What Avowed lacks in gloss it makes up for with charm, depth and a playful heart.

It’s one of this year’s most pleasant surprises.

It took me a while to warm toAvowed.

Two characters in Avowed talk to each other. There’s a blue skinned and scaly looking fellow, and an armoured woman. Behind them, a sunny dockside can be seen.

Where are the bold new ideas?

Unlike so many po-faced RPGs of today, Avowed feels blissfully unburdened by complication.

It’s a game that enjoys being a game - and I don’t think we say that enough.

An Avowed screenshot. We see through a character’s eyes a grotto of sorts before us. Weird, warped architecture is overgrown with life, and the open skies around it tease a dramatically pointed and rocky horizon. Our character holds a flaming sword and shield.

But the similarities stop there.

There are also several nods to characters and events from previous Pillars games.

It’s nice to be back.

An Avowed screenshot. A first-person viewpoint of a turquoise and green-filled cave, that has a waterfall and stream running through it. It’s fantasy 101, and it’s very appealing.

Warm sun, clear water bays, busy jetties and ramshackle towns: this is a tropical getaway.

There’s no moody realism here: this is maximalist fantasy and I’m here for it.

The only problem is, you don’t know who your god is.

An Avowed screenshot showing our character’s first-person viewpoint of a lighthouse nearby. It’s wrapped in plant growth and bathed in the glow of an evening sun. A spell book is open in the character’s hands and a pistol is in the other. It screams adventure.

But as you arrive on the island, a voice starts to sound in your head.

In these opening moments, Avowed feels distinctly uninspired.

As a spectator, Avowed’s fights don’t look particularly special and the enemies seem hesitant.

An Avowed screenshot showing the game’s inventory and equipment screen. Bertie’s character here is stacked with good loot - this is taken towards the end of the game - and items named in appealing ways such as a gone called One Last Trick.

Being underquipped for battle, then, is a bad idea, so upgrading your equipment is crucial.

I’m a big fan).

It’s here where the playfulness of the studio and game really come to the fore.

The crafting interface in Avowed. It allows you to upgrade equipment through a handful of tiers.

Everywhere you go, something has been hand-placed to entertain you.

Thankfully, like water cracking and eventually rupturing a dam, it absolutely comes through.

There’s never a correct outcome, which I like - never a general consensus.

A very high ledge looking down on a tiny swimming pool - or pond, perhaps - below. The suggestion is clear: jump.

However, it doesn’t always come together.

There are moments where systems and story jar with each other.

I’m still scratching my head about the missing consequences of one of my biggest end-of-game decisions.

Bertie’s wood-covered character in Avowed who’s reacting to news that an archmage surrounds themselves in a palace of bones.

This isn’t the triple-A Microsoft-funded showcase I once believed it would be.

I think it’s one of this year’s most pleasant surprises.

A copy of Avowed was provided for review by Microsoft Game Studios.

An Avowed screenshot showing a guard who’s begging for me to cover their shift while they take a piss.