Done before? Absolutely. a cookie cutter RPG? I think not.
So, I am quite surprised that I have fallen in love with Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.
In Amalur, you begin your story as a mortal being resurrected by the power of experimental gnomish sorcery. Dubbed by those around you as "Fateless One", you embark on a quest to discover the truth about your untimely demise, while of course partaking in a slew of side quests. You kill all kinds of enemies, upgrade your weapons, armour and skill set, buy and sell items, brew potions, craft items and more. Sounds like standard fair for a fantasy RPG.
But while this may all seem like you've been there before, done that and bought the chest plate, it is the execution of all of these fantasy faucets that makes me love Amalur, as well as the immersive, expansive world it is set in.
But while this may all seem like you've been there before, done that and bought the chest plate, it is the execution of all of these fantasy faucets that makes me love Amalur, as well as the immersive, expansive world it is set in.
The first thing I noticed about Amalur was how bright and colourful it was. This is perhaps only a small thing for most of you, but in these kinds of games, I want to play a game that is attractive, that draws me in with its visuals and makes me feel that I am in a world that is truly unlike my own. It's not going to win any awards for it's graphics- they're just plain good. To look at the game reminds me of World of Warcraft and Fable mashed together, and it's probably how I would describe the overall experience in general.
As you would expect, you can level up your character as you go along, increasing your stats and hence giving you access to better weapons, armour or spells. There is a class system, with three basic classes (Rogue, Mage or Warrior), which can then be broken down into many different "Destinies"- and this is where the levelling up system you're used to becomes something more unique to Amalur.
Destinies are basically sub-classes which become unlocked as you increase your stats in any of the three main class areas. You can make your guy either a pure Rogue/Mage/Warrior or have him be a mixture of any of the three. My character's destiny is currently "Battlemage", meaning he mixes up the use of swords and hammers with magical weapons and spells. One feature I find particularly nifty is the ability to "unravel" your player, which allows you to redistribute your skill points at a cost. This is something I haven't done yet, though I am tempted by it.
Combat is a blast. There are plenty of RPGs out there today which feature combat that is simply clicking to attack and pressing buttons to heal or use a spell or other item. In Amalur, the combat is real-time and plays more like a third-person action game, where you have a two buttons to attack, a button to block, several different combinations for spells and can move using one analog stick while switching the camera using the other. I'm not sure how this works on the PC, as I'm playing it on the PS3, but the principal is the same- you control the moves your character does, which includes performing increasingly devastating combinations and special attacks once you enter into "Reckoning Mode".
Amalur is allegedly massive, with hundreds of hours of gameplay in it. At the moment I'm twenty hours in, and have been taking the main quest slow, opting to do the side quests as I go before proceeding with the next storyline objective.
I played the demo for as long as it would let me before purchasing it, but this was a wise decision, as the demo was long enough to get me hooked and ensure that I would enjoy this game.
I would certainly recommend it to anyone looking for a good long game to play, especially fans of the genre. I doubt you will be disappointed.
As you would expect, you can level up your character as you go along, increasing your stats and hence giving you access to better weapons, armour or spells. There is a class system, with three basic classes (Rogue, Mage or Warrior), which can then be broken down into many different "Destinies"- and this is where the levelling up system you're used to becomes something more unique to Amalur.
Destinies are basically sub-classes which become unlocked as you increase your stats in any of the three main class areas. You can make your guy either a pure Rogue/Mage/Warrior or have him be a mixture of any of the three. My character's destiny is currently "Battlemage", meaning he mixes up the use of swords and hammers with magical weapons and spells. One feature I find particularly nifty is the ability to "unravel" your player, which allows you to redistribute your skill points at a cost. This is something I haven't done yet, though I am tempted by it.
Combat is a blast. There are plenty of RPGs out there today which feature combat that is simply clicking to attack and pressing buttons to heal or use a spell or other item. In Amalur, the combat is real-time and plays more like a third-person action game, where you have a two buttons to attack, a button to block, several different combinations for spells and can move using one analog stick while switching the camera using the other. I'm not sure how this works on the PC, as I'm playing it on the PS3, but the principal is the same- you control the moves your character does, which includes performing increasingly devastating combinations and special attacks once you enter into "Reckoning Mode".
Amalur is allegedly massive, with hundreds of hours of gameplay in it. At the moment I'm twenty hours in, and have been taking the main quest slow, opting to do the side quests as I go before proceeding with the next storyline objective.
I would certainly recommend it to anyone looking for a good long game to play, especially fans of the genre. I doubt you will be disappointed.
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