For the most part I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The story was a lot more compelling than I thought it would be, going off the beaten path was greatly rewarded, there was the best romance ever, and there were choices that emotionally devastated me.
But as time went on, the cracks began to reveal themselves.
In Avowed you are the Envoy who is sent to represent the Emperor of the Aedyran Empire in the Living Lands. Now what are the Living Lands? It's basically a location that the Aedyran Empire is currently seeking to take total control over. So, you know, the locals aren't exactly keen on the Empire and you being there.
You aren't sent to the Living Lands merely for political reasons as you're also sent there to stop the spread of the Dreamscourge that has infected the land. No one knows how it started or even how to end it. So figuring out a cure to the disease is a huge undertaking.
Now you aren't merely an Envoy, you're also what is known as a godlike. Your kind is extremely rare and many will show interest in you because of that. What makes someone a godlike is being blessed by a god. Unlike other godlikes, though, you have no idea which god touched you.
So with a goal and a mystery over your origins, things get a lot more complicated quickly.
Near the end of the game you end up having to decide the political state of the Living Lands. You can decide to leave it under Aedyran control or let the Living Lands take care of itself.
You also learn what lead to the events that caused the Dreamscourge.
To start off with you are the godlike of Sapadal. This young god was deemed a threat to the other gods' powers as they didn't know anything about her. So they ended up sending forces over to kill all of Sapadal's followers and then trapped her in a prison known as the Garden.
You are also able to decide Sapadal's fate. During the course of the game you learn all of the good and bad sides of the deity. You are also able to influence the deity by your actions and conversations.
Oh, I should probably mention what caused the Dreamscourge. Basically in response to the Steel Garrote's actions, Sapadal created the Dreamscourge without realizing what she had done.
Avowed is a visually stunning game. Everywhere you look the scenery just takes your breath away. After you regain your breath, you'll want to explore every inch of the map. Luckily, then, exploration is greatly rewarded which will prompt you to explore more.
Some areas you'll need to progress a certain amount through the main quest to get to. Each of those big areas are different enough from each other that you won't get bored. It starts off in a peaceful land by the sea and eventually gets to a place that will remind certain people of Mordor.
If you want to linger in certain parts, you won't be disappointed. Sometimes spending a little more time exploring can change major events in the game. Heck, some quests require you to get to some areas that are far from the beaten path. I wanted to climb the lighthouse in Paradis just because. I spent an hour, okay probably more than an hour, climbing the lighthouse and was rewarded with a treasure map.
One of these side quests is putting together the totems you find. I would highly suggest doing this as it gives more insight into Sapadal's past.
Another side quest is tracking down treasure maps which give you special items. Some maps can be bought from vendors while others will require you to go off the beaten path. I was playing on the easiest difficulty and had to look up a guide to find the maps that have to be purchased. This due to the fact I didn't tend to need to buy from vendors.
The most important off the beaten path hidden quest you can find is in Emerald Stair. If you find this area quickly enough in the main plot, you can save Fior mes Ivèrno from a fiery death.
One of the best things about playing roleplaying games is seeing the world change depending on your actions. In Avowed there are both big and small changes that you can enact.
The small actions can entail helping a random character who doesn't seem all that important. But later on that one small action can make a future side quest easier.
And the big changes you can make will effect the world long after the game ends. Such as you get to decide the political landscape of the Living Lands. In my playthrough I decided on having the Living Lands be fully independent of the Aedyran Empire. I didn't find that the Empire added anything good to the land.
There is a psychotic/fanatical faction called the Steel Garrote who are utterly devoted both to their goddess and Inquisitor Lödwyn. If you plan on doing any evil playthrough, it is highly recommended to join this faction as there's hardly anything more evil you can do in game.
Throughout the game you are able to talk and influence Sapadal. Which means it's likely you will want to do what is best by her. I mean...you are her godlike after all. But if you end up loathing the young god, you are able to kill her if that is your desire.
In the Garden, Sapadal's prison and final area of the game, you are able to help your companions deal with their trauma. Most accepting their guilt, another accepting their trauma, and yet another figuring out what to do about their area of expertise.
As I've stated before, your actions can ensure that a city doesn't go up in flames.
One of the hardest decisions I had to make in Avowed was the decision whether or not to destroy some ruins. It didn't feel like there was a good choice and if there's a reason I'll replay this game, the decision of whether or not to destroy the ruins will be why.
I love the ability to romance characters in games. In Stardew Valley there is enough variety of marriage candidates that there is a match for everyone. In Skyrim there is a monetary benefit to both marrying and adopting kids. But I am fine with playing games where there is no one to marry or romance.
In Avowed there is only one person you can romance and it's a good thing that that one person is Kai. This due to me falling hard for him the moment he was first onscreen.
So what attracted me to him?
Kai is a kind soul and so listening to him helped me with some of the more difficult decisions in the game. Besides being such a good person, he had a shadow looming over him from his past. A handsome and kind man with a secret dark past? Yes please!
Now romancing Kai is unique. It isn't like any of the romances in Stardew Valley or Skyrim. You don't actually become an official couple until after you complete the game. So just because you got Kai to say he loves you, it isn't certain that you will stand the test of time.
So how do you begin this most epic of romances?
First you must complete his personal companion quest. You will need to progress through the main quest to achieve this. Then he will be at peace with his past which means you can finally confess your feelings to him. If you're like me, you'll have wanted to say something the moment you first laid eyes on him.
When you confess your feelings for him, it will take a moment for Kai to realize what you're saying. In real life I am honestly clueless to a bunch of social cues (yep, I'm Autistic) and so really relate to Kai. I, too, wouldn't catch on if someone was asking me on a date. It has happened before. I'm married which is the only reason it won't happen again.
I like that to romance Kai you really have to know him. You have to see who he really is before deciding that you want to be more than a mere friend to him. You have to earn his trust in order for him to accept you by his side and in his bed.
If you want to do a truly evil run of Avowed: you won't be able to end up with Kai as you won't be someone he would like.
While initially playing I followed the main plot for the most part. Yes, I did wander off the beaten path but I always walked forwards and not backwards. So each enemy I fought made the world feel both alive and very real.
But then I decided to backtrack in order to collect all the God Totems and treasure maps. That decision made me realize how lonely the world of Avowed actually was. It almost felt like my eyes were opened to a fact that everyone else had known about.
I still enjoyed the game but the magic had gone away. Instead of a world full of life I saw something hollow that was a dredge to get through.
The first time you enter an area it is exciting. When enemies show up it makes everything appear alive and keeps you on your toes. I, like usual, played a spellsword which means I used both my sword and spells to cause utter chaos.
When you go back to an area you'll find that no enemies have respawned. So while everything will still look pretty, there's no longer a sense of danger in Avowed. Which might not be that bad if the game was something other than a game that provides a vast world to explore.
Without needing to watch my back the world suddenly felt empty to me. It was still stunning but now it meant nothing to me. While I like not having enemies to fight all the time, I need some unexpected danger to keep me invested if I'm playing a game that has action at the center of it.
I went in knowing to not compare Avowed to a game like Skyrim. But with no enemies respawning I couldn't help but think back on past games I've played. Skyrim and Oblivion Remastered both have random encounters so that a peaceful journey can turn dangerous. Even in Alan Wake 2, a linear game that is much shorter than other games mentioned in this post, has enemies respawn to keep you moving.
Remember you can submit ideas for future posts by commenting on this post. I also talk about other fandoms, so don't feel that you have to only submit ideas for Avowed posts.
You can also submit guest posts HERE.
If you want to talk with fellow nerds, join THIS Facebook group.
No comments:
Post a Comment