Back again with some more action-packed, Sword & Spell slinging RPG goodness. From the depths of 2012 the Fates have weaved a tale of resurrection once more. Amalur is back and ready to take you on a fabled journey through its sprawling game world. Or at least, make its best attempts to do so with Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning by THQ Nordic and Big Huge Games.
Story
A mortal, flesh and blood, felled in the field of battle, returns to life due to a mysterious contraption known as the Well of Souls. You are the soul of this once mortal, now Fateless, and after a brief moment to customize your character as you see fit, you awaken surrounded by death and rot, only to discover that you are the only successful subject of this experiment. Of course, you immediately find out that a tyrannical faction bent on total control of Amalur knows of your existence. As a Fateless one, you discover that you alone are not bound by the weaves of destiny as is every other being in existence, but also have the power to free others from the tethers of fate as well. Lost without your memories, you are thrust into a journey to find the cause of your death and liberate your allies from the clutches of an evil destiny.
Gameplay & Mechanics
Big Huge Games has created what can be best described as the illegitimate love child of Elder Scrolls and God of War. Kingdom of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is an action game built upon customizable stats and abilities found most commonly within the RPG genre. From swords and staffs to scythes and chakrams, Kingdom of Amalur: Re-Reckoning gives you a handful of deadly tools to master along your journey. Along with leveling up and unlocking new skills to thrash your enemies with, you can build up “Fate Points” to enter a bullet-time Reckoning mode that allows you to dispatch multiple defenseless enemies and unleash punishing finishing moves that increase your EXP gains while looking cool as hell.
With all the positives, Re-Reckoning still feels exactly like its former 2012 self, which felt like an early Action MMORPG from 2010. Even during the original, movement felt… strange: Either bounding too far too fast or walking slow enough for Fate to realize it screwed up and shove you back into its puzzle like the strange little jigsaw piece that you are. Now, in 2020, it just brings back the unraveling PTSD of running faster than an NPC’s run speed, but walking slower than an NPC’s walk speed.
Aesthetics & Sound
Kingdom of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is a solid remaster of its predecessor. The developers did a wonderful job creating a beautiful, but often empty world. The recent facelift succeeded in all the ways a remaster is supposed to, but does little to fill the many gaps left by the former title. Having an HD Texture pack is great, but it would have been even better to fix the graphical bugs like slain enemies still jittering about on the ground or NPC’s heads twisting around exorcist-style mid conversation.
Summary
Even with its flaws, Kingdom of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is still a fun and flashy Action-RPG with a lot of elements to enjoy from the rich storytelling to the beautiful vistas. If you enjoy building a super-powered character from the ground up while meticulously selecting different perks and abilities, you’ll definitely enjoy customizing your Fateless Hero. Thank you, Big Huge Games and THQ Nordic, for bringing back this cult classic to be enjoyed once more.
6.5/10
Check Out the Kingdom of Amalur: Re-Reckoning Trailer:
For more information, please visit: https://thqnordic.com/games/kingdoms-amalur-re-reckoning
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PlayStation 4 Review
As the (self-proclaimed) King of Casuals, I'm always seeking out new titles to play and experience across all platforms. Eventually, I have ambitions to take the many different styles of this medium to create titles that will wow the masses in fresh, innovative ways.
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