Avowed looks like a gorgeous Xbox RPG, but the combat is missing something Obsidian Entertainment has given us another look at Avowed, and while I'm A-wowed with its beautiful world, it has left me with some questions about its combat.Opinion by Tom West Published 20 Jan 2024 FollowtopicsXbox Game StudiosXbox Series X|SXbox Game PassOpinionAction-RPGTom West Like many of you, I'm super excited to play Avowed when it launches on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Xbox Game Pass this fall. My eagerness to explore the Living Lands of Eora has increased tenfold after seeing more of Obsidian Entertainment's game during Xbox's Developer Direct, but something doesn't seem quite right with the combat. Before I start, can we take a moment to appreciate how stunning Avowed's key art is? It might be my favorite cover art yet. Absolutely beautiful bit of work. Avowed? A-wowed, more like!Obsidian has opted to give us a more hands-on combat experience in Avowed, instead of relying on hack & slash gameplay. While I'm not a fan of brutally difficult action-RPGs like Dark Souls, I do enjoy the blow-trading mechanics that require strategy when taking on your foes. During the Developer Direct, Obsidian showed the main character battling a number of different lizard enemies wielding various weapons. It looks like a lot of fun, blocking your enemy's attacks, hitting back with your own, dodging, and controlling the battlefield with a range of spells and weapon types. While it certainly looks fun, I do have reservations about the combat itself right now. For one, a few scenes show the player fighting multiple enemies at a time, but they don't seem to be advancing on the player with very much haste. We see the use of spells and whatnot to immobilize the lizards, but the ones not under the influence of the player's magic seem to be half-heartedly attempting to attack. Of course, what we saw was a demonstration, so the difficulty may have been lowered so it could appeal to more players, but I hope that the full game will feel slightly more chaotic at launch, forcing you to adjust to enemy movements at a quicker pace. Secondly, the weight of combat feels a little un-impactful at the moment. It's almost there for me but I think weapon handling needs more weight behind it so that enemies react with more than a small twist when slashed with a sword — give me more blood! The lack of weight is most noticeable with wand attacks, which don't seem to hit the lizards with much force. I'm not a big magic user in any game, but Hogwarts Legacy's combat grabbed my attention last year and I ended up loving it. I'm hoping Avowed's final build gives us a chance to feel similarly as powerful when using wands because the recent demonstration makes wand attacks look like they have all the power of throwing grains of sand at your foes. There could also be potential for a double dose of badassery with dual-wielded wands, which I'll most definitely toy with!They're only small qualms for what is ultimately a fun-looking game, and certainly not something that would turn me away from what Obsidian has created. On top of the combat, Avowed features a quick loadout system, so you can swap to different weapons mid-fight — more than the usual two loadouts you usually get in RPGs — which is awesome. The flexibility of combat looks like it could be great fun, swapping from sword and shield to dual wands and then to a gun with ease.From what I've seen of Avowed so far, my hype levels are at a serious high. The world itself looks gorgeous, the choice-driven quests are exactly what I like in an RPG, and the level of mystery behind it all has my adventurous side itching to explore the Living Lands. We haven't seen anything in the way of player customization yet, however, which is a staple in the best Xbox RPGs. Do we play a specific protagonist, customize our own hero, loot gear, or create builds with skill points? I don't know. Hell, I'm not even sure what Avowed is about at this point. So much mystery and intrigue! Assuming Obsidian gives the combat the heft it needs, I can't wait to play.We have plenty of time to find out, though, as Avowed isn't down to release on Xbox Series X|S and PC until sometime this fall. Obsidian Entertainment is a first-party studio, so it'll also join the many other games coming to Game Pass later this year. Xbox Game PassXbox Series X|SWindows Written by Tom WestTom has been playing video games since he was old enough to hold a controller, experimenting with a number of systems until he eventually fell in love with Xbox. With a passion for the platform, he decided to make a career out of it, and now happily spends his days writing about that which he loves. If he’s not hunting for Xbox achievements, you’ll likely find him somewhere in The Elder Scrolls Online or fighting for survival in Battlefield.