The 2012 fantasy RPG returns in Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning! How does the new version compare to the original? Is the game still worth playing? Check out Kidzworld to find out in our review!
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is a new version of the 2012 RPG where you can create and shape a character, meet dozens of unusual characters, and explore a massive fantasy world. The original game was really fun then, thanks to its fast and fluid combat and visually colorful world, but how is it in 2020? Warning: The game is Rated M for Mature.
Age of Arcana
The story of Amalur is a fairly standard fantasy story. Magic shows up again in the kingdom, and a war breaks out between the forces of humans and elves and the evil Dark Lord Gadflow that leads the forces of the Tuatha Deohn. It is a classic setup of good vs evil, but the difference is where your character comes into play.
You'll meet tons of fantastical characters, like the Fae.
Character Creation
In Kingdoms of Amalur, you play as the Fateless One. You have no memory of your past and are brought back to life by the Well of Souls thanks to the Gnome scientist Fomourus Hugues. You can choose between 4 different races, each with their specialties, as well as which sort of deity they worship for another bonus, or none at all for a boost in how much XP you gain. The creator itself is alright, it doesn’t stand up against a character creator like Skyrim’s in terms of face options, but the tattoo and jewelry options can go a long way toward making your character feel unique.
You can be a warrior, mage, rogue, or something in-between.
Adventures and Quests
The game is packed with things to do, people to meet, and dungeons to delve into. It is a game that can easily be played for hundreds of hours. The Kingdom of Amalur is vast, and there are so many quests to take on. The game is quantity over quality often. Not every adventure you go on is as good as the rest. Some boil down to either defeating enemies or fetching an item from an area and bringing it back. Every so often though, there will be an interesting character or mini-storyline to take on and it makes the busywork easier to deal with. The main quest and faction quests are often the most eventful, but the side quests are a great way to get new gear.
Enemies can ambush you on the roads.
The Kingdom of Amalur
The world of Amalur is lush, colorful, and exaggerated in such a fun and otherworldly way. The style is often compared to World of Warcraft, with its huge monsters and oversized weapons and armor and it works so well. There are towns and cities to wander into, each with their own NPCs to talk to and quests to complete. Wandering into a new location feels great just to see the new creatures wandering about and the new environments around you. The game world is big, but it is not a fully open-world either. The locations take you through the sprawling, almost maze-like areas that interconnect through one another. It makes adventuring feel as grand as it should, without walking through huge open spaces for hours. It gives each area a distinct identity too, you begin to get a feel for and memorize areas much better than you would if it was open. Enemies and locations are a visual treat, and even though the story itself is mostly typical fantasy fare, there are tons of lore and mini-stories to uncover in each location if you want to seek it out.
Each location has its own dangers.
Tools of the Trade
Adventuring is a dangerous business, but it is clear right off the bat that you can take care of yourself. As the Pathless One, you can wield a wide variety of weapons. From your typical swords and hammers to more magical items like staves and chakrams, bladed discs that you throw at enemies (these are the best). Depending on how you level up your character, you can specialize in certain weapons or spells, or build a jack-of-all-trades that is skilled in a little bit of everything. With the game being a bit on the easy side, I honestly really like using a combination of magic, abilities, and weapons. Using every type of tool keeps things fresh even when the quests often are not.
Some beasts tower over the player.
How is the Remaster?
As fun as the core game can be, as a remaster it falls short. In the age of really well-done remakes and remasters, it becomes really obvious how little work was done to bring Amalur into the modern era. The visuals have gotten a bit of an upgrade, but the biggest changes are light tweaks under the hood in how the game balances locations and delivers loot. In Re-Reckoning, the type of loot you get is much better and usually fits within the type of character you were building, instead of being random. I often felt way more satisfied with the types and amount of gear the game gives you, and each area feels like a much more fitting challenge than in the original game. It is improved on the gameplay and systems front, but the visuals are barely above where they were eight years ago, especially on PC.
Some of the best encounters are against the huge beasts.
Final Thoughts
Even though it is not the greatest remaster ever on the graphical front, it is hard to put down Amalur once you start. The combat is so much fun, and the kingdom of Amalur is an inviting and dangerous setting. While all the quests aren’t great, the ones that stand out make the rest easier to deal with. The feeling of creating and adventuring with your legendary hero (or anti-hero) still stands strong today, even if the package could have used some more work.
You can sneak behind even the biggest monsters with your daggers.
Pros
- Fantastic hack-and-slash combat
- Deep character creation/builds
- Otherworldly fantasy world to explore
Cons
- Graphics barely improved
- Some bugs at launch
- Lots of mediocre quests
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning Game Rating: 
Kingdom of Amalur: Re-Reckoning's Cover Art.
Available Now for PS4, Xbox One and PC
Share Your Thoughts
What do you think of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning? What is your favorite fantasy game? Let us know below!
*Kidzworld was provided with a copy of the game to review.
