Avowed's Endings: A Shallow RPG Adventure

I've been playing Avowed recently, and oh boy, that ending really caught me off guard. At first, it felt like I was steering my own ship through a vast ocean of choices, but soon I realized it was more like paddling in a kiddie pool with a leaky boat – no matter how hard I rowed, I always ended up splashing in the same shallow water. The game promises deep role-playing with all these dialogue options that let me be rude, pedantic, or manipulative, which is refreshing compared to the usual 'nice guy' tropes. But as I progressed, it became clear that every path was a mirage, converging into just two basic outcomes: the 'good' ending where you fight the villain, and the 'bad' one where things get hilariously absurd. It's like the game is a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, only to reveal it's just a stuffed toy – all show and no substance. And honestly, that's where the real fun began, but also where the cracks started to show.

The Illusion of Choice in Avowed

From the get-go, Avowed lures you in with the promise of multiple pathways. I remember thinking, 'Wow, I can actually shape this story!' when I chose to be sarcastic or demanding in conversations. For instance, in early missions, you have options like:

• 😠 Be brutally honest to intimidate NPCs

• 🤓 Act overly pedantic to annoy allies

• 🎭 Manipulate situations for personal gain

But here's the kicker: no matter what I picked, the narrative flowed towards the same destination. It's as if the game is a river that flows in one direction, no matter how many rocks I tried to divert it – I could splash around, but I'd always end up downstream. This became painfully obvious in the final stretch. After returning from the Garden to find war has ravaged the Living Lands (thanks to that interstellar-style time jump where we were gone longer than expected), I faced Inquisitor Lodwyn. The game gives you a binary choice: fight her or side with her. But even then, it nudges you towards fighting, making the whole experience feel like a puppet show where I'm just pulling strings that aren't attached.

Companions: The Missing Depth

Now, let's talk about my so-called squad. I had four companions tagging along, but most of them felt about as deep as a puddle after a light drizzle. Two of them didn't even have side quests, and the ones that did were short and forgettable. Take Marius, for example. When I had to make a big decision in Galawain’s Tusks that could alter his people's fate, he just mumbled a bit if I disagreed – no real pushback or emotional depth. It's like the game gave me cardboard cutouts instead of fleshed-out friends. Compare that to other RPGs where companions challenge your views, like an Aedyran soldier arguing their side wasn't all bad, or a reformed villain offering nuance. But in Avowed, everything is black and white, which robs the world of authenticity. The best antagonists don't see themselves as evil, after all, but here, Lodwyn is just a cartoon villain with no gray areas.

The Absurd Finale: Siding with Lodwyn

This all builds up to the ending, and let me tell you, choosing to side with Lodwyn is where things went from RPG to outright comedy. If you fight her, it's a standard boss battle – flashy stages, a sinister monologue, and a satisfying conclusion. But if you pick 'side with her,' oh man, it's a wild ride. I marched in alone (because your team suddenly grows a spine and abandons you), and Lodwyn doesn't believe a word I say. She makes you beg to serve her, then demands more begging, louder and harder, like some twisted dominance ritual. It felt less like a strategic alliance and more like I was in her dungeon, chained up with a subscription to her dirty socks – utterly bizarre and unexpectedly funny. After rounds of humiliation, she orders you to kneel. If you resist, you fight alone. But if you submit? She draws her sword as if to knight you, and chop! Your head rolls off in a cutscene fade-to-black. End of story.

Why It Feels Unearned

On paper, this ending should be genius – side with the villain and get executed? It's brilliantly subversive and darkly humorous, like finding a diamond in a fast-food burger; totally unexpected and kinda cool. But in practice, it falls flat because Avowed lacks the depth to support it. Throughout the game, choices rarely mattered, companions were shallow, and consequences were absent – until this finale. It's as if the game is a puzzle box that promises complexity but opens with a simple key, making the 'twist' feel unearned. I mean, where was this confidence in decision-making earlier? Why no Aedyran perspectives or real dissent? The potential is there – the graphics are stunning in 2025, and the combat is fun – but it's squandered. This ending highlights the game's wasted opportunities, turning what could be a masterpiece into a silly footnote.

So, what does this say about RPGs in 2025? Are we settling for illusions over substance, or is this a sign that players crave more subversion? 🤔 The industry's evolving, but Avowed feels like a relic – full of promise, yet empty at its core. Maybe it's time to ask: when games prioritize spectacle over depth, do we lose the heart of storytelling? Or is this just a blip in the journey toward better interactive narratives? Only time will tell, but for now, I'm left chuckling at the absurdity, wondering if the next big RPG will learn from these missteps.