Avowed – First Impressions

I woke up on a beach in Eora, next to a fluffy companion...

After about 20 hours of wandering through the picturesque lands of medieval Bohemia, I looked up from the monitor and decided it was time for a break. But my mind remained stuck on games, though this time, I changed the scenery.

I woke up on a beach in Eora, next to a fluffy, intensely blue companion, slightly hungover, but armed with a hatchet and a wooden shield. The setting was different, the atmosphere new, and the feeling familiar: I was ready to embark on a new adventure.

I won't go into story details, but I want to share my first impressions of Avowed – the new Action RPG fresh out of the oven from Obsidian Entertainment, under the careful supervision of Xbox Game Studios.

Optimisation and performance

Technically, Avowed doesn't shine in terms of optimisation. I don't have the most powerful system, but it's not a weak one either. On a Radeon 7900 GRE paired with a Ryzen 7 5700X3D, the game sometimes struggles to maintain a constant framerate, even with FSR on Balanced and other settings on High. During my session, I encountered two crashes that forced me to restart the game – a frustrating experience. I hope that the optimisation issues and errors will be fixed with a day one patch, once it officially launches on 18 February.

I didn't have the chance to test the Xbox Series X version, but, according to Digital Foundry's analysis, the situation isn't ideal there either – the most stable experience being at a framerate limited to 40 FPS. Not bad, not terrible, but there's definitely room for improvement.

Graphics and art direction

Visually, Avowed looks good, but there are some stylistic inconsistencies that didn't fully convince me. One moment it's vibrantly coloured and high-contrast, the next it becomes dull, brownish, and dark, as if two art directions collided halfway. It's a visual choice that might work for some players, but for me, it created a slightly fragmented experience.

Another annoying aspect is related to shadow rendering. I don't know if it's because of FSR, but it looks like they used ants instead of lighting effects. These aren't serious problems, obviously, but after playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 for hours, I've started to be more demanding about certain details when it comes to a video game, especially an RPG, where you expect everything to be polished and to leave you speechless, without needing a £3000 graphics card.

Gameplay and combat

While Avowed has problems with graphics and performance, it manages to recover in terms of gameplay. Combat is dynamic and fun, with each weapon type offering a unique playstyle, which keeps the action fresh and interesting. Although I haven't advanced very far in the story and character development system, what I've experienced so far gives me hope for a good RPG.

Temporary conclusion

So far, the experience with Avowed is mixed—a combination of promising moments and obvious technical issues. If Obsidian manages to fix the optimisation and stability, the game could become truly captivating. I'm curious to discover more of the story and explore the world of Eora, and I'll soon return with a detailed review, right here on grnd.ro and, why not, in GRIND Magazine V!

At the moment, Avowed is only accessible to those who have purchased the Premium edition, which offers 5 days of early access. However, if you're not overwhelmed by the hype, my advice is to wait until 18 February, when the game will be available through Xbox Game Pass PC and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions (for those who prefer console).

This way, you save some money, considering that the Xbox Game Pass PC subscription costs only 40 lei (approx. £7), and in case of technical problems, you don't have to worry about a refund. Moreover, the subscription includes a superb collection of games, so if you want a break from Avowed, you can always play Indiana Jones and The Great Circle or S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl – two promising titles that you shouldn't miss.

And if the Avowed universe has captivated you and you want to discover it in depth, you also have the two Pillars of Eternity titles available through Xbox Game Pass PC. These offer an old-school RPG experience, with an incredible story and lore, perfect for those who want to learn more about the world of Eora.

Played on: PC
Release date: 18 February 2025
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios

Review by Leo Luția