Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning review

Reviewed on: PC

By Samuel R. Auras

Kingdoms of Amalur was a game released almost ten years ago, in the previous generation. An open-world RPG with an interesting story, a cool world, a well-made combat system, a catchy soundtrack… It had everything going for it. Unfortunately, it was released a few weeks after another RPG that had some success at the time, maybe you remember. A game called Skyrim. The fifth game in The Elder Scrolls saga cast its shadow over the following months, and while all the players were fus-ro-dahing their enemies down the mountain, Amalur was released to a small audience, and was forgotten.

Finally, the game is re-released at a time when open-world RPGs are more and more in vogue. The Witcher 3, Zelda Breath of the Wild, among others, marked the generation, but recently RPG fans’ hands were already itching for a new epic 100-hour adventure. And then Kingdoms of Amalur Re-Reckoningis released, a remaster of the original game. Again, it had everything going for it. And it is with deep sadness that I must say here that it didn’t work out. Well, at least not yet. Read the next paragraphs to understand.

Re-Reckoning is a remaster of Kingdoms of Amalur that includes the base game and the two (big) expansions. The game’s textures were redone, the game’s systems were rebalanced here and there, and small but excellent additions were made, such as a new difficulty level and more camera options. The game itself, however, is the same, for better and for worse. The interface, for example, is the same as years ago, slow and with menus and sub-menus to access the inventory, and deserved to have been reworked.

The good side is that the world of Amalur is incredibly rich. The history of the world, with its races, factions and wars, is very interesting, and exploring each region is a journey through a magical continent that loses nothing to any top-tier RPG. In fact, the world is beautiful, and the regions are quite distinct, bringing that sense of exploration that is so necessary in such a big game. It comes with a soundtrack worthy of a fantasy film, really very good, and an art style that looks like a mix of Fable and Elder Scrolls: neither so cartoonish nor so serious.

You begin your story as a warrior who died but was resurrected by strange technology. In Kingdoms of Amalur, all beings have a sealed fate that cannot be changed, from the day of their birth to the day of their death, but you, having already died and come back, now have a blank fate. And it’s your job to write it and, through it, change the fate of the entire realm. It’s a very cool premise and one that works very well to start the plot, which follows a nice but predictable path. Let me be very clear: the star here is not the game’s plot itself (which is nice, but doesn’t stand out that much), but the story, the lore of the world, told in various ways during its exploration.

It’s a shame the game suffers from that classic open-world RPG problem: the endless number of dull side quests. For every interesting quest the game gives you about five completely tedious ones. In fact, I would recommend that, unless you are really someone focused on completing the whole game, you only do the story quests and the so-called “faction quests”, much more interesting side stories that explore each of the world’s main factions, like the Warsworn, a brotherhood of mercenaries fighting a hidden evil that promises to return to the realm. These are the most memorable quests, which take you to explore the coolest places and pit you against the most challenging enemies and in the most different situations. The two expansions (perfectly integrated into the base game) are also well worth it.

One of the most positive points is the combat and character building system. Combat is real-time, and you can equip two weapons, among swords, hammers, staves… The game has a very customizable “class” system (the so-called “destinies”) that lets you mix warrior (“Might”), mage (“Sorcery”) and rogue (“finesse”) abilities. My character, for example, is a mix of Might and Sorcery: a mage walking around with an enchanted hammer and heavy armor. All mixes are viable, and the game gives you certain bonuses according to the abilities you choose. And best of all: it’s super easy to reset everything and redistribute your skill points, which lets you endlessly test combinations to find the ones you like most.

With all this, you must be thinking: “Wow, what a cool game!” And it’s true. But, unfortunately, this is a remaster done completely sloppily, any which way. The original game was full of bugs, and this remaster not only kept the original problems but brought new ones. The item system has serious problems, some bugs make you stop receiving any experience from enemies, several parts make the game crash, and there are even problems that can end up corrupting your save. It’s the game with the most problems I’ve ever played in my long years as a video game fan. And mind you, I’ve played a lot of Ubisoft and Bethesda games in this life.

So, it’s very hard to give a score to Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning. The game would deserve an 8.0, and that’s the score you can consider I gave if, someday, all the game’s technical problems are fixed. The generic quests and the somewhat odd loot system hold back the game’s potential, but overall, it’s an excellent RPG. In its current state, however, it’s complicated. I recommend you keep an eye on the game’s forums, on the updates, and, early next year (when, by the way, a new, original expansion for the game is due out), if the problems are already fixed (we hope…), buy the game and enjoy one of the best Western RPGs made in the last decade. Until then, and if the bugs aren’t fixed, buy at your own risk, keep several separate saves to be safe, and, if you end up being bothered, don’t say I didn’t warn you. It’s a pity and a shame that a game with so much potential is released this way. In 2012, part of the blame for the lack of success was Skyrim. In 2020 there’s no excuse.

SCORE: 7.0