As a seasoned RPG enthusiast who’s journeyed through countless virtual realms, from Tamriel to Cyrodiil, I must say that my recent hands-on with Avowed at the Xbox Gamescom event left me thoroughly intrigued and eagerly anticipating its February 2023 release.
As a long-time fan of both Xbox and role-playing games (RPGs), I must say that I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of Avowed since its initial reveal by Xbox and Obsidian Entertainment. Given my extensive background in gaming, particularly in the fantasy genre, my curiosity about this first-person action-adventure set in the world of Pillars of Eternity has only grown over time.
During the Avowed demo, there were three playable classes available. The developers quickly advised that the Mage class was intricate, featuring complex spells and minimal defensive options, which made attendees hesitant to choose it. Instead of picking the mindless melee combat of the Barbarian, I decided on the Ranger. This character boasts two abilities that harness the earth’s power, one of them binding enemies with entangling vines. As for weapons, this Ranger was outfitted with dual pistols, allowing for attacks on enemies from afar with both light and charged shots.
Following my choice of the Ranger character, the demonstration commenced in full swing, aiming to locate the leftovers of the Aedryan Expedition Squad. I was transported into one of the picturesque areas within the Pillars universe, featuring cascading waterfalls and lush greenery. Throughout this demo, there were instances that echoed Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls series, yet Avowed distinguished itself with its vivid color palette and eye-catching environments. Stunning underwater segments showcased the game’s artistic flair as well.
In the initial phase of my adventure in the demo, I stumbled upon a wounded explorer named Caedmon who appeared to be on the brink of death. As I approached him, he expressed his fear of impending doom and earnestly pleaded for assistance. At this point, Obsidian’s knack for humor becomes evident.
Similar to the two previous attempts, shaping a character is crucial for accessing specific conversation choices. Regrettably, this demonstration didn’t provide a chance to design a particular character build. However, in the full game, players can distribute points among traits such as Intelligence, Perception, and more, which confer passive benefits and drawbacks during combat. These traits also influence the types of conversations you can have with different game characters. In this demo, I had access to Perception-based dialogue options, but a character lacking points in this trait wouldn’t see those choices available.
The encounter with Caedmon showed that companions will do the bulk of the vocal work. While player characters can communicate through dialogue selections, characters like Kai will recite fully voice-acted lines and help push the narrative forward. Companions are also handy in combat, as evidenced by Kai helping dispatch numerous bugs during a later quest.
Following assistance provided to Caedmon on another matter, the subsequent segment of the demonstration introduced an abandoned oracle named Sargamis. It’s important to mention that the protagonists belong to a unique group called Godlikes. In the realm of Pillars of Eternity, Godlikes are a seldom encountered race, thought to be favored by deities and often inspiring awe or apprehension. Sargamis himself is a Godlike, striving to resurrect the fallen god Eothas. He aspires to achieve this feat, yet requires an artifact called the Splinter of Eothas, which is concealed within the ruins of a nearby temple.
1. The temple close by was the main battlefield for most of the demo’s fights. Although Kai might offer assistance, players should always be mindful of their environment when engaging multiple enemies. Unlike the insects from a previous part, skeleton adversaries appeared in various classes and roles. For instance, a skeleton ranger would aim to attack from a distance, while skeleton priests would try to heal their team. Recognizing which enemies should be targeted first is crucial for victory, particularly when smaller foes are accompanied by a much larger boss. Naturally, when all else seems hopeless, there’s an option to throw explosives, which can come in diverse elemental types.
At the closing stage of the demonstration, events revolved around the consequences of pursuing the Splinter of Eothas. Players are faced with a pivotal choice: they can either continue the quest to aid Sargonis in resurrecting god Eothas or opt out. If they choose the latter, Sargonis will turn hostile and another confrontation will ensue. Although conflict could have been an option, I ended up supporting Sargonis’s scheme instead. The dialogue and player decisions will shape the story from here, with each choice leading to a unique narrative outcome.
In this preliminary demonstration, Avowed only gave a glimpse into its potential features. With numerous dialogue choices available, the final version could take various directions. Additionally, I’m excited to explore other character classes, interact with different companions, and delve into the customization options. However, during my playtime, I noticed that the equipment menus were more intricate than desired, making it difficult to discern whether the loot I collected was valuable or not. This might be a problem easily resolved by spending more time with the game, as I was essentially dropped in without much warm-up.
To date, Avowed seems to embody a compelling adventure with potential to rival the top-tier titles within The Elder Scrolls series. Notably, it shows promise of aligning with some of Obsidian Entertainment’s finest projects such as Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds. With confidence in their work, Obsidian has chosen to delay the game by a few extra months for further refinement. Anticipate Avowed on PC and Xbox Series X|S on February 18.
As a seasoned gamer with countless hours spent at various gaming events over the years, I was fortunate enough to attend the Xbox @ Gamescom event in Los Angeles, CA this time around. The preview I saw was based on an early PC demo of an upcoming game, but keep in mind that the final product is still subject to change.
Read More
- CORE PREDICTION. CORE cryptocurrency
- Top gainers and losers
- SYS PREDICTION. SYS cryptocurrency
- KUNCI PREDICTION. KUNCI cryptocurrency
- BTC PREDICTION. BTC cryptocurrency
- CFG PREDICTION. CFG cryptocurrency
- Best coins for today
- DOGE PREDICTION. DOGE cryptocurrency
- THOR PREDICTION. THOR cryptocurrency
- STFX PREDICTION. STFX cryptocurrency
2024-08-22 09:28