Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

"A grown-up Fable."


Developer: Big Huge Games
Publisher: EA
Release Date: February 7, 2012 (US), February 10, 2012 (EU)
Platform(s): PS3, X360, PC
Genre: Action, RPG


A high fantasy world of lush, open fields with full color palettes and elves and other mythical creatures roaming about, while fate hangs in the balance; it’s nothing new. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning however would like to have its own spin on it and puts mortality and destiny up for debate. In a world where mortals and immortals try to fight a one-sided battle for supremacy, it’s the seemingly immortal mortal that will try and sway the balance. That person is this story’s protagonist.

 

Yeah, it's N7 Armor. It's a weird Mass Effect cross promotion. Don't ask. Click for more.

 

After a brief history of the war’s development and a small character creation screen with 4 optional races, players awake in a huge pile of bodies. Mortality has skipped a beat and it’s in Amalur’s interest to find out exactly why this happened to just one person. First, a cavern filled with nuance and color palettes needs to lead towards freedom and more defined structures, built by those that would want mortals to survive the onslaught of the immortal Fay. In particular, it’s the contrasts and use of glowing to show interest points that make this world as vibrant as it is. Unfortunately, the low camera angle and sweeping motion that comes with adjusting it doesn’t seem to be fully on point yet. As enemies arrange themselves on the battlefield, also indicated on the mini-map turning red, this view pans out but stays low to the ground as a base, which makes an overview a bit of a hassle.

 

 

Combat is still a breeze in true hack and slash fashion though. One button is used for a primary weapon, one for a secondary and there are mapped buttons to block, dodge, use magic skills and so on. In addition, leveling up the character provides new traits in things like alchemy or blacksmithing, as well as unlocking simple combos to increase attack power. These abilities are divided in 3 trees to represent a brawling character, a more sly approach or magical finesse. 

Together with loot a-plenty and equipment, it isn’t the most original RPG experience, but it does have its own face by using stat modifiers for deities and unlocked fate cards. It also uses a cinematic finisher that prompts a Quick Time Event for additional experience. But most important to the theme, the hero can fill up a Fate meter, after which it can unleash this powerful energy and ‘manipulate’ the threads of destiny. This reverts to a unique bullet time sequence that gives advantages to killing enemies and reaping benefits from more finishers. Add to that the ability to collect ingredients, craft potions and the likes. Though the latter is again not far removed from the standard approach; it’s the world of Amalur that sets it apart.

 

 

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is like a grown-up Fable. The rich environment, dwarf characters, subtle voice acting and defined presentation just ooze charm, with at the same time still retaining a slightly more mature overtone. An open outlook regarding quests and landscapes create a sense of freedom, even if conversation options and certain locales spur players to the wanted choice. The lore of mortality and destiny versus an uneven fight sound like an intriguing plot to pursue and the game does a good job presenting it. It also tries to separate classes as much as it can, giving stealthy characters more benefits from sneaky kills, offering mages more powerful staff manipulation and so on. In addition, the fluent progression of combat displays nuances in combos and abilities that can be linked together to create a nice combat flow. All in all, it looks like a well-balanced, intriguing venture for fans of the genre. The game will release on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on February 7, 2012 for the US and February 10, 2012 in Europe.

 

Daav Valentaten, NoobFeed. (@Daavpuke)