‘Avowed’ is “impressive in almost every way” according to critics

14 February, 2025

'Avowed' screenshot

Avowed is out next week and critics have been praising the new action role-playing game from Obsidian.

Avowed releases February 18 for Xbox and PC. It will also be a Day One release for Xbox Game Pass. An epic, fantasy role-playing game from Obsidian, Avowed is a spin-off from their Pillars Of Eternity franchise and takes place in the Living Lands, “a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger”.

“As an envoy of Aedyr, you are sent to investigate rumors of a spreading plague with a secret that threatens to destroy everything,” teases the game’s synopsis. “Can you save the island and your soul from the forces threatening to tear them apart?”

The embargo for reviews was lifted last night (February 13) and critics have been praising Avowed, which currently has a rating of 80 on review aggregator site Metacritic.

“Strong storytelling, great combat, lovely visuals, and utterly charming. It doesn’t necessarily push the envelope, but nor does it need to. It’s exactly what it needs to be,” wrote VG247 in their five-star review. “Everything it sets out to do it accomplishes with style and confidence.”

“Avowed is a smartly and tightly designed RPG which affords the player a number of conveniences that make it easy to become ingrained in its world. Writing and world-building are particular strengths, both of which elevate the Envoy as a character ripe for actual, narrative roleplaying,” said Screenrant while Digital Spy wrote: “Avowed is full of consequential player choices, meaningful side content and rewarding exploration all backed up by slick movement and some of the best combat in a first-person action RPG. It might not reinvent the genre, but Obsidian has achieved everything they set out to by creating a super fun adventure worth your time.”

“Avowed is impressive in almost everything it sets out to do. It has sharp writing, captivating companions, an intriguing story and a varied world that is just thrilling to explore. It’s visually stunning, too, with high production values including satisfying audio that makes the Living Lands feel bustling with life,” said Checkpoint Gaming’s glowing review.

You help get you prepared for Avowed, Obsidian have shared a letter requesting gamers be allowed a day off from work to play.

In other news, Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 has officially confirmed that a collaboration with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is coming.

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