Avowed is out now on PS5, having been exclusive to Xbox and PC for just over a year.
But as the old saying goes, good things come to those who wait — and there's no doubt that PlayStation players are getting a better game than what was available 12 months ago.
We think it's a largely great RPG, as evidenced by our Avowed PS5 review, and that's partly down to the fact that developer Obsidian has implemented some really meaningful improvements since the title's initial launch.
This includes adjustments that directly address what was arguably the biggest criticism Avowed faced back then: its equipment upgrade system.
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Said system was a sticking point across a number of critic reviews, and it didn't go down well with a lot of players, either. In short, it effectively gated character progression via the quality of your weapons and armour; if your gear wasn't up to snuff, you'd simply struggle to properly damage more powerful enemies.
In turn, this could make exploration feel frustratingly limited, and that was a problem since you needed to farm resources in order to perform the actual equipment upgrades.
Fortunately, Obsidian noted this feedback and made an effort to smooth things out. In an interview with RPG Site, gameplay director Gabe Paramo explains: "We were definitely surprised by how many people consistently bounced off the upgrading experience."
"We were trying to create a tight gameplay loop. The player completes content, upgrades their gear, and faces harder content. But because the game is open-area, players who really wanted to explore were getting stopped in their tracks in ways we didn't anticipate."
Paramo continues: "They'd push into new areas and hit a wall, not because of enemy difficulty, but because the upgrade system wasn't keeping pace with their curiosity. That frustration came through loud and clear. We've since addressed it and made the experience much more gradual and less binary."
Indeed, the latest version of Avowed features a few different tweaks and additions to the system, from the inclusion of better upgrade tutorials to increases in resource gains.
But perhaps most importantly, it's got new gameplay settings that let you adjust overall equipment scaling, basically making the whole thing way less of a grind. Combined with other options that adjust all facets of combat, you can now play Avowed however you like.
Are you glad to see that Obsidian took clear steps in addressing player feedback? Upgrade yourself in the comments section below.