Avowed Has a Little Bit of Romance In It After All

ign.com:

Obsidian's Avowed just went live in advanced access for those willing to spend more, sending new adventurers out across the Living Lands. While they're out there, they might discover some magical items and dangers, and apparently, a little bit of love after all.

During the pre-release run-up for Avowed, Obsidian said the game wouldn't feature a dedicated romance system, and would instead focus on building "thoughtful relationships" with companions. Here's a quote from an IGN interview with Avowed game director Carrie Patel, explaining the thought process:

"We are building thoughtful relationships with our companion characters," Patel said at the time. "Ultimately, I personally am a fan of making that an option, but I feel like if you're going to do it, you really, really have to commit and make sure that you're giving all to fulfilling that in a way that feels both true to the character, but also creates an engaging player experience. So not something we're doing for Avowed, but I wouldn't say never."

Early players and reviewers of Avowed are reporting that, actually, at least one companion has eyes for your player character. Spoilers ensue for specific interactions with the companion Kai, so if you're looking to avoid that, turn back now.

Warning! Avowed spoilers follow:

GamesRadar reports that Kai, voiced by Brandon Keener (also the voice of Mass Effect's Garrus Vakarian), can wind up in a romance with the player. Complete his own personal quest line, confess your feelings, and apparently you'll get a confirmation of your happily-ever-after in the credits roll.

I'm not far enough in my personal Avowed playthrough to confirm as much, but PC Gamer encountered similar dialogue in their playthrough. The romance seems gender-agnostic too, as PC Gamer played as a male character, and GamesRadar's reported success was with a female character.

It's a nice little treat, especially for all the Garrus fans. It does make one wonder what shifted in development, but if love wins