S&S Review: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

Title: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Format: PS3, 360, PC
Release Date: Feb 7, 2012
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Big Huge Games
Price: $59.99
ESRB Rating: M


After a few gameplay sessions with Kindgoms of Amalur: Reckoning, I'm glad I spent the immense amount of hours I did with the game.  Lets get this out of the way early, the game definitely resembles similar titles like Dragon Age and Skyrim.  But when you spend about 20 hours with the game, the game emerges as its own unique title.  Its up to you to give the game your time and patience though, if you want to get the full experience out of it.

" I love my job"

Presentation/Story:
The story was handcrafted by one of New York Time's bestsellers, R.A. Salvatore, and it shows. The story and plot is as unique as it is complex. This isn't a bad thing, I was definitely enjoying the game, mostly because of the enticing storyline. At the beginning of the game, your character finds himself being revived, by a cool invention known as the Well of Souls.  I cant tell you anymore than that because you will most likely unravel your own adventure.  Visually, Reckoning is all over the place, some character models are highly detailed, while some felt rushed.  Environments on the other hand, are extremely detailed and are diverse.  From wet swamps to dry and desolate deserts.  On the audio side of things, the game shines as bright as the early sun.  The great and eclectic soundtrack brings the game to new heights.  Voice acting is superb and stellar throughout, each main and and non-main character sounds great and fresh.  It might even challenge the likes of Skyrim's voice work, but thats another argument for another day.  Like I previously stated, the presentation in the game is stupendous.

This guy is obviously a DBZ fan

Core Gameplay:
The gameplay in Reckoning is constantly out-shined by its stellar presentation, but it is still quite good. KOA is an action heavy RPG, which is one of my favorites, and you will never get bored while excavating caves. Battles happen in realtime, and with a combination of attacking with primary and secondary weapons, and rolling and dodging blows, is pretty satisfying when you finally kill a guy. There is an abundance of weapons and armor to choose from so you'll never get bored with a particular sword. You're able to fully customize your character's strengths and loadout on the fly, which is also a plus in my book. You're never stuck with a particular path you choose. Might, Finesse, and Sorcery are the three categories you level up, but if you don't like the way your character turns out, you can hire Fateweavers to wipe your slate clean. You can easily mix em up too as well, so your mage can take a liking to wielding a giant hammer.  This is another way that the game's gameplay shines in its own light.

"I can take all of you bastards"

Final Thoughts:

Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning is a great action RPG, with a few minor complaints with the botched character models sometimes wonky camera.  These little gripes don't bring the game down at all.  Its not the perfect game, but it comes close to the likes of other RPG kings like Skyrim.  If you want the most for your money, this is a definite buy.

Final Score = 9.25/10

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