Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning - Why it's Awesome

38 Studios just 'gets it'. With the kind of development pedigree we'd call 'all star' – featuring industry veterans like Ken Rolston through to comic book artist Todd McFarlane, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is holding a great combination of cards in its hand. Moreover, it could just have that magical combination of great gameplay, sterling art direction and – critically – focus. It knows what it is – the future of loot-heavy, story heavy, combat-focused RPGs. It also knows what it isn't - and it doesn't apologize for that either.

If you love hardcore RPGs – or maybe you've been too scared to give them a whirl until now – read on for five reasons Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is going to be awesome.

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From the mind behind Morrowind and Oblivion
Ken Rolston is a legend in his own lifetime. He came from classic tabletop, pen-and-paper roots and moved into gaming – fronting the teams responsible for The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind and Oblivion.


Basically, Rolston crafts worlds and they're consistently impressive. It's his job to oversee the intricacies of weaving together the fiction of the world with the vision of his design team. Reckoning is his baby; he's a man who understands what makes a great RPG – and he's also brought on talent who are on the same wavelength, including a composer who worked at Rare when the studio was at its peak.

These include two big names – R. A. Salvatore and Todd McFarlane, both of whom are masters in their own fields.

Written by veteran author R. A. Salvatore
From the opening moments of the game, when you're dragged through the halls by two bantering dwarves before awaking on a pile of corpses in an ethereal subterranean cavern, Reckoning oozes quality. It should too, since acclaimed fantasy novelist R. A. Salvatore penned the story and dialogue. Salvatore, whose work includes The DemonWorks Saga and a bunch of books in the Forgotten Realms universe, brings undeniable quality to the fantasy writ.


Working with Ralson, you can see the potential for amazing quest design, convincing dialogue, deep lore and an overall immersive world. This is the same Salvatore who also crafted one of the most memorable hardcore fantasy characters out there - Drizzt Do'Urden – who went on to appear in Icewind Dale and Baldur's Gate. We can't wait to see what he brings to Kingdoms of Amalur.

Todd McFarlane fuelled the art direction
The creator of Spawn, sure, but as a stickler for great animation and cohesive world design, McFarlane was an inspired choice. The actual kingdom of Amalur is a work of art in itself; the landscape is gorgeously detailed and full of subtlety. There's a clean approach to the character design and landscape. Facial details, for instance are slightly exaggerated – not so much as to be cartoony, but enough to allow for flamboyant animation. It adds so much humour and personality to what could've been a very by-the-numbers, straight-faced experience.


The environments are saturated in colour, too. The most immediate comparison stylistically would be World of Warcraft; both share a bold, rich palate of colours over the top of chunky – but never simple – texture work. The game's structure, while more in line with a game like Fable than an Elder Scrolls game, gives players a lot of variety. We've seen crystalline cave networks blooming with purple and blue light, lush green meadows and open plains with towering trees and steep valley walls. The villages are densely detailed and peppered with characters to interact with and nooks to explore. I do love my nooks in RPGs.

Then there are the monsters; these foes point toward McFarlane's direct involvement more than anything else. While they too are consistent with the slightly exaggerated, bouncy animations of the humanoid characters, they're also a dripping, pointy, venomous and threatening mob. Basically, it seems the art direction is as authentic and well considered as what we've seen of the rest of the game.

It's focused but deep
Balancing depth with accessibility is a careful dance that every RPG strives for – and many simply don't strike the balance. Reckoning, by building on strong, much-loved genre foundations, is presenting its own unique solution.


The world, which is enormous but never overwhelming, has more in common structurally with a game like Fable than Ken Rolston's Elder Scrolls work. That has allowed his designers to focus on making each region stunningly detailed, wide without being aimless and focused without feeling funneled in.

The combat, likewise, takes one-button combos and makes them context-sensitive, weapon-specific and surprisingly deep. You'll find that using a staff is a radically different – yet equally satisfying experience when compared with using daggers or even a two-handed sword. It gives weapons that have traditionally been good for nothing but liquidating into spare gold coins a new lease on life. By keeping spellcasting and combat mostly straight-forward, action appears fast and fluid – much like God of War or Fable.

You're a blank canvass
Perhaps the most appealing aspect for us is the notion that your character is more-or-less a blank slate for you to build upon. There are no true classes as such in Reckoning; instead, you have potential 'destinies'. As you level up, you can add points to these destiny skill trees – and each one has a variety of abilities and spells that might have drastically different impacts on your gameplay style.


If you've always been hesitant to play as a rogue, for instance (and who would blame you - that class is usually pretty hampered and traditionally a lot less spectacular than many others), you'll find a range of more interesting support abilities at your disposal. Combining these with a simplified but still rewarding combat system, suddenly the appeal of experimenting away from your traditional chosen gameplay style becomes clear. Small things like these build an RPG that feels refreshing – not just another 'Tolkien-light' fantasy retread.

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