That problem is most apparent during boss fights. When fighting a group of enemies, you need to at least be aware of your surroundings. Against single targets, it’s remarkably easy to trap them in a series of abilities and move around the boss battle arena without ever feeling like you’re fighting anything more significant than the hollow feeling that comes with the inevitability of victory.

Some of these combat shortcomings could be addressed with improved visuals and sound effects that give fights a little more “fim” and make enemies feel less spongy. What Avowed Real needs, however, are the types of items, abilities, and enemies that open up creative and fun new possibilities.

Currently, I’m not sure we’ll get them from melee and projectile based skill trees, which largely focus on “increase damage by X%” type effects. Only the magic-based trees seem to allow you to consistently work towards more elaborate abilities. I’ve heard that later parts of the game include new weapons and armor that open up similar possibilities for multiple playstyles, but I only found relatively simple examples of such items during my early part of the game.

Avowed has potential, but it’s not clear how the game will realize it

Avowed not trying to be Skyrim. A couple of hours with the game left me with a lot of questions about Obsidian’s latest, but there’s no ambiguity on that point. If you are looking for a comparison, consider Avowed like an almost Dark Messiah of power and magic experience with more involved RPG components and exploration options.

As far as it goes, Avowed is really a fun time. There’s a pick-up-and-play quality to the experience that’s easy to love, enhanced by the depth of combat options, dialogue options, and the many secrets found in the world. It should be a great Game Pass title.

If Avowed have another switch, but haven’t seen it get there yet. Forget other studios. As an action game with RPG elements, Avowed doesn’t feel as inventive as Obsidian’s espionage third-person shooter Alpha protocol. As a pure RPG, it’s nowhere near as deep or ambitious as that Pillar of Eternity series Avowed shares a universe with. And as a more action-oriented modern RPG that resembles another notable franchise at a glance, it currently doesn’t feel as tight, fun, or clever as The outer worlds.