The original Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning always had a special place in my heart. It is a game I dearly cherished even with its flaws. While many loved this title, it seemed we may never see the franchise again until THQ acquired it a few years ago. The company brought Kingdoms of Amalur back in the form of Re-Reckoning. I didn’t get the chance to play it at launch and I know this review is long overdue, I still wanted to share my thoughts on it. After playing for 20+ hours, I can safely say Kaiko did a wonderful job revitalizing this title.
Let’s start with the graphics; Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is updated with a higher graphical fidelity but the overall style and feel of the game remain the same. Whether you are new to the franchise or have played the original, you will see sharp details, better shadow quality, and higher quality textures.
Character designs complement the sprawling cities, buildings, areas of this fantasy world. Each detail is meticulously crafted for a magical feel. Although a lot of the NPCs look the same, facial features-wise, it is still an immersive world.
Speaking of immersion, the music plays a big role in the potency of the game’s fantasy feel. Another layer of immersion is the game’s voice acting. It is not perfect but still well-done although I would have preferred better lip-sync.
In terms of gameplay, it is very easy to get into but if you want to customize your controls, the game does have key-binding options. There are 4 races in the game and each comes with its own unique pros and cons. You can choose the name of your character, and customize it before you jump in, pretty standard stuff for RPGs of this nature.
The HUD is smooth and gives all the necessary details like skills, abilities, HP, mana, equipped weapon. You will have access to magical abilities alongside your primary weapons.
You can upgrade your skills as you progress in the game. After you choose what skills and abilities need to be upgraded, you can pick your Fate as well. Fate is presented as Tarot cards in Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning. Primary fates are might, sorcery, and finesse but as you upgrade you can unlock different combinations. The combat and its related mechanics are the heart of this game and are incredibly fun. Once you upgrade your skills and abilities, get the weapons you need, Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning combat becomes satisfying and unlike many others in the genre, it doesn’t suffer from repetitiveness.