Garriott seems undecided about which legacy he is following up – the simulation and single-player storytelling of Ultima VII, or the persistent online world of Ultima Online. The influence of the latter provides one of Shroud of the Avatar’s few genuine highlights, however – the player-run hamlets scattered across its overworld.

This is where the game drops any pretence of gravity and becomes its colourful best. In the town of Soryn Fields, a hot air balloon is anchored next to a 60-foot statue, while snowmen decorate the sunlit high street. The outlandish architecture resembles something Garriott himself might have built at the height of his fortune. Prefab player abodes, meanwhile, are particularly lovely – housing sword collections, steampunk safes, and sedentary guard dogs.