“It’s Actually Reasonable To Finish”: Avowed Composer Praises The Game’s Appeal To Casual Players

Following the recent release of Avowed, composer Venus Theory has commented on the game's casual appeal compared to other, longer RPGs. Venus Theory, also known as Cameron, is a professional composer and sound designer who discusses different aspects of both music and sound design through the use of his popular YouTube channel of the same name. Having most recently composed music for Avowed, Venus Theory has some notable praise for the game itself.

In a recent interview with ScreenRant, Venus Theory praised Avowed's ability to appeal to casual players while still maintaining depth. "This is a pretty tight story that, if you are more of a casual gamer, I think it's actually reasonable to finish in a couple weekends if you really slam through it," Venus said, highlighting how Avowed's smaller scope allows casual players to more reasonably expect that they might be able to actually finish it - putting it in stark contrast with many other games in its genre, which can span hundreds of hours for a single playthrough.

Avowed Strikes A Balance With Its Deep World & Limited Bloat

Avowed's Composer Praises The Game's Balance Between Depth And Casual Appeal

Kai warming his hands on the campfire in Avowed.

In particular, Venus appreciates the game's ability to strike a balance between rewarding players for delving deep into the world and sidequests, while still being manageable for those who might not have the time to do so. While Avowed has wide-open areas with plenty of secrets to uncover and random quests to complete, players can also choose to focus on the main story. He added:

"I think it's nice that if you are more into the game or really want to explore things, there is the option to really explore every nook and cranny, and you're often rewarded for doing so. I think that was a really good gameplay balance that [Obsidian] struck, which I appreciate because, on the composer end, it was nice to be able to get through the game quickly and understand what happens.
Also, being a busy adult with adult responsibilities and stuff, it's nice to see a game where it's like, 'Wow, I could buy that and play that and not feel like it was a waste of money because I don't have 200 hours to sink into this game.'"

Kai with a purple character with scenery from the Avowed

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A large part of this balance might be due to the fact that Avowed is not an open-world game in the same vein as something like Skyrim. Instead, it takes on a structure more similar to the separate Acts of Baldur's Gate 3, or the distinct planets of Obsidian's last first-person RPG, The Outer Worlds, with open areas players can optionally choose to explore. This reduces the game's bloat, allowing it to remain more focused while still giving players a certain amount of freedom.

Avowed Is Worth Playing For RPG Fans

Avowed's Nuanced Setting And RPG Mechanics Make It A Worthwhile Experience

While not a perfectly balanced experience, Avowed is still a unique game that's worth playing for fantasy RPG fans. The wider setting of the game, Eora, is interesting and varied, with complex worldbuilding built on the back of two previous games set in the same world, Pillars of Eternity, and its sequel, Deadfire. This depth makes delving into The Living Lands, the part of Eora that Avowed is set in, a deep and interesting experience, and while the game's RPG mechanics aren't quite the same as Pillars', they still lend themselves well to the game's roleplaying and character-building aspects.

Find more from Venus Theory on YouTube, including a recent stream of Avowed.

ScreenRant's own review of Avowed puts the game at 9/10, and, in the same vein as Venus Theory, reviewer Kyle Gratton praises the game's pacing, saying, "There's a very satisfying and gradual progression throughout Avowed's entire run". Things like higher difficulties, or how the game handles its equipment rarity tiers, might put some snags in that progression for some players, but so far, it seems like Avowed is benefiting from being a tighter, more focused experience than other RPGs.