Obsidian’s Avowed is the cure for “Souls-like” action-RPG fatigue

The tedium of the bow doesn’t really break until you stumble on your first spellbook, which you can hold in your off-hand while gripping the dagger in the other. Spouts of flame, freezing icicles, and blasts of lightning all come standard with the basic spellbook, alongside learnable spells like an enemy-tracking elemental blast and a powerful bull charge that can stun even lunging enemies.

Even early on, the wide variety of available spells—all on relatively quick cooldown timers—can make for some pretty dynamic fights. In one early boss battle with a large, infected bear, I was able to continually pepper the beast with each available spell while also lunging in for a few quick dagger hits when it was stunned or immobilized. By the time I was done with the last spell in my repertoire, my first spell was ready to use again, leading to a satisfying cycle of magical attacks that held out as long as my mana did. Though you do have to manage a prominent stamina meter during these battles, the game seems to be generous enough to make it not much of a pressing issue (at least for my combat-heavy character build).

Through it all, there’s usually one or two computer-controlled partners fighting alongside you as well. In many games like this, these kinds of partners feel like more of a chore to manage than an ally to aid you. In Avowed, though, your partners do a good job of distracting large groups of enemies from ganging up on you while also doing significant damage themselves—one actually landed the killing blow on a boss while I was off healing from a stray attack. While you can issue commands and get specific upgrades to fine-tune how your allies work, I’ve been perfectly satisfied with letting their default assistance round out my battles.

The small preview slice of Avowed we were given access to only touches on a deep, multi-branched ability tree suited for both melee combat and more ranged magic users. We’re eager to explore more when the game hits Windows and Xbox consoles on February 18.