A clear step up from The Outer Worlds.
Avowedis a bizarrely elusive prospect.
Youre dispatched specifically to investigate the dreamscourge, a strange, emerging epidemic that is spreading across the island.
Together, we climb up to an abandoned fort in search of a means of escape.
Its worth pointing out this wasnt always the case.
There was a much earlier idea of trying a seamless open world says Carrie Patel, Avoweds game director.
Yet while the land of Dawnshore is plenty green, pleasant is another matter.
Across the region, there is a sense that nature is simply Not Having It with this civilisation nonsense.
There are also mushrooms everywhere.
That said, theres also more to Avoweds abundant fungi than kooky set dressing.
You’re sent to Living Lands to investigate that soul plague, the dreamscourge.
So we want that visual to be tied as well to the themes of the narrative.
We want [companions] to feel really present in the story, says senior narrative designer Kate Dollarhyde.
The Outer Worlds figured out a lot for us, and New Vegas figured out a lot before that.
We really took it very seriously, says gameplay director Gabe Paramo.
Alongside this added physicality, theres a fair amount of range to the combat system.
On the subject of magic, one of Avoweds most interesting features is its grimoires.
This isnt the only area where Avowed dips a toe into the immersive sim genre.
I ask the developers how extensive Avoweds stealth systems are.
It’s the same thing as a conversation.
The more I played of Avowed, the more it felt like variety was the games operative word.
Theres a pleasing flow between different play states, too.
Finally, there is still that absence of an easily grasped hook.
That isnt to say such an element doesnt exist, or even that Avowed necessarily needs it.
But for better or worse, there is still some mystery at the heart of Avowed.
The question for when it launches is: will there be a solution?
