Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Review
Publisher: Electronic Arts, 38 Studios
Developer: Big Huge Games, 38 Studios
Format: PS3, 360, PC
Release Date: Out Now
EA’s Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, is an interesting addition to the genre. Boasting an impressive new combat system, a colourful and vibrant world and solid foundation of the RPG staples, KoA:R is what people, who want to know what all the fuss about RPG’s is, should be playing. While the hardcore fans will say Skyrim will be the game of the year for them, the runner up has just arrived.
The game see’s you play a character who has recently come back from the dead, you must then attempt to discover who who are while in the process, try to determine what’s happening in the world and all that anyone is talking about is the Crystal War.
Long story short, there are a tribe of fair folk who want all mortals (that’s you) exterminated. You begin the game as a disorientated experiment but are very quickly thrown into the fray as the location you’re in comes under attack. As you escape, you’re shown exactly what this revolutionary battle system is capable of and why fighting in KoA:R is more entertaining than previous entities which claim to be Action RPG’s.
As your character begins to wander on his own and you get some more time with the game, you learn some impressive skills, both physical and magical and, uniquely, those abilities with you use control with Fate. The side effect of your revival is the ability to control the fate of others in battle and to remove yourself from the weave of fate that every other being is subject to. What this means to you, the player, is that once you’ve killed enough enemies to fill your fate bar, you get to kick ass on a legendary scale.
The reason I believe people will be drawn to this more as opposed to other heavy hitters like Skyrim as their first RPG, is that it looks far more endearing and welcoming, its bright colours are reminiscent of the Fable games and it truly is a joy to behold. The locations have been lovingly rendered with some glorious landscapes and events to be seen, efforts which capture the magic of this world that is almost tolkienesque in their nature. Supplimented by a subtle score, the audio doesn’t really take centre stage at any point in the game, but it compliments many of the scenarios excellently. The only problem is the fact that the story is basically hidden within every NPC and each one has at least five different conversations with you. While there is a huge amount of information held in the people of Amalur, sometimes you just want a quick cinematic or two to explain something rather than interrogating everyone village by village.
The levelling system is not extraordinarily difficult, with three main disciplines to choose from, Might (for heavy handed brawlers), Finesse (for the stealthy assassin style) or Sorcery (a magic spell for every situation) with the option of specialising later on within these three, the game does seem to slightly hold your hand longer than needed, a plus for anyone starting for the first time, an irritation to an experienced hand. But what does work well is the ability to completely customise how your character levels up and approaches his battles. You may decide to go for a heavy sword as your primary weapon while having a flaming sceptre as your secondary, or perhaps combine Daggers with a war hammer. Throughout the game are characters that give you the power to readjust any points awarded to you giving an even higher level of customisation.
The problems that KoA:R will face will inevitably stem from the fact that the world is still reeling from the wonder that was Skyrim. Which they should, Skyrim has set the bar at a strong height and any game that even comes close to it would be considered a good game. However, KoA:R has great potential, and should they take on board the common critiscisms that have been noted in reviews, any sequel from this game would truly be a contender for the next best RPG out there. If I was asked to recommend an RPG to a player new to the RPG world, I would happily send them KoA:R as a wonderful introduction, while seasoned pro’s will also find enough here to give them hours upon hours of enjoyment.
Overall: 8.5/10
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