The famed RPG developer Obsidian Entertainment has largely focused on smaller-scale projects in recent years, such asPentimentandGrounded, but it finally returned to the genre with the recently-releasedAvowed. As the first proper RPG that the company has made since 2019’sThe Outer Worlds,Avowedis, in a sense, a callback to the classic Obsidian formula that many gamers have come to know and love. The game, which is a spin-off of thePillars of Eternityseries, can be played from both a first- and third-person perspective, and it is set in an open-zone environment. It’s not completely open world, likeSkyrimorFallout 4, but there is still ample content packed into it.
After a 5-day early access period,Avowedwas launched on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox Game Pass, and PC earlier this week. So far, the game has earned commendable review scores from both critics and fans. On OpenCritic, it garnered a Top Critic Average of 82/100, and on Steam it has a 79% Mostly Positive rating at the time of writing. Many reviewers have comparedAvowedto some ofBethesda’s best RPGs, likeSkyrim, and even though it may not be as innovative as those titles, it does surpass them in one regard: it has a better third-person mode.
Avowed’s Third-Person Mode Feels More Polished Compared to Most Bethesda RPGs
Players Can Quickly Swap Between First- and Third-Person Perspectives in Avowed
AlthoughAvowedis largely depicted as a first-person game in most of its marketing materials, the game can be played in third-person, as previously mentioned. Players can swap between both perspectives on the fly by pressing and holding the right thumbstick on the Xbox controller or pressing the “U” key when playing on a mouse and keyboard. This third-person mode is a pretty significant feature, but, interestingly enough, it wasn’t advertised until recently.Avowedwas revealed back in 2020, but Obsidian only announced that a third-person mode would be present in the game after the June 2024 Xbox Showcase.
Given how little Obsidian discussed the third-person mode forAvowedleading up to its release, some may think that it was a last-minute addition to the game, but it definitely doesn’t feel like that. Although it certainly isn’t perfect,Avowed’s third-person modeis surprisingly polished. The animations for the player character don’t look that stilted, the camera doesn’t fly all over the place, and the combat feels perfectly fine for the most part. Some will argue thatAvowedplays best in first-person, and even if that is the case, the game’s third-person mode is still much less janky than it is in some classic Bethesda games.
Unlike Avowed, the Third-Person Mode in Many Classic Bethesda Games Looks Rough
LikeAvowed, the majority of Bethesda Game Studios' AAA games can be played in both first- and third-person. These titles, in fact, popularized this gameplay feature within the RPG genre. In many Bethesda RPGs, likeFallout 3andSkyrim, though, the third-person modes feel tacked on compared to their first-person counterparts. The third-person animations in these games, for example, can appear a bit awkward at times, and it can be harder for players to aim during combat when using this perspective. EvenObsidian’s ownFallout: New Vegas, which was developed on the same engine asFallout 3andSkyrim, suffers from the same issues.
Fortunately, a lot of the camera angle-related issues from these Bethesda games have been properly fixed inAvowed. The game is, as a result,one of the few AAA RPGsthat feels almost as good to play in third-person as it does in first-person. Because of this, players who choose to playAvowedentirely in third-person will, for the most part, not get a half-baked experience.
Avowed
WHERE TO PLAY
Welcome to the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger. Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment.You are the envoy of Aedyr, a distant land, sent to investigate rumors of a spreading plague throughout the Living Lands - an island full of mysteries and secrets, danger and adventure, and choices and consequences, and untamed wilderness. You discover a personal connection to the Living Lands and an ancient secret that threatens to destroy everything. Can you save this unknown frontier and your soul from the forces threatening to tear them asunder?
