Avowed review roundup: 'a solid action RPG'
It's been a four year wait for Avowed, but the reviews are now in
👍 Avowed has a Metacritic score of 80 after 42 critic reviews
🤷♂️ The game has 80% positive reviews, 20% mixed and 0% negative
📅 Avowed releases on Xbox Series X|S and PC on February 18
🆓 It’s available at no extra cost for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass players
Avowed is the latest exclusive to arrive on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, but what did critics make of Obsidian’s new RPG?
The consensus seems to be that Avowed is a solid role-playing game, but it doesn't do anything revolutionary. That’s probably enough for most people, however, the game’s teetering on a Metacritic score of 80. Here’s what reviewers said about Avowed.
VG247 thought Avowed was worthy of a perfect score, saying:
“That’s what Avowed is: strong storytelling, great combat, lovely visuals, and utterly charming. It’s not going to light everyone’s hair on fire, but that’s fine - because I know for a certain subset of people - refined people of taste, if you ask me - Avowed will enjoy cult classic status. It doesn’t necessarily push the envelope, but nor does it need to. It’s exactly what it needs to be.”
GAMINGbible was one of the other more positive outlets and gave Avowed 9/10. The reviewer said:
“I won’t claim Obsidian has reinvented the wheel, for it’s stuck to what it knows well and does best. Still, it’s easy to tell a finely crafted RPG apart from a mediocre one. Avowed solidifies Obsidian's mastery of bringing intoxicating worlds to life and tangibly close. All you need to do is reach out and touch it to be transported to The Living Lands.”
Pure Xbox gave Avowed 8/10 and summed up what to expect from the game nicely:
“Avowed is a fantastic action-RPG that focuses on its combat and exploration first and foremost, which you'll either love the sound of, or not so much. Yes, Pillars fans looking for the sort of depth that comes with that series will need to adjust expectations accordingly, as this is a breezy, spunky, fight-fuelled affair that's more about creating cool loadouts and finding treasure than it is falling in love with an NPC or spending ten hours in your inventory at a time. Come for the fast-paced fights, colourful environs and excellent exploration, and you'll have a great time.”
VGC felt similar to Pure Xbox, giving the game an 8/10, saying:
“Avowed is a solid action RPG with an entertaining script, satisfying combat and impressively detailed environments. The inability to clean up side quests after the main story is beaten can be frustrating, but take your time with it and enjoy everything it has to offer, and you'll find plenty of memorable moments.”
However, Avowed also picked up a few lower scores from outlets like TheGamer.
The Gamer gave the game 6/10 and said:
“Avowed is a valiant attempt at fantasy you can play your way, but while it delivers well enough with combat, the narrative just isn’t there. Too ambitious in what it wants to do, it falls way short. It’s a very mediocre version of the masterpiece it tries to be, but it’s also a solid version of Just Another Video Game. The story goes nowhere and all ends the same way, but maybe the journey is just about worth it.”
Radio Times was also less forthcoming in its praise, scoring Avowed 6/10 and saying:
“If you fancy a slow burn of exploration, and you’re willing to wait quite a few hours for a fun companion, give it a go and make your own mind up! It might be more of a hit for you than it was for me, and that’s OK.”
Overall, then, Avowed seems like a generally enjoyable experience for RPG enthusiasts but probably won’t make many players ‘game of the year’ lists. If you’re an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass subscriber, you’ve got nothing to lose as the game is free as part of your subscription.
Check out the upcoming PS5 games and upcoming Xbox games lists to see what’s up next for Sony and Microsoft’s consoles.
Up next: Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 review roundup: 'An undeniable triumph'
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.