Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning

tl;dr: Original game had an amazing premise, but this "remaster" is objectively awful. 5/10. This is another one of those games where I wish Steam had a "Neutral" option, but as it is now, I can't recommend Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning in good conscience. To preface, I've played the original Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning about 3-4 times and am currently halfway through my second playthrough of this "remaster". I keep referring to this game as a "remaster" in quotations because it actually doesn't remaster ANYTHING from the original game, aside from some very basic (and frankly unnoticeable) texture upscaling. They slapped on an extra DLC (Fatesworn), an extra difficulty (Very Hard), and just called it a day. They did not fix ANY of the bugs from the original game, and many of those bugs are game-breaking and can soft-lock you if you aren't diligent in keeping multiple saves. In fact, the "remaster" actually introduces MORE bugs than the original game, which is why I say the "remaster" is objectively worse than the original. For example, be careful speaking to certain NPCs next to doors, because when you finish the conversation, you might just get locked behind an unopenable door and be forced to reload an earlier save (this happened twice during my most recent playthrough, but never happened in the original even though it was apparently also a major bug in the original). Also, having just mentioned the new inclusion of the "Very Hard" difficulty (which was a popular request since the original game was far too simple, even on "Hard" difficulty), the developers unfortunately chose the laziest way to implement it: you deal half damage to all enemies, all enemies become HP sponges, and all enemies do double damage to you. On paper, this sounds alright, except for the fact that this game LOVES to throw endless hordes of enemies at you every 10 seconds, and a lot of these enemies (I'm looking at you, mage enemies) spam tracking projectiles that will not only stun-lock you, but also deal half of your health per hit even with maximum armor. So have fun getting one-shot or ganked repeatedly because the developers don't actually know how to properly balance their game. Tangentially related to the topic of enemy difficulty is the way this game pads out its "content". This game will pull you in with its pretty environmental aesthetics and fluid combat, but after 10 or so hours of playing, you'll start to realize the core gameplay loop consists of the following: (1) accept quest from NPC, (2) "run" (at a snail's pace) for 10 minutes until you reach your destination, which is usually a dungeon, while being ambushed by enemies that spawn out of nowhere every 10 seconds, (3) enter the dungeon, and "run" through that dungeon while still being ambushed by the same enemies that spawn out of nowhere every 10 seconds, (4) fight a "boss", which is usually just a bigger version of a regular enemy with more HP (or alternatively, fetch an item), and (5) most infuriatingly, RUN ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE START OF THE DUNGEON (still at that obscenely slow pace) because the developers failed to put any shortcuts when designing their dungeons and do not allow you to fast travel inside dungeons. The only saving grace that the "remaster" provides is an Easter egg accessory you can get early in the game that gives you +50% movement speed, although this is at the cost of -99% of your damage output, so you have to constantly menu in, put the ring on, menu out, and then menu back in when you get into a combat situation, which is beyond infuriating. EDIT: Writing this now that I'm in the Fatesworn DLC section. I didn't think it could get any worse, but somehow it did. I hope you enjoy fighting Niskaru, spiders, and boggarts, because that's all you're going to be doing for about 50% of the DLC. These Chaos Gates are literally the exact same as the gates in Oblivion, but the developers somehow made it even more obnoxious by: (1) making the entire dungeon the same shade of purple, so any levers required to progress blend right into the environment; (2) endless hordes of aforementioned Niskaru, spiders, and boggarts that cannot be staggered because they have a "chaos shield" (basically just extra health that requires you craft a specific weapon type to break through) so they will just interrupt you nonstop; (3) force you to unlock these Chaos Gates by closing Chaos Portals that are scattered in a VERY LARGE area around individual Chaos Gates, so again you have to SLOWLY WALK TO EACH OF THEM, kill the chaos mobs around them, and then close them before you can actually enter the Chaos Gates. By the way, there are 25 of these gates that are basically required for progression, so enjoy having the life sucked out of you for about 5 hours! I get what the original developers were going for: an immersive open-world action RPG with similar vibes to World of Warcraft with lots of collectibles, rich lore, places to explore, etc. But the execution is so flawed, with myriad bugs, glitches, repetitive combat, repetitive dungeons, and repetitive quests, that any positives are quickly outshined after a couple hours of gameplay. If you want something that scratches that Breath of the Wild, Fable, or Skyrim itch, this game is okay. Just okay. The definition of mediocrity that overstays its welcome far too long. 4/10. (Reduced by 1 point just for the Chaos Gates in the DLC)

Kingdoms of Amalur can be summarized as Fable tried to be an MMO developed by former Morrowind leads with lore written by R. A. Salvatore himself. Though its misfortune came from releasing just 3 months after Skyrim which resulted in the game never received the attention it truly deserved, myself included. I couldn't get past more than 2 hours of gameplay after having kept myself busy with Skyrim like everyone else which at the time seemed like the superior experience. 13 years later with no Elder Scrolls sequel in sight and a market that seemingly craving for proper open-world fantasy RPGs saved for a few big hits, I've found my way back to this game thanks to this remaster. While often branded as a miniaturized MMO, KoA is actually more than that; it's a surprisingly fun RPG with gorgeous visual style, a well established world map with diverse biomes, solid quest writing, intriguing lore with some very interesting implications. The setting is a refreshing take where mortals seem like the true invaders of this magical world and a protagonist who can change fate in a universe where everything is driven by fate itself. Set aside the MMO elements, the combat and progression system were ahead of its time and still hold up well enough today, which was an achievement that, as mentioned, was unfortunately overshadowed by Skyrim's success at the time. It's such a delight that THQ Nordic brought this game back on the map with QoL changes and a new expansion with former staff contributed to it. I think it's fair to say KoA is the perfect RPG to play when you feel like you don't have many interesting games left to play. Sure, it's no masterpiece, but it's a genuinely fun time sink in a beautiful and intriguing fanatsy world that doesn't try to constantly sell you a 20$ skin.

DAMMIT. I was so ready to be smug about it, but... Ellen was right. This stupid game is awesome. RIP my free time. Extended Review: Three weeks after I posted my original review, I'm still playing this game and enjoying it. Which is... unusual for me. I usually lose interest after 100 hours or so. I couldn't even finish Baldur's Gate III because I got bored at the point where you reach the city. But, somehow, this one has kept my attention. I think the thing that keeps me coming back is that the combat is genuinely enjoyable. There are so many ways to customise your combat style to suit your play style, and Reckoning Mode is just SO FREAKING SATISFYING. I love it. Strangely enough, though, my favourite thing about it is something very small: You can actually loot the piles of gold you find scattered around. It's a tiny frustration, but it always bothers me when you walk into a treasure room in a game and you see all those stacks of treasure, but you can't loot them. In KoA, you can! Gold coins and nuggies and chalices and all kinds of silly shiny things. It's totally pointless because you'll end up RICH AF in no time, but it really scratches the itch for me. Love it. The graphics are pretty retro, but in that cartoony way that means they age well. Think Fable, Guild Wars, or even World of Warcraft (though heavily toned down). It took a bit of getting used to in our modern era of hyperrealistic games, but you know what? I prefer this over Oblivion/Skyrim, with hyperrealistic backgrounds and NPCs that look like godawful mountains of meat carved into a vaguely humanoid shape. To the person who asked about bugs below: I have completed the Arena quests and encountered no bugs there. I've only encountered two bugs of note: The most frustrating one is that there is a chance that if you use the quickload function while you have a curse on you, the game will crash. But, that only really bothered me when I was trying to save-scum my way past the dispelling minigame, so that's just karma on me. The other bug I encountered is a very small one in the Legend of Dead Kel DLC. An NPC is scripted to die in a trap, but... he didn't die. He got impaled on the trap and just stood there, chatting away like normal. Funny rather than frustrating. Highly recommend getting the Legend of Dead Kel DLC as well - it's GREAT. Actually enjoying it more than the main game right now. Hah.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is, in my opinion, an absolute peak RPG experience and one that holds a special place for me personally. It was a childhood game I used to play with my grandfather, and revisiting it through Re-Reckoning felt less like replaying a game and more like stepping back into a memory. What makes Amalur stand out immediately is its depth. The world feels massive without being overwhelming, filled with regions that each carry their own identity, factions, and storylines. From the vibrant forests of Dalentarth to the deserts and fae-touched lands beyond, exploration constantly rewards curiosity. Side quests rarely feel like filler and often contain their own narratives, characters, and moral choices that make the world feel lived in. The build system remains one of the game’s strongest features. The Destiny system allows players to mix warrior, rogue, and mage abilities freely, encouraging experimentation instead of locking players into rigid classes. This flexibility makes character progression satisfying and keeps combat fresh across long play sessions. Being able to respec and shift playstyles without penalty adds a level of freedom many RPGs still struggle to match. Combat itself is another highlight. Amalur blends RPG mechanics with action-oriented responsiveness, resulting in encounters that feel fluid and impactful. Weapon variety, ability combinations, and the Fate mechanic create moments where combat becomes almost cinematic. Even after many hours, fights remain engaging rather than routine. The lore and worldbuilding also deserve praise. The setting’s mythology, especially surrounding fate and the fae, provides a thematic backbone that separates Amalur from more conventional fantasy RPGs. Dialogue, books, and environmental details consistently reinforce this identity, giving the game a strong narrative atmosphere. Re-Reckoning’s improvements, including visual polish and smoother performance, help modernize the experience while preserving what made the original special. The remaster does not reinvent the game but instead enhances accessibility and presentation, which feels like the right approach for a title already strong at its core. That said, the game is not without flaws. Some quest structures follow traditional MMO-style patterns, which can occasionally feel repetitive. Enemy variety, while solid early on, can become familiar during longer sessions, and certain zones may feel slightly padded compared to the most densely designed regions. Additionally, while the art style remains charming, some systems still reflect the era of the original release. Even with these minor drawbacks, the overall experience remains exceptional. Kingdoms of Amalur succeeds through its combination of exploration freedom, build diversity, satisfying combat, and rich worldbuilding. More importantly, it carries a sense of adventure that is increasingly rare, where simply traveling through the world and discovering stories feels rewarding. For me, the nostalgia of sharing this game with my grandfather only amplifies its impact, but even beyond personal connection, it stands as one of the most enjoyable and underrated RPG experiences available. Re-Reckoning is easy to recommend to anyone who loves fantasy RPGs, character build freedom, and expansive worlds filled with stories waiting to be uncovered.

There is a lot to like about Kingdoms of Amalur, and it seems tailor-made for me. I love side quests in games. I'd rather engage with the core mechanics and complete tasks than sit through cutscenes and fight unique gimmick encounters like a lot of main story missions tend to be. This game has a ton of side quests, and they're good too. Not just pieces of paper on a notice board to go kill boars, but with their own stories and characters. The graphics are extremely nostalgic in a way that evokes the best memories of the 360 era. Memories is the operative word here, because this game (the remaster on PC) looks the way you think 360 games looked. The well-aged semi cartoonish art style and the vibrant colors are here. The terrible frame rate, draw distance, load times, blurry textures etc. are not. The amount of voiced dialogue is impressive, and it's utilized well. You can ask NPCs a lot of questions, and the important thing to note is that the game is not overwritten. Answers are usually only a few sentences in length so I actually end up listening to all of it instead of skipping to the point. Unlike a lot of games, when you complete missions people react to the changes you've caused in the world. Not just the quest giver with one line of thank you, but everyone in town. And when you return days later, they'll have new comments on how their lives have been since your last visit. If you've met new people or gone to new places, you can ask characters you've met before about that. It feels very natural, is incredibly immersive and makes completing quests feel worthwhile. The UI is one of the best controller-centric RPG UIs I've seen. It flows very smoothly from one menu to the next, with smart QoL decisions to minimize unnecessary button presses and time spent in the menus, so you can manage tons of loot and quests without it taking up too much time to bother. However there is a big problem: the combat. It's so unfortunately dull and repetitive, at least on a melee character. I might've done myself a disservice by playing on Hard, which seems to make the enemies tankier and hit harder. But it's not difficult either and I haven't died since the very early game, so I wouldn't want to make the game easier still. Even with a suite of abilities unlocked you end up mainly standing in place mashing the attack or ability keys and spamming mana potions while waiting for the enemy HP bars to slowly go down. It's pretty easy to stunlock enemies and even if they manage to attack it's coreographed 2 seconds in advance so failing to roll in time would require taking your hands of the controller. I know it's cliche to bring up Dark Souls when discussing games not even that similar to Dark Souls, but I really feel like the past 15 years of Souls-likes have redefined what passable combat is in a third-person action RPG. Even stock standard AAA slop now has decently fun action combat. I guess that wasn't the case when the original Kingdoms of Amalur came out and I haven't read any old reviews, but according to Wikipedia this game was "praised by critics for its combat design" which baffles me. Maybe this was acceptable in 2012. It's not in 2025. It's a game I would love to play all the way through for the world and the atmosphere, but actually playing it for more than a few hours feels like is a chore. I might come back to it from time to time on the Deck, on which it performs very well at 90fps on max settings, with the occasional stutter spike when loading new regions of the overworld. PS. Remember to save any time you find a good item. The game autosaves when you enter new areas, but the overworld and dungeons can be huge and saving inside them sporadic. The game seems to re-roll items in chests when entering new areas (note: the autosave is placed BEFORE exiting the old area) and when killing enemies, so keep that in mind.

Ellen from Oxtra is indeed right. Absolutely wonderful game.

If you're a fan of xbox360 era gameplay with writing made by actual authors this is your next big time sink. :)

[h3]Мужчины говорят, что у них нет депрессии, а потом заседают в третьесортной RPG на почти 150 часов.[/h3] Обычные люди, если им морально очень плохо и они сознательно хотят сделать себе ещё хуже, то они идут играть в мультиплеерные сессионки. Апологеты же истинных страданий, для тех же целей, используют низкокачественные ролевые игры. В конкретно этой игре, плохо абсолютно всё, кроме боёвки и всего, что с ней связано. Боевая система представляет недобитэмап с атаками из уворота, контратаками и рывками, которые приправляются сочными анимациями. Тут прям видно, если ты сильно yeбaл по врагу. Враги крайне охотно реагируют удары и сами не так плохо отбиваются. Главный герой летает аки птичка от врага к врагу и раздаёт килограммы урона. Эффективность раздаваемых пиздюлeй зависит от сочетания оружия и выбранного класса. Типы классов выдаются за вброс в прокачку навыков ловкости\магии\силы, которые ещё и можно смешивать. По достижению определённого количества очков в категориях, даётся классовый бонус, который ещё и в любой момент можно поменять, если перераспределить очки у ткача судьбы. Короче говоря, за одно прохождение можно неограниченное количество раз менять класс и попробовать их все. Смысл начать пробовать имеется уровня с, примерно, двадцатого, так как здесь явно выделяется проблема перекача. Если выполнять все сайд-квест по мере их выдачи, то можно стать секс-машиной смерти даже ещё не выйдя из фейских лесов. Кстати, классы меняются за деньги. Казалось бы, там сумма немаленькая, но есть одно "но" - экономика в игре полностью сломана. Нигде не сказано, что это диаблоид, но тебе всё равно придётся регулярно возвращаться в город и сбывать найденный хлам. Ты станешь бумбоклатом-миллионером уже на первых уровнях и эти деньги некуда девать. В магазинах могут пригодиться только отмычки и ремонтные наборы. Разве что, можно потратиться редко встречающихся на учителей талантов. Говоря о талантах, то среди них половина абсолютна бесполезна. Есть смысл качать только кузнечное дело, алхимию и огранку, так как только через них можно получать лучшие шмотки. Остальное - крайне опционально. Замки и снятие заговора на понос с сундуков и без прокачки нормально происходит. Убалтывание редко имеет смысл, так почти не влияет на итоги диалогов и больше нужно для лорных деталей. Болтать с дуриками придётся много и лора в игре немало, но есть одна проблема: чем больше узнаёшь, тем тупее всё кажется. Всю игру говорят, что главный герой - человек, который сам распоряжается своей судьбой, но уже с середины игры вбрасываются маслонамёки на то, что у фей было предсказание о смертном, который изменит порядки их жизни. Вот тебе и вся глубина. Короче говоря, серьёзно это трудно воспринимать ещё и из-за того, что тут почти нет ни юмора, ни лёгкого тона. Все слишком серьёзные, так как у них там почти что конец света, но, уж извините, другие игры этого жанра как-то умудряются, при схожих данных, не строить суровое eбaлo. Продолжая ущербность мира, нельзя не упомянуть и основу основ - квесты. Абсолютно все из них выполнены в жанре "принеси, подай, убей, подойди, поговори". Что сюжетные, что сайдовые. Раза 4 на всю игру будут загадки для детей ясельной группы. Практически всегда, квесты проходят в однотипных данжах. Да, визуальный стиль в игре интересный, но данжи тут точно такие же, как и в любой другой РэПоГэ - блёклые и повторяющиеся из раза в раз. В основную игру встроены два доремастерных дополнения, которые, вроде как, должны были добавить что-то новое. Тут двояйко. Дополнение о колоссах добавило совершенно бесполезное оружие с эффектом увеличения урона магией, которое совершенно бесполезно для немагических классов. Дополнение о пиратах добавило крепость, которая бесплатно генерит ресурсы, которые и так спокойно валяются по игре, если не пробегать мимо сундуков. Кому-то, наверно, это понравится, но там, помимо этих добавок, ничего особенного нет. Отдельно хочется похвалить переводчиков на великий и могучий. Настолько пoxyиcтинoгo и неграмотного перевода я давно не видел. Текст переводил явно мyдeнь с, максимум, пятью классами лесной школы. У него один город может иметь три названия одновременно, а феи могут в одном предложении называться ещё и эльфами. Не говоря уже о сотнях опечаток и ошибок. Вообще, хотел прожать рекомендательную кнопку, так как игру воспринимал, в первую очередь как отличное средство разжижения мозга через хорошую боёвку, но увидел, сколько на странице в магазине за неё просят без скидки. Я где-то ключ за недорого, когда-то, брал, но минимальная цена тут за FATE-издание держится на уровне 600 с копейками. Это терпимо, если человек так же, как я, захочет заработать расслоение мозговины и пройти игру целиком, но ачивки говорят, что таких психов в мире крайне мало. Короче говоря, игру надо рассматривать лишь как тупой боевичок и лишь тогда от неё можно получить некое извращённое удовольствие. В ином случае, будет лишь грусть, усталость и импотенция.