Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-reckoning review - Kill, collect, craft, repeat
A cloudy gem.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning hit store shelves during a time when Bethesda was arguably at the height of its powers. The publisher was still riding high after the release of Fallout: New Vegas and the behemoth that was Skyrim. Bethesda's money-makers were key players in fueling the content obsession, a trend that Reckoning was looking to capitalize on. The involvement of Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, an intrepid score by the famed Grant Kirkhope, and hundreds of hours of content to satiate the starving, post-Skyrim market -- the game was primed for success. Sadly, it would go on to earn the title of 2012's underrated gem and become one of most criminally overlooked games of the seventh console generation.
The release of the RPG underdog was to be the first step for Project Copernicus, laying the groundwork for a future MMO set in the same universe. While the timeline ended prematurely, THQ Nordic saw fit to remaster the cult classic for modern audiences to enjoy -- now Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-reckoning. But in the eight years since the game's golden reputation entered the public consciousness, Reckoning has not been aging gracefully. Its combat remains more than serviceable, yet its storytelling, side quest selection, and unwillingness to trim the excess leave it miles behind its modern competition. It's that very desire to overload the experience that is its undoing.
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Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-reckoning is a handful of solid gameplay systems trapped in a world that's lost its magic. There's plenty to play with as far as combat and crafting are concerned, but the game is defined by its decision to choose quantity over quality.
Score: 6/10
