Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning Aged Like a Fine Mead

Some call me the Fateless One. I call myself Yza Nimblefingers, dual wielder of Faeblades and Slaughterer of the Warsworn. With my silver tongue and fist full of lockpicks, I travel throughout the Faelands. Sometimes I stop to pick flowers. Most of the time I’m a one woman spider murdering machine. But all of the time I have a smile plastered to my face.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning has been a true delight to experience again. I never did finish it the first time around and, when 38 Studios/Big Huge Games went under, I admit to losing interest in picking it back up. It lives in a box with all of the Xbox 360 games that made the cross-border journey from Canada to the US with me a decade back.

Keep in mind this is not a remake, but a remaster. Meaning the colors are a touch brighter and the gameplay so much smoother than I recall. And maybe it’s just me, but the dungeons seem tighter and darker than before. The sense of sneaking through crumbling tunnels as I proceed deeper underground gives me the right amount of chills.

Fateshift kills are just as epic, too. Why is it that intense bursts of power with the ability to skewer bad guys always feels so darn good? Is it because of the cool cinematics? Probably. Which means the team that worked hard on crafting these experiences deserves more praise than one woman alone can give.

Load times seem to be shorter as well, but still exist when walking in and out of buildings in the same town. There have been a couple of odd encounters, such as a woman walking around town minus her torso for a few minutes. But for the amount of time I’ve spent exploring forests, towns, and dungeons, the game has been incredibly stable for me. Overall, it’s a very good experience without needing a Day One update (which was in fact released after I began writing this playtest).

THQ Nordic breathed life back into this property much in the same way the Well of Souls did for our characters. This is a lush world rich with storytelling that needs to be experienced by as many people as possible. If given the chance, Kingdoms of Amalur could reach Elder Scrolls levels of success. Everything is there; it just needs the love and support to propel it to those heights.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning includes all of the extra content from its first run. Teeth of Naros? Check. Spiffy Commander Shepard crossover gear from Mass Effect? You got it! Well, you can have it on September 8, 2020 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.