Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Review

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning needs to be up there with a lot of competing RPG games available on multiple consoles. Will the collaborate minds of R.A. Salvatore and Todd McFarlane be enough for the RPG to stand on its own two feet? Well, I have been playing this new game and I am ready to give you my results.

The game starts off with a basic cut scene that describes the world of Amalur and the evil threatening it. Your character (which you can customize from one of four different races) wakes up on a pile of dead bodies after everyone assumes you died in a great battle.

Once you go through a simple tutorial in regards to combat, equipment, quests, and dialogue, you can begin your own person quest into the vast world. Your character is possesses no voice when interacting during cut scenes, but you do have the luxury of deciding what to say in regards to dialogue interaction.

The game has similar feels to the Elder Scrolls series but has the graphics that fit World or Warcraft. The graphics involved may make this game feel like a simple man’s Elder Scrolls, but don’t let that notion trick you. This game can pack quite a surprising punch.

The game sports a different variety of weapons that the player can use. You are allowed to equip two different sets of weapons throughout the game. Each weapon type has its own unique advantages, surprises, and skills based off your level up system.

The game doesn’t promote dual wielding, but you can switch between weapons in combat just like the Devil May Cry or God of War series. The more familiar you become with weapon classes, you will be able to pull off better combos and damage attacks. My preferred weapons were the long sword and daggers. The dagger work very well for thieves and stealth character because you are rewarded with an amusing execution cut scene when you sneak up to kill an enemy.

Switching weapons, magic, and using potions on the fly helps keep the game’s combat in constant motion. Constant motion is something the game needs when facing giant fire-breathing Skeletor T-Rex monsters.

When you have done enough damage, you can enter Reckoning mode where the player possesses magic energy weapons and stat boosts. It doesn’t last long but allows for mini game executions an extra experience points rewards.

The game promotes crafting, blacksmithing, and alchemy in order to improve your stats. So collect as much as you can. The lock picking chests/door is a simple water-down version of the Fallout/Elder Scrolls lock picking, but it still works.

There are a plethora of quests involved whenever you travel to different areas. It has been 15 hours of game play since I was giving the first main storyline quest and I haven’t been able to get back to it.

One fun feature is the aggressive mode function. By pressing one button, you are given 20 seconds to steal, assassinate, or attack any simple NPC in any town. It may not seem like much in a review, but it is a lot of fun when in small doses.

The combat class system is all based on how you level up your character. You have three “level up” sections to choose from: Might, Finesse, and Sorcery. What you put into one, two or three sections can unlock different classes for your benefit. The gamer has the ability to change the combat class at any point in the game and isn’t penalized for taking a different route.

The variety or combat classes, skills, weapons, and races allows for multiple replay options when one gets bored with a particular class or when one wants to take on advanced roles of RPG games.

Kingdoms of Amalur feels like a very simple action RPG and it may be helpful for those who are too intimidated to try some of those complex RPGs available. This would be a great starter for gamers new to RPGs or for those experienced RPG players looking for a change of pace.

I give Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning thumbs up for our ProvenGamer fans.