Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Review by: Mynamescox44 - 8/10
Kingdoms of Amalur: ReckoningKingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is an Action RPG title that boasts a huge world, insane amounts of customization, and a very compelling story. One of the nice features this game has is that at any given time, you can pay someone to completely reset your stats, and reallocate them how you see fit (though the price for doing so increases each time). This game is another personal favorite, and one I have played through multiple times. On to the review!
Graphics 7 / 10 -- The graphics for this game are not perfect, but they get the job done. To be honest, the graphics are what you would expect from an RPG packed with as much content as the game has. The game has a very colorful world with a cartoonish feel, while keeping everything realistically proportioned and animated. Though that being said, the detail put into some of the environments, character / enemy designs, and equipment are very nice. The spells, effects, and blood spatter don't look too shabby neither.
Sound 9 / 10 -- I really enjoyed what audio this game had to offer. The soundtrack is about what you would see in your typical RPG, offering encouraging, adventurous songs out in the field, calming tracks in the cities, and tracks to give you a sense of danger in dungeons and boss (or any) battles. The composer did an excellent job with this one. The effects are well done also. Everything from casting a fireball to the "swish" of swinging your blade through air sounds spot on. Oh, and the game features full voice acting for every character, which is a beautiful thing in my opinion (the less mandatory reading, the better lol).
Addictiveness 9 / 10 -- This is definitely a game that deserves multiple play throughs. Though in terms of choosing your own path through the story your options are limited, there is plenty other things you can do differently to warrant a second time through. There are multiple character classes to choose (which can be mixed and matched as well), as well as tons of options for gear, as well as widely varying skill trees. Not to mention the combat is just downright fun. If you enjoy crushing your enemies with might, magic, or finesse, and love completing quests for loot, then this is the game for you.
Story 9 / 10 -- The story for this game is phenomenal. It has your classic "the world is in peril, and you're the only hope" type of deal going on, but that doesn't stop it from being interesting. To sum up the intro of the game, basically a scientist was working on a way to revive the dead, and as something happens to destroy his lab, you are the only successful revival for who knows why. In a world bound by fate (and a
select few who can foretell said fate), you are the only one free from it's chains, able to change your destiny at will. It's a pretty unique concept as far as I've heard, and it does not disappoint. Not to mention all the side story lines included in the game, of which there are 3 faction based story-lines you can see to completion (each with it's own choice of two endings). Very little could make this story better in any way.
Depth 10 / 10 -- This game has TONS to offer. The main story should give you a bare minimum of 40-50+ hours of gameplay, and that's trying your best to speed through it. Trying to accomplish everything, I think my first time through came to about 170 hours or so, which is pretty impressive. Besides what I've mentioned before, the game offers Alchemy through herbs found, Gem Crafting in which they can be placed in sockets on your gear, Equipment Crafting through parts found, among a few other ways to beef yourself and your gear even further. And as for side quests, if I remember correctly, there were about 150 quests to do not counting the main story, which is also insane. There is more than enough content packed into this game to satisfy any RPG fan.
Difficulty 4 / 10 -- Here is the one drawback to the game, the difficulty. Even on the games hardest setting, with a decent bit of skill and RPG know-how, the game can pretty much be breezed through without much getting in your way. If not for this one weakness, the game would be nearly perfect in every way. But hey, nothing is perfect, right?
Overall 8 / 10 -- This is a very underrated gem that needs to be put in the spotlight for awhile and get the recognition it deserves. I highly recommend this to any Action RPG fan, and you will not be disappointed (and it'll probably be cheap due to lack of demand). This should've been a classic, yet got pushed into the shadows.
Hope you enjoyed the review :)
Graphics
7 Sound
9 Addictive
9 Depth
10 Story
9 Difficulty
4
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