2025-11-12 16:01
I was scrolling through my phone the other day when I noticed something interesting - my playtime in Avowed had crossed the 85-hour mark. That's when it hit me: I've spent more time with this game than I have with some real-life acquaintances this past month. Yet despite all those hours invested, I couldn't help feeling that something was missing from the experience, particularly when it came to the companions who joined my journey. The game's narrative shortcomings became especially apparent during those long sessions where I found myself more focused on figuring out how to withdraw my playtime earnings to GCash than on the actual story unfolding before me.
Let me paint you a picture of my experience. When Kai first joined my party within the opening hour, I expected we'd have some meaningful bonding moments. Instead, after what felt like barely a five-minute conversation, this character was suddenly ready to follow me to the ends of the earth. It felt rushed, almost like meeting someone at a party who immediately declares you their best friend. The lack of proper character development made me question why I should care about these companions beyond their combat utility. In fact, I found myself more engaged with the practical challenge of learning how to withdraw your playtime earnings to GCash than with uncovering Kai's backstory.
The other companions didn't fare much better in my playthrough. Giatta the animancer and Yatzli the quirky mage at least had somewhat recognizable motivations, but none of the four available companions ever truly captured my imagination. They were like beautifully decorated cakes that turned out to be mostly fondant - pleasing to look at but lacking substance beneath the surface. During one particularly dull conversation with Yatzli about magical theories, I actually paused the game to research the exact process for how to withdraw your playtime earnings to GCash, which turned out to be far more compelling than whatever magical revelation the game was trying to serve me.
What's fascinating is how this narrative weakness contrasts with the companions' combat effectiveness. In battle, these characters are absolute powerhouses - Kai can tank damage like a champ while Giatta's healing abilities saved my party from certain doom at least seventeen times by my count. The gameplay mechanics are where these companions truly shine, which makes their narrative flatness all the more disappointing. It's like having a sports car that you only ever drive to the grocery store - all that potential going largely untapped.
I reached out to several fellow gamers in my network, and Maria Rodriguez, a narrative designer with over eight years in the industry, put it perfectly: "Companion characters need time to breathe and develop naturally. When players can sense the mechanical hand of the developers pushing relationships forward artificially, it breaks immersion and reduces emotional investment." Her words resonated deeply with my experience. The companions in Avowed often felt like they were checking boxes rather than forming genuine connections.
This brings me back to my original realization about playtime and value. Spending 85 hours in any game represents a significant investment of time and emotional energy. When the narrative elements don't deliver, players naturally shift their focus to more practical concerns - like figuring out how to withdraw your playtime earnings to GCash to make that time feel more productive. It's not that the game is bad by any means - the combat is engaging, the world is beautifully rendered, and the core gameplay loop is satisfying. But the missed opportunity with companion storytelling leaves a noticeable gap in what could have been a truly memorable experience.
Looking back, I realize that my most vivid memories of Avowed aren't of dramatic story moments or character revelations, but of those practical moments where I was multitasking - exploring new areas while simultaneously learning financial processes like how to withdraw your playtime earnings to GCash. There's something telling about that balance, or lack thereof. A game that can make you care about both its fictional world and your real-world finances has achieved something special, but Avowed only managed the latter for me. The companions served their purpose in combat, but they never became the memorable characters I hoped they'd be when I first saw them in the promotional trailers.