The fantasy role-playing game Avowed It's now also available on PS5. A year after its original release on Xbox and PC, the new version launches with noticeable improvements, especially to a system that held many players back then.
Avowed and the problem with upgrades
At launch, one point in particular sparked controversy: the equipment upgrade system. Players who ventured into higher-level areas with underleveled weapons did little to cause damage. Progress depended heavily on the quality of swords, staffs, or armor – less so on skill or build.
Especially in an open-area RPG like Avowed This led to friction. Anyone who was curious and wanted to explore new regions early on ran into an invisible wall. Not because opponents were tactically superior, but because the damage calculation clearly signaled: “Come back later. "
Gameplay Director Gabe Paramo clears up in Conversation with RPG Site one: “We were definitely surprised by how many people consistently bounced off the upgrading experience.” A clear gameplay loop was planned: complete content, improve gear, tackle more difficult content. In practice, however, many felt this was too restrictive.
More freedom instead of material grind
Obsidian has made improvements for the PS5 launch. Resources are more generous, tutorials explain the system more transparently, and most importantly: equipment scaling can now be adjusted via gameplay options.
Those who want less grinding can thus reduce their dependence on gear level. Combined with other combat options, this allows for... Avowed Playing with significantly more flexibility. This takes the pressure off progression and rewards exploration more than material farming.
Paramo puts it this way: “We've since addressed it and made the experience much more gradual and less binary.” This sounds like a technical fine-tuning, and that's exactly what it is. Not a radical realignment, but a targeted balancing update.
Technically sound, more mature in terms of gameplay?
Aside from the system adjustments, the PS5 version proves to be stable. Performance and loading times are good. operate at a contemporary level, without venturing into major technical experiments. The real progress clearly lies in the fine-tuning of the design.
That Avowed The fact that the game is being released in a revised version on PS5 is an advantage for new players. The progression feels less rigid, and exploration is no longer artificially hampered as much. Nevertheless, a residual risk remains, because those expecting complex progression systems will still get a relatively clearly structured model with a noticeable focus on gear. The new options mitigate this problem, but don't eliminate it entirely.
More impressions of Avowed delivers our current review of the game.
Completely ignoring the Pro version is almost fraudulent, since Sony calls it the PS5 Pro Enhanced. That's simply not true.
Of course it runs well and plays decently in the PS5 format on the Pro as well, but "enhanced" is simply a lie.
I expected more from the Pro.
I haven't experienced this much fun and enjoyment from an RPG of this type in a very long time.
Avowed plays dynamically, looks great on the hardware, and the world offers high immersion as well as gameplay variety and depth. It seems Obsidian Studios has made the right adjustments since release and launched the game on PlayStation on time, even if a few aspects could still use some fine-tuning.