Avowed PS5 Review: Obsidian's Return to Form & Punchy Combat

The Lead: Obsidian’s Return to Form (Mostly)

After a year of Xbox and PC exclusivity, Avowed has finally landed on the PS5. Let’s be blunt: this is Obsidian’s blatant attempt to capture the Elder Scrolls audience while Bethesda takes its sweet time with TES VI. While it doesn’t quite hit the same heights of world-building as its CRPG ancestors like Pillars of Eternity, it’s a focused, action-heavy adventure that feels surprisingly at home on a console controller. It’s approachable, crunchy, and—despite some typical Obsidian-style jank—is arguably the studio's most polished modern effort to date.

The Gameplay Loop: Combat That Actually Hits

We’ve all played fantasy RPGs where the melee combat feels like swinging a wet pool noodle. Avowed thankfully avoids this. The combat system is the real star here, offering a weighty, satisfying experience that we’d describe as "Skyrim with some serious kick." Whether you’re landing chunky melee blows or firing off crackling magic spells, the action feels tactile.

The "Anniversary Update" included with the PS5 launch makes this even better. Obsidian clearly listened to the feedback regarding the gear-gating issues from last year. You can now tweak individual difficulty values, effectively nullifying the gear-grind that previously forced players to hit specific stat benchmarks just to survive. 50 hours in, the loop of monster hunting, bounty targets, and loot collection remains genuinely engaging.

The World: A Masterclass in Art Direction

The Living Lands is one of the most enchanting fantasy settings we’ve seen in a long time. The visual team at Obsidian deserves high praise for the environmental art direction; it's a gorgeous frontier that feels "fit to burst" with personality. However, there’s a massive disconnect once the characters start moving.

The "Dullness" Factor

While the world is stunning, the inhabitants are stuck in the past. We’re looking at rigid dialogue systems and robotic character animations that pull you right out of the experience. Our biggest gripe? The writing. It’s not "bad," but it suffers from a certain "underlying dullness" that has plagued Obsidian’s recent work like The Outer Worlds. Much of the chatter feels unexciting and cookie-cutter, occasionally giving off bloated MMO vibes where you just want to skip to the quest rewards.

Meaningful Choice in a Grey World

Where the script fails to grab you by the collar, the player agency saves it. You play as the Envoy of the Aedyr Empire, and while the main plot is disappointingly predictable, the side quests and choice-driven moments are "delightfully grey." Your companions—though a bit one-note—actually have backbones. They’ll push back against your decisions, creating a friction that is far more compelling than the typical silent approval found in most RPGs. Plus, you can be a total dickhead in dialogue, which is always a win in our book.

PS5 Anniversary Update: What’s New?

PS5 players are getting the "Definitive" experience right out of the gate. This isn’t just a port; it’s a significant overhaul of the original launch version. Here are the key additions included in the Anniversary Update:

• Customizable Difficulty: Tweak individual sliders to sand down the rough edges of progression.
• New Game+: Carry over your progress for a second run through The Living Lands.
• New Playable Races: Expanded options for character customization.
• New Weapon Type: More ways to build your specific fighting style.
• Photo Mode: Necessary for capturing those stunning environments.
• QoL Improvements: A total fix for the gear-based "stat-gate" system that hindered the original release.

The Verdict

Avowed is a solid 8/10 that we believe has been somewhat overlooked during its first year. The story beats might be predictable and the animations a bit janky, but the combat system and the sheer beauty of the world make it a must-play for RPG fans. It’s a better, more complete title than it was 12 months ago, and if you’ve been waiting for a fantasy fix on PS5, this is it.

Pros

• Satisfyingly crunchy combat with real weight.
• Stunning environmental art direction.
• Meaningful player choices that actually impact the world.
• Robust difficulty and accessibility sliders.

Cons

• Bland, "cookie-cutter" dialogue in many areas.
• Robotic character animations.
• Predictable main narrative.
• Audio mix can be inconsistent.