Now one of my most anticipated games of 2025

when Accepted First revealed at Xbox Game Showcase in 2020, many assumed it would be Obsidian Entertainment. Skyrim. But instead like a huge open world RPG SkyrimObsidian decided to dial things back a bit AcceptedCreating a more focused experience. Anyone worried about what this change in direction means Accepted Going to feel “small” should rest. I recently spent about two hours hands-on with the beta build Accepted While the game isn't technically a fully fledged open world experience, it starts with a tutorial dungeon before opening up to an explorable area large enough to scratch the open world itch.

Accepted It starts by letting players create their character, and as is common for RPGs these days, players are given a lot of options. Players can spend a lot of time tweaking theirs Accepted appearance of the character, but they also have important decisions about the character's backstory. I chose the War Hero background, which gave me unique dialogue options as I entered the world and interacted with its characters.

Once players have created their character, they find themselves in a tutorial dungeon and are taught the basics. Accepted As they move through it. The dungeon equips players with healing potions, armor, a spear, a bow, and at the end a book of spells, giving players a full breadth of what to do. AcceptedShould offer a fight.

AcceptedThe combat is punchy and fun. Players are able to hold two weapon sets at once and switch between them easily, allowing for more variety in any combat encounter. Players must choose what is equipped in each hand, which also affects how they approach each battle. For example, players can choose to carry a spellbook in their left hand and a spear in their right, but this means no shield, making it difficult to block enemy attacks.

Managing stamina, building stagger bars, and choosing the right equipment for each scenario are critical to success, especially against tougher enemies. The game also has a stealth element, with players able to hide in tall grass and hit enemies with surprise attacks. With all these options at my disposal, I found the combat to be a lot more fun than I expected from the trailers, and I think a lot of people will be pleasantly surprised. Accepted It doesn't do much new when it comes to its combat, but what it does, it does very well.

Avowed is all about player choice

AcceptedCombat should only get more interesting as the game progresses and players gain access to new types of weapons and abilities. But there's more to Obsidian RPGs than combat. Player choice is an integral part of Obsidian RPGs, and the same holds true for this one Accepted. In the tutorial dungeon, there was an interesting scenario where I met a prisoner named Elora. I was given the choice of saving Elora or leaving her in prison, and despite the concerns raised by my friend Garrick, I decided to save her. Rescuing Elora seemed like the right move, as going out of my way to find her dungeon key and then bringing her to the end of the dungeon with me meant more help for me in the area's final boss fight.

I don't know if saving Ilora will have a big impact later in the game, but I'm definitely excited to see what happens. I am also looking forward to exploring more AcceptedIt's a big world. After completing the tutorial dungeon, I was brought to a large open area where I could explore more or less at will. This includes a small town where an NPC had a side quest for me to complete. This side quest led me to a cabin full of enemies and included an interesting development that I won't spoil here, but it sets the tone. AcceptedThe side quests are definitely going to be worth doing.

Joining me on my adventures outside of the tutorial dungeon was a friend named Kai, a fish-like man with his own personality, goals, ambitions, and helpful abilities. Players can call on companion abilities in fights for an extra edge over their opponents, and they can chat with their friends at camp to get their perspective on the events that have happened so far and learn more about them. Accepted There are no romance options, which is a little disappointing, but that doesn't mean players won't still connect with friends like Kai as they play the game.

Avowed will launch on February 18, 2025 for PC and Xbox Series X/S. The $90 premium version of Avowed includes five days of early access. Those willing to wait will be able to play through the entirety of Avoid with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass subscription.

Placing Kai next to me, I began to face AcceptedThe main finding of Accepted Takes place in the Living Lands as it deals with the Dream Scourge plague. This mysterious plague surrounds the main character with mysterious noises, and it infects unlucky citizens and creatures with a strange fungus that drives them insane. I haven't learned much about dream crises in my time AcceptedBut I'm curious to see where the story is going. I thought some of the conversations could have been longer and delivered in a more interesting way than information dumps, but what's here still makes for an interesting mystery.

finally, AcceptedThe main quest of led me to Paradise City, where upon entering I was immediately shot in the stomach with an arrow, leaving my adventure on a painful cliffhanger. The time I spent with the game barely scratched the surface, but as someone who was somewhat skeptical. AcceptedThis is now one of my most highly-anticipated games of 2025. Assuming the rest of the game is as fun as its opening hours, Obsidian fans should have another great RPG from the studio on their hands.