Avowed Has a Little Bit of Romance In It After All

Obsidian's Avowed, now available in early access, has surprised players with a romantic subplot, despite previous statements from the developers. While Obsidian had previously stated Avowed wouldn't include a dedicated romance system, focusing instead on "thoughtful relationships" with companions, early access gameplay reveals at least one companion, Kai, develops romantic feelings for the player character.

This contradicts earlier statements by Avowed game director Carrie Patel, who, in an IGN interview, explained their decision to avoid a traditional romance system: "We are building thoughtful relationships with our companion characters," Patel stated. "Ultimately, I personally am a fan of making that an option, but I feel like if you're going to do it, you really, really have to commit and make sure that you're giving all to fulfilling that in a way that feels both true to the character, but also creates an engaging player experience. So not something we're doing for Avowed, but I wouldn't say never."

Early players and reviewers have reported specific romantic interactions with Kai, confirming the presence of at least one romantic storyline. Players wishing to avoid spoilers regarding Kai's storyline should proceed with caution.

**Warning! Avowed spoilers follow: