Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Demo Impressions

The demo for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning recently hit consoles. As an avid RPG fan, I started the massive (1.6 GB) download on my Xbox and waited, not sure what to expect. Amalur is a game I’ve kept my eye on, but with the other games that have come out recently, it has fallen off my radar. Also, I’ve played many action-RPGs recently and while I’ve enjoyed them, many have been just alright. However, with one of my favorite authors, R. A. Salvatore (Forgotten Realms, Drizzt) penning the story, I had to give it a try. So with bated breath, I started the demo.

In Reckoning, the humans and elves are at war with the fae folk, magical beings. The fae have one supreme advantage, they can’t die. This disadvantage proved costly for the mortals, and after two decades, numbers are very thin. Luckily, gnomes have been working all the while to come up with a solution to this problem. They eventually build ‘The Well of Souls’ to give humans the same advantage. That’s where your character comes in, the first mortal reborn by the Well.

What really impressed me most is the freedom to build your character however you want. Want to be wizard? You can do that. A sneaky archer? No problem. Some crazy fighter/wizard/thief? If you’re up for a challenge, go for it. The game has enough skills and abilities and special moves to make your character how you want. It’s quite impressive. Leveling up is akin to Titan Quest. There are three trees, one for magic, fighter abilities and rogue abilities and you are free to put points where you like. Additionally, there are skills to increase things like stealth, alchemy, and dispelling magic wards. To further customize your character, there are Destinies that give you passive bonuses, which you unlock as you spend ability points.

Combat is fluid, fast paced, and all around enjoyable. The special moves where you kill people by disrupting fate are particularly awesome. The graphics are bright and colorful, and seem to be going for a fantasy feel, as opposed to Skyrim’s realism. The guided part of the demo where they take you through the tutorial and beginning of the story can take between twenty and thirty minutes. After that, they open up the world for forty-five minutes, allowing you to do what you want, and go where you will.

I greatly enjoyed my time with the demo and eagerly await the full version. Look for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning on February 7th for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.