Obsidian know a thing or two about RPGs. Whether creating one of the greatest sequels of all time in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, or providing evidence that they’re more than capable of out-Bethesda-ing Bethesda with Fallout: New Vegas, they’re now presenting us with Avowed, a first-person, high-fantasy RPG set in their homegrown Pillars of Eternity universe. Their flagship talents haven’t dimmed in recent years, and if you’re yearning for the type of evocative fantasy adventures found in games like Morrowind and Oblivion, this is a thoroughly modern, gorgeously presented adventure that places the Pillars of Eternity universe amongst that hallowed company.
Avowed takes place in The Living Lands, an untamed region of the the fantasy world of Eora. You are a Godlike, a being touched by a God, their watchful eye intended to grant you various boons, and some colourful face ornamentation, but you are unusual, even for a Godlike. For one thing, you don’t know who your patron God is, and for another you keep hearing a voice in your head. Like I said, unusual.
One of the most immediately interesting things about character creation here is that there’s a visible manifestation of the Gods’ power all over your face, with flora and fauna sprouting from your forehead, cheeks or across your entire face. It can be as subtle as having colourful freckles, or as ostentatious as half a tree coming out of your hair and fungal growths surrounding your eyes. I opted my character’s face to appear wholly made of bark, and, unsurprisingly, you spend a good portion of the opening hours shocking everyone you meet.
You can turn the Godlike visual effects off, but it won’t affect how characters react to you and would be missing the entire point of being an outcast, of being visibly different, of a life of hardship and otherness and dealing with how the rest of the populace treat you. Don’t do it.
The Emperor has sent you to The Living Lands to investigate a plague known as the
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