world of Pillars of Eternity, Obsidian is able to expand upon it and build it out naturally to tell the story they want to tell.

Another strong aspect in Avowed’s favor is that it’s one of the rare role-playing games that doesn’t take 100 hours to beat. The main story is only 20-or-so hours long, although there’s well over double that amount of content depending on how many side quests you go on and how you choose to explore. This also makes it inherently replayable, which is great with how varied you can be with your builds, and now players can take full advantage of the New Game+ mode.

Avowed (PS5) Review: Final Verdict

The PlayStation 5 version of Avowed is a total blast, allowing Obsidian’s action RPG to truly shine with its Anniversary Update included. Those who have waited are in for a treat as the world is thrilling to explore and well worth the adventure. Obsidian’s latest fantasy RPG is some of the studio’s best work to date, and it’s great that more people can now enjoy it.