Developed by the ill-fated studio Big Huge Games and published by EA in 2012, Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning released to relatively decent reviews. Why then did Governor of Rhode Island Lincoln Chafee (I know…what?) say that the “game had failed”? Well I think it’s something to do with that fact that nobody bought this game (funny that). But sales don’t necessarily reflect a decent product and this goes for all types of media really (hey 50 shades how’s it going?). According to a 2012 estimation the game only sold 330,000 in the US across the Xbox, PS3 and PC platforms. To put that in perspective, Skyrim sold over 3.4 million copies within two days of release in 2011 (Jayyysus). Sadly the game and studio have gone through a hell of a lot of controversy in the subsequent months but I won’t go into it here. This article is about how awesome this under-appreciated little ‘gem’ of a game really is.

Reckoning is a third person open world fantasy RPG with industry heavyweights such as Todd Mc Farlane, R.A. Salvatore, and Ken Rolston behind the art, story and design. In terms of game mechanics there is nothing really exceptional here. As funny as it sounds I found that while Reckoning didn’t really reinvent the wheel as far as open world games go, it placed a lot of emphasis on the fundamentals. This game feels GREAT to play. It handles very well, holds a decent story and implements a brilliant combat system.

Story/Lore

The defining characteristic of any RPG is the story. The ability to make you feel like a major part of the world and narrative defines a good game from a truly great one. Personally I really enjoyed the story, it’s quite generic and ham-fisted at times but there’s nothing really wrong with that. What the game excels in rather is how it manages to make you feel like the most powerful and important force in that world but at the same time still presenting a challenge throughout. In regards to the world and lore in general it is relatively detailed. As only one game in the series (plus two separate DLCs) exist there has not been a real opportunity to develop the world’s lore to the same extent as for example Tamriel in the Elder Scrolls series. To avoid spoilers I won’t go too in depth into the plot but suffice to say it is relatively interesting. One of the more interesting aspects of the story is the concept of death and reinvention which can also be found in the combat system.

Controls/Combat System

The controls in Reckoning are extremely tight and responsive. From my modest (I’d imagine over 100 hours :/) play time of it, there was never an occasion where I felt my character was not doing exactly what I wanted him to do. Some open world games like GTA make you feel like your guy is walking with a lorry parked on his head. You never really know the right time to turn a corner for example or when is the last moment to stop walking towards the edge of a cliff. This is not the case with Reckoning.

In terms of combat OH BABY this is where Reckoning really shines. The combat and I guess character system in Reckoning is divided into three typical trees. You can fight slow and devastating as a warrior, at a distance as a mage, and super speedy stabby as a rogue. What Reckoning does slightly different to other games in the genre and very very well is how you can blend skills for each tree to create a sort of hybrid. Personally I usually roll full mage so I can drop meteors on people. Regardless, the controls are tight and the fighting animations look awesome.

What this article is really trying to say is, just go out and buy it if you haven’t already. It’s €20.00 in the Steam store, but only €10 on GreenManGaming which is a decent deal considering it is at the minimum a 30-40 hour game. Look out for it in the sales because its been as low as €2.49 in the past. Reckoning will entice you in with its pleasant aesthetic and interesting lore and keep you there with its incredible combat system and sense of scale and variety. It kind of falls down in the story department, but you will lose yourself in the world and that’s hardly a bad thing is it?

~ Jay’s Burgers

TL;DR? Don’t worry we’ve got you covered. Check out the four sentence review here!

Cheeky Sources:

Curt Schillings role playing game supposedly needed to sell 3 million copies to not fail.

Kings of Amalur Reckoning sold 330,000 in the US last month