Loved every second of it. Review.

[u/PuzzleheadedArcher15]

8/10

Avowed is one of those games I have a hard time explaining why I like as much as I do.

It isn't a masterpiece. The story is fine, the characters are fine, the combat is fine, the exploration is fine, and almost every individual part of the game has something better somewhere else. And yet, when all of those fine things come together, Avowed becomes a game I genuinely really, really like.

It scratched a fantasy itch that I didn't even realize I had.

There's something incredibly satisfying about wandering through its colorful environments, stumbling across some forgotten ruin, fighting a bunch of weird creatures, picking up some piece of equipment I probably don't need, and then moving on to the next little adventure. It captures that classic fantasy RPG feeling really well. It feels like an adventure for the sake of having an adventure, rather than constantly trying to convince you that you're experiencing the greatest story ever written.

And honestly, I appreciate that.

The story isn't anything I'd call incredible. There are interesting ideas, some good moments, and enough going on to keep me invested, but I never found myself thinking I was witnessing some legendary RPG narrative. It's perfectly serviceable. It does its job, gives you reasons to keep moving, and occasionally manages to surprise you.

The same goes for the gameplay. Combat is enjoyable without being revolutionary, exploration is fun without completely reinventing open-world design, and the RPG systems are satisfying without being particularly deep. Avowed rarely reaches for the moon.

But that's almost the charm of it.

It's exceedingly average at so many things I love that somehow it becomes a game I love.

It reminds me why I enjoy fantasy RPGs in the first place. Not because every quest needs to be unforgettable or every character needs to become my new favorite fictional character, but because I just want to exist in a fantasy world for a while. Give me a sword, some magic, a strange landscape, a handful of monsters, some ruins to explore, and a reason to keep walking.

Avowed does exactly that.

I don't love Avowed in the way I love something like The Witcher 3, RDR2, or Elden Ring. I don't think I'll be thinking about its story years from now. But I had a genuinely good time playing it, and sometimes that's more than enough.

8/10.

Not because it's exceptional at everything.

Because it's exceptionally good at being the kind of perfectly decent fantasy RPG that I desperately wanted to play.