Summary
- Avowed's fixed enemy population offers immersion by permanently removing defeated enemies from the world.
- This design choice prevents players from farming skill points and materials, limiting character diversity.
- The lack of enemy respawns in Avowed hinders player progression and impacts the potential for true playstyle diversity.
Avowed has been making quite a name for itself recently, even during its five-day early access period. As a brand-new IP from Obsidian, it has arrived on a sea of high expectations, with the developer's reputation preceding it. For the most part, it seems to have delivered, but no game is perfect, and some even unintentionally work against their own ambitions. In some ways, that's the case with Avowed, as its design doesn't quite match its intentions in some areas, leading to some systems showing promise in their foundation but ultimately falling short in their overall structure.
One of Avowed's design choices, its fixed enemy population, makes sense from a certain standpoint and even benefits the game in some ways. Unfortunately, those same benefits come up against a natural counterweight elsewhere in Avowed's design, with one particularly impacted area being one of the game's best features. As such, while Avowed's fixed enemy population allows players to feel like they're truly affecting the world, it can end up making them feel like they are equally affected by it while they pursue a true Godlike status among the inhabitants of the Living Lands.
Avowed Review
Avowed's first-person combat and respect for player choice make it a journey worth having, but flaws in its story and design make it a one-way road.
The Good and Bad of Avowed's Fixed Enemy Population
Avowed's Fixed Enemy Population Makes Players Feel Like They're Affecting the World
Avowed's fixed enemy population means that when enemies are defeated, they are permanently removed from the game world. This isn't a very common feature in RPGs, as many of these games want players to have a continuous supply of foes to defeat, whether that be so they can continue to level up their character or so the world never feels empty and lifeless. As such, Avowed's choice to prevent enemies from respawning makes it unique in that sense, offering a degree of immersion that most other RPGs tend to shy away from.
Since enemies in Avowed never respawn, players are more likely to feel like they're actually having an impact on the Living Lands. After all, many of the monsters that inhabit it pose a much greater threat now that the Dreamscourge has begun to spread, so clearing an entire region of said monsters can give players a fulfilling sense of completion. This is especially useful for when players need to backtrack to a certain area, whether they missed some collectibles in that area or simply didn't traverse every inch of the explorable land, as they don't have to spend time fighting through mobs of enemies that they've already vanquished.
Avowed's Fixed Enemy Population Prevents Players From Farming Skill Points and Materials
Unfortunately, the immersion offered by Avowed's fixed enemy population acts as a trade-off that works against one of the game's best systems. There is a multitude of potential for build diversity in Avowed, as it allows players to choose abilities from any of its diverse skill trees to create a truly versatile character. However, by the time players complete Avowed's story (and even the majority of its optional content), they are likely to only have just begun acquiring enough skill points to truly see Avowed's skill system take off.
While Avowed's fixed enemy population allows players to feel like they're truly affecting the world, it can end up making them feel like they are equally affected by it while they pursue a true Godlike status among the inhabitants of the Living Lands.
Normally, in a situation like this, players might simply backtrack to areas where they can farm mobs of enemies for the experience that will grant them more skill points, but Avowed's fixed enemy population ultimately prevents this. There is also no New Game Plus mode in Avowed, which makes the lack of enemy respawns in the game hit even harder. On top of all that, Avowed's point of no return couples with its lack of a New Game Plus and enemy respawns by preventing players from exploring the world beyond said point, unless they revert to a save before they passed it.
Avowed lacking a New Game Plus mode might have made sense, if not for its fixed enemy population on top of that. In the end, then, Avowed's lack of enemy respawns works against its potential for true diversity in playstyle, even if it does simultaneously allow players to feel the lasting impact of their bold exploits.
Avowed
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 80 /100 Critics Rec: 82%
- Released
- February 18, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Xbox Game Studios
