izigame.me

After taking 25 hours to complete the campaign. here's some notes;
1. most choices you think would effect the ending of the game often don't.
2.Choices you would expect to NOT effect the ending sometimes do.
its a very satisfying twist on story telling. There are exceptions to the rule of course, but mostly it was satisfying.
Coming in blind—never having played Pillars of Eternity—I’d describe it as a mix between Skyrim’s open world and the mechanics-lite action of Dark Messiah of Might and Magic. It feels familiar, but distinct enough to stand out.
I’ve seen this critique floating around online. Personally, I disagree. If you engage with your companions—do their personal quests, talk to them consistently—they react meaningfully to nearly every major quest. There’s a lot of reactive dialogue if you pay attention. The companions aren’t passive—they’re just subtle. They even engage in conversations with each other about current evens of the world state often enough to passively learn story.
There are moments when you can’t save everyone, where you’re forced to pick between two evils—or align your decisions with the moral code of your character. It feels earned, not forced. The game trusts you to wrestle with your own judgment.
spoiler)
Sapadal’s arc was a highlight for me.
They reflect your choices back at you, not with condemnation, but with innocent confusion. You’re not just justifying your decisions—you’re teaching a young god how to understand them. The voice acting here is phenomenal. It captures the panic, rage, and vulnerability of a child-god cast out by their peers, begging to know whether they’re a monster. These scenes alone made the entire play through feel meaningful. Almost like you have to watch what you do because you have eyes learning from every choice you make.
Avowed delivers a morally rich, story-driven RPG experience that rewards thoughtful decision-making in unexpected ways. While some choices that seem major have little impact, others you’d never expect shape the ending, adding a refreshing narrative twist.
For newcomers to the Pillars of Eternity universe, the game feels like a blend of Skyrim's open world and the accessible combat of Dark Messiah. Despite criticism that NPCs feel lifeless, deeper engagement with companion quests and dialogue reveals a dynamic, reactive cast.
The game’s strength lies in forcing you into tough moral dilemmas—where “right” and “wrong” aren’t obvious. One standout moment involves Sapadal, a young god whose emotional turmoil and confusion reflect your actions back at you in a powerful way.
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Things to Improve in Avowed: Equipment Visual Variety & Style
One area where Avowed could use improvement is in the visual variety of its equipment. Currently, each armor set has only four visual variants, all of which are locked behind upgrade milestones. This means your gear only changes appearance when you level it up—a neat idea in theory, but in practice, it leads to a lot of visual repetition. While these visual changes don’t impact gameplay directly, it can feel stale to keep wearing the same style of armor throughout your journey, just with slightly better stats.
The game does feature "unique" equipment—gear that resembles legendary items—but these don't always live up to the visual or gameplay impact you'd expect. They often look like standard plate armor or other common styles, which can be disappointing for players who care about aesthetics. To make matters worse, these unique pieces don't visually change as you upgrade them, which further limits their appeal to style-focused players.
On the bright side, these items allow you to access enchanted gear early in the game without disrupting combat balance or power progression. However, for players like me who enjoy collecting and customizing cool-looking gear, the limited designs make it harder to stay engaged with the loot system.
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Game Difficulty & Endgame Pacing:
I typically play games on the default or recommended difficulty, assuming that’s the experience the developers intended. In Avowed, I followed that approach and committed fully—I spent 23 hours completing both story and side content, reaching level 28 out of a max of 30. My gear was fully upgraded, and I had heavily invested in the fighter skill tree.
Despite all that prep, the final stretch leading up to the boss wasn’t challenging—it was exhausting for the wrong reasons. I was practically invincible; enemies did almost no damage to me. But rather than feeling powerful, the encounters became tedious. Most of the enemies were recycled models acting as bloated damage sponges, clearly placed to slow down the pacing rather than provide a satisfying final gauntlet.
This made the endgame feel like a chore, not a climax. It’s not about needing more difficulty—it’s about needing smarter, more engaging design in the final act. At one point i recycled my points and invested one in the ranger class so i could become invisible. I ran past a few encounters because the bloat of fight damage sponges was so tedious.
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Art Style and music:
The art style and lighting in Avowed are absolutely stellar—pure gold. Few games I’ve played capture this kind of painterly atmosphere with such consistency. From the very beginning, the visual tone is set beautifully. When you arrive at Clavinger’s Landing, there’s a lighthouse on the dock to your left. I highly recommend climbing it. As you reach the top, the music swells in tandem with the sweeping view of the port town and the jagged rock barriers guarding the sea. It’s a breathtaking moment, and one that captures the emotional tone of the entire game.
That sense of wonder continues across the regions. I normally find desert zones uninspiring—visually flat and empty. But Avowed managed to change my perspective. Its desert feels lived-in, with meaningful world-building baked into every corner. The sands are teeming with life: creatures, settlements, and factions—most notably a town of mercenaries and sailors—make the area feel grounded and narratively rich. (I’ll avoid spoilers, but the variety of inhabitants continues to impress.)
The music complements the visuals masterfully. Each area has its own unique and memorable themes that evoke emotion, elevate key moments, and anchor the tone of every zone. Whether you're gazing at the sea or wandering ancient ruins, the soundtrack always feels purposeful.
Avowed is a thoughtful, narratively rich RPG that excels when it leans into its strengths: morally complex decisions, meaningful companion interactions, and a beautifully crafted world. It blends the familiar comfort of open-world exploration with the narrative unpredictability of a reactive universe—where not every decision impacts the story the way you'd expect, and that’s part of the magic.
The visuals and music are standout elements. From the painterly lighting of Clavinger’s Landing to the surprisingly vibrant deserts, the world feels alive and emotionally tuned. Each area is backed by a memorable soundtrack that elevates the experience, sometimes catching you off guard with its emotional weight.
That said, the game struggles with pacing in its final act. Over-leveled enemies become tedious rather than challenging, and the recycled combat encounters dull what should be a crescendo. The gear system, too, suffers from a lack of visual variety, which may disappoint players who enjoy customizing their look.
But these flaws don’t undo the heart of the game. Avowed trusts the player to think, reflect, and feel. 8/10. I would buy it on sale. or when DLC drops.