Anyone that labelled Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds a sci-fi spin on Bethesda’s Fallout games will have a hard time keeping schtum about Avowed being the developer’s answer to Skyrim. Comparisons with a game so beloved (and whose reveal trailer still sends shivers down my spine a full fourteen years later) are weighty indeed, though – so much that even publisher Microsoft has tried to play them down.
They also do a disservice to the source material. This first-person fantasy action RPG is actually a spin-off from Obsidian’s enthralling Pillars of Eternity series, just with a change of perspective and much bigger budget. After being delayed from its original November launch, 2025’s first major Xbox release aims to please returning fans, as well as court new ones trying to fill an Elder Scrolls-shaped hole. Has it been worth the wait?
Life in the Living Lands
Avowed certainly isn’t lacking for world-building, but it’s the richer, more colourful visual palette that sets the Living Lands apart from the usual high fantasy. There’s a parallel here with The Outer Worlds‘ use of colour compared to the drabness of Fallout. Enemies and companions are cut from a different cloth than other fantasy fare, too, with some being recognisable from the Pillars of Eternity universe.
Most peculiar of all is your character, an envoy to the Aedyran empire investigating a mysterious plague that causes people to lose their minds. The “chosen one” trope is in full effect here, only your godlike powers also manifest physically in quite literally flowery fashion, making NPCs uneasy. Then there’s the strange voice in your head you aren’t sure you can trust, and that you’re working for a regime that’s far from benevolent. It makes for an intriguing setup where there aren’t any easy good or bad choices.
Even the party members you recruit are a diverse bunch, in appearance as well as political or philosophical outlook. They’re not always as agreeable as, say, the cast of Dragon Age: The Veilguard (maybe it makes a difference when characters aren’t designed to be romance options?), and you may have some butting of heads on what the right decision is. But that also makes them more interesting as characters.
Hands-on combat
Avowed‘s RPG progression systems are pretty familiar. After picking certain attributes at the start you’re free to spend character points in any category when levelling up, while ability points unlock passive and cooldown-based skills that cater to specific play styles.
It’s not just a numbers game, though. The weighty action RPG combat isn’t based on any dice-rolling shenanigans under the hood, with what you wield in each hand controlled by the corresponding controller trigger. Sword and shield types can pick which hand is for attack and which is for defence, for example, or you can lose the shield and dual-wield a second stabby stick instead. Or pick up a pistol.
Magic tends to demand both hands – one to hold a wand and the other holding the spell book. So do most ranged weapons, like bows and arquebus rifles. I ultimately settled on a two-handed great sword that deals a lot of damage, but can also be used to block attacks.
The melee combat is better than Bethesda’s clunky offerings, both in first- and third-person (switchable in the menu) – but it still wasn’t something I relished. Avowed regularly throws you into fights with waves of enemies, including annoying priests that can fully heal their allies. Bosses, including optional bounties you can hunt if you’re short on cash, always come with a group of lackeys, and you rarely get the chance to thin down numbers with stealth kills.
Having companions, such as aggressive damage sponge Kai and healing magic caster Giatta, definitely helps. Similar to Dragon Age: The Veilguard, you can pause the action and enter a radial menu to select their commands right away if you need it. But even then, by the latter part of the game you can’t help but feel some fights would be better if they had stopped two or three waves sooner – if you haven’t already just whacked the difficulty down to Story mode.
Role with it
For what it’s worth, you can forgo combat.. sometimes. Certain quests let you show mercy, or talk your way out of a violent confrontation. Some dialogue choices just add a different flavour to the conversation before the inevitable clash. If I’m honest, my decisions to take more forgiving or pacifist approaches were more often than not because I wasn’t in the mood for more fighting.
Completing quests is a better way to gain experience than fighting, anyway. It’s worth following any exclamation marks on the map, which indicate someone has a favour to ask of you. Focus exclusively on the main story and you’ll find yourself hopelessly under-levelled; even after I’d picked the first map clean and found the best gear available at that point, I still encountered enemies with three skulls above their health bar, indicating they were tough as nails at my current level.
When it comes to exploration, Avowed is on the more forgiving side. You can freely grab any items you like or pick the locks of chests without raising an alarm, while platforming sections also have you automatically clambering up ledges. There isn’t much in the way of puzzles apart from some paths that might require magic to get through, either with your own spells or a companion’s.
The Living Lands aren’t quite as expansive as the map suggests, but each location has its own unique character, such as the enchanting Emerald Stair, where you can also find a unique twist on zombies (or rather one that goes back to its original Haitian mythological roots of the dead brought back to life as slaves). There’s arguably quality over quantity in the stories and quests you’ll find here, which will be a comfort to players who’ve been getting burned out by big but bland games.
Avowed verdict
Don’t come to Avowed expecting a mammoth RPG to spend months or even years in. Instead this is a stunning and well-realised fantasy world that’s a little more respectful of your time. It still has interesting characters and conflicts to get caught up in, with enough mystery and grey areas to make you question your choices.
It’s an easy recommendation for Game Pass subscribers, especially as there are other great and time-consuming RPGs also vying for your attention round about now. If you’re after some difficult choices, then the Living Lands sounds like your destination.
