Avowed is missing one feature that made Baldur’s Gate 3 such a success

A few elements are guaranteed to appear in a great RPG. A fantasy world unlike the one we live in, plenty of choices to test your morality, a variety of locations to explore, and a series of NPCs to build bonds with… or perhaps have something more.

However, unlike Skyrim, Fallout, Dragon Age, Fable, or the beloved Baldur’s Gate 3, Obsidian’s latest RPG has left that ‘something more’ behind, for there’s absolutely no love in Avowed. No matter how much rizz (that felt wrong) your Godlike possesses, Kai, Giatta, Marius, and even Yatzli won’t look at you twice, leaving you firmly in the friend zone forever.

Now, that lack of love was expected in Avowed, we knew it was coming. But given the success of Baldur’s Gate 3, and the massive influence romance had on the quality of the gameplay, it’s hard to ignore the impact this missing feature has had on Avowed’s adventure.

A little love goes a long way

When Baldur’s Gate 3 came out, it was massive. Players flooded to the RPG in their thousands and subsequently fell in love with the gameplay, story, and of course, the ten romanceable companions.

As such, hundreds of hours were put into different playthroughs, with many looking to try out the consequences of the game’s choices, trying their luck on Honour Mode, or attempting to have… relations with each of the unreasonably attractive companions (or a fully tentacled Mindflayer).

Larian Studios

What emerged was a bond, unlike anything many had ever experienced in a game. Fans found themselves caring deeply for their choices in order to protect Astarion from making the wrong decisions or avoid the judgemental side-eye of Shadowheart. They would go out of their way to lead Lae’zel down the right path and fight back against Wyll’s patron (unless you chose to get with her too. No judgment).

All of this spanned from hours of relationship building with each companion which naturally transitioned to extremely strong relationships.

Where’s the love?

Avowed doesn’t have that, because it doesn’t have romance. Sure, you still get a handful of companions and the time to build up platonic relationships with them in camp, but you never manage to build a strong bond with any of them, and it’s a shame.

There are two reasons for this. The first is that the game is designed specifically around being digestible. Players get to explore smaller regions rather than a massive open world, and the entire game fits into around 40 hours.

The second is the camp. This is the only location in which you get to speak to your companions properly, and even then, you’re usually going in there to either enchant your weapons, be pestered by The Voice, or get somewhere nearby.

Obsidian Entertainment

Avowed is a stellar example of a digestible RPG. It separates its regions perfectly and allows them to feel individual, heightening their impact on the story. Within that, each companion has its own area, so they should, in theory, be the star of the show. Sadly, they’re not; unless you speak to them for hours and ask them every question you can. 

So, combine the smaller areas with the relatively short campaign length, and even if you evenly split them into the time you can dedicate to each companion, you’ve only got 10 hours. Sure, that’s a pretty long first date, but this is like trying to fit a deep friendship into such a short time; speed dating has nothing on Avowed.

Then there’s the camp. Its primary purpose is to further your plot with The Voice and allow you to enchant your equipment or get to know your companions. Usually, when you head into the nearest camp, you’re met with various question marks over the NPCs’ heads, all looking to either berate you or praise you for your latest choice. It’s only when you complete those that you can ask them about themselves.

Typically, those conversations would help deepen those friendships, but with such a small amount of time and so much to do in camp, these get pushed by the wayside. I often found myself avoiding the likes of Marius or Kai just because I knew I’d have to sit for a few minutes and listen to them tell me off.

Dexerto / Obsidian

As such, you just never really forge the same bonds you did in Baldur’s Gate 3, and you know what the one feature that could solve this is.

The case for romance

When the developers spoke about romance back in January, they mentioned that love is “not something we’re doing for Avowed, but I wouldn’t say never” which means there’s still a chance it could come in later updates. While I don’t think that’s likely, given the fact that Avowed is a stellar game as it is, it would undoubtedly help perfect those companions and your relationship with them.

Romance isn’t the be-all and end-all of a successful RPG, but it’s the only feature Avowed feels to be lacking. Being able to forge deeper relationships with the rugged navy veteran or stone-cold tracker would dramatically heighten the replayability of the game as well as make camp something you actively look forward to visiting.

It would heighten the consequences of your choices and keep players interested in their small side-quests or well-being.

Avowed is a stellar game, as we explored in our review, but all it needs is a little more love, like Baldur’s Gate 3 (just without the Mindflayer romance).