For fans of The Outer Worlds, Avowed is an interesting fantasy spin-off.

"Avowed" is an upcoming first-person RPG game from Obsidian, set in the "Pillars of Eternity" universe.

The protagonist is a special envoy of the Aedyr Empire. He sails to a border area called the "Living Lands".

Investigate a mysterious spiritual plague called the "Dream Scourge". The Dream Scourge has a unique and terrifying way of beguiling its targets, causing them to become infested with fungus.

Caedmon, a missing member of the Aedyran expedition that the protagonist is tracking, complains about his bad luck because he never even touched the girl.

Of all the dialogue options, the most interesting is having Kai, the protagonist's scaly companion, help Caedmon solve his dilemma,

This can lead to some ridiculous results. If Caedmon is given a healing potion, he will provide some useful information about other parts of the quest.

If you refuse, he collapses to the ground, and you can loot a powerful ring of elemental resistance from his untarnished corpse.

Avowed opts for a reset-friendly, levelless approach that feels like you're playing every class in the game at the same time, and you're not penalized for your favorite weapon.

Avowed doesn't return to the depth of systems found in Fallout: New Vegas. Instead, it plays more like the fun, fantasy style of The Outer Worlds.

The particle effects are dazzling, like bouncing electric shocks and deadly corrosive bubble mist, and the smoky flames that shoot out of the protagonist's palms are stunning. All the steampunk decor is a delight, even including some discarded tchotchkes like the wooden casings of glowing rock lamps.

In Avowed, you can't romance companions, a decision Obsidian made to prioritize developing companions' backstories.

Stories related to companions have always been a focus of Obsidian. Kai’s acerbic persona brings a refreshing levity to Oracle’s jargon-heavy lore.