I’ve been casually cruising through Avowed since it dropped, but decided today that I needed to get through it. With the drop of Atomfall and the upcoming South of Midnight, I can’t afford to keep this one in the lineup. So, here is how the game changed for me as I progressed through the story. I will keep this as spoiler free as possible, but just know most of the screenshots and videos are from the final act so… you decide.

First of all, I changed my approach a bit. Before, I never wanted to buy stuff. I was just running off what I found and saving my money… for what, I didn’t know. But after some time, I decided that every time I saw a vendor I would buy all of their healing potions, all of their essence potions, and all of their lock picks. This changed the game for me dramatically, of course. I wasn’t getting clobbered as much because I didn’t have to be careful with my items – I had a ton! I also realized you could learn spells and cast them without holding a book containing the spell. This opened up a ton of opportunity in fights, but it does slow down a bit when you have to keep opening the wheel to select the spell. A lot of times, I am strafing and trying to avoid getting hit, so my area of effect spells end up in random places. When you can keep the enemy contained in one spot though, you can keep spamming to your heart’s content.

I ended up buying myself a nice wand and chest piece which also made fights a lot better. In the late game, I finally felt powerful! I largely didn’t care what I ran into anymore. I was falling into a rhythm of casting spells, recognizing which elements did more damage to specific enemy types than others, and racing through the side quests. I was clapping mushroom cheeks and nearing the finish line.

I played what I perceived to be the “good” route, and while I still didn’t really feel invested in the story overall, I was starting to have more of an opinion on stuff. The characters in the fourth realm were getting on my nerves so I was mostly telling them to kick rocks when they wanted me to do something. It wasn’t until a big decision with the voice in my head came that I started to get more into it. This is where it might start to get a little spoiler-ish, but I will still try to leave out as many details as possible. Proceed with caution.

I made it to the Garden. I was finally going to confront the voice in my head. Do I trust it? Do I imprison it? I was starting to flip flop, but I ended up going with what my gut said at the beginning. I don’t know who sent me on this mission so I went with the guidance of the people who were around me. We were going through the Garden trying to get to the voice and a new enemy type started spawning. They were the hardest ones I’d encountered yet. Even though it was harder, I was stronger and never actually died. They were the kind of fights you sit up and lean forward for, but I was launching my enemies into space!

The game was at its best here for me. After I decided to side with the voice in my head, I got my coolest power yet! We went back into the main realm and went to confront our enemy one last time. I really liked this part because the decisions you made throughout the game came back to haunt you. The choices you make in side quests, the characters you help or harm, they are all there and you can see what became of them. Seeing characters I helped come fight by my side was really satisfying. I really like when games don’t just ignore what happened – there’s an impact, even if it feels small in the moment.

The gameplay was really satisfying. Finally. I felt powerful! I hit the max level (which is 30), I had some fully upgraded gear, all of my companions are fighting by my side and just to show you how cool it is, here is the last power you can acquire.

But… this is where it is most disappointing to me. You FINALLY have this awesome power! You FINALLY hit max level. You have max quality gear and the stories with your companions are coming to a close. You beat your greatest enemy and… the game ends. Like really ends. Like you can’t get back in to that character. After the closing credits rolled, I tried to open my character again and the closing credits played again. I really can’t do anything now? The only way I can is if I have an earlier save? I can’t explore the world I just fought for? WHAT! Literally SO disappointing. RIP.

Overall, I liked the game. Do I want to go back and play it again? No, probably not. It was fun, but it is a lot of work to not even get to enjoy your accomplishments afterwards. And I have no desire to play a “bad” run. It is a good game once you get the hang of it. Don’t hoard your stuff, spend the money, upgrade your gear… Some stuff isn’t spelled out plainly. Like I didn’t realize I could cook at my base? Maybe I’m a dummy, but there aren’t markers over stuff unless you walk right up to it and hover over it. Still couldn’t make my own potions though…

Would I recommend the game? Yeah, probably. It’s a good time overall. I’m not the best person to ask about story stuff because I like to skip dialogue and just play, but there were a lot of moral dilemmas to contemplate. Follow the mission you were sent to complete or become allies with those you meet in the continent along the way. For me, it’s easy. I sided with the voice in my head, I sided with the people. I largely avoided conflict and I am happy with the ending (minus the finality of it).

Are you playing Avowed? What did you think of the game? Let me know in the comments!