First Looks// Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

Big Huge Games has big huge expectations for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, its upcoming role-playing game that features something of an ‘all-star’ development cast.

Indeed, the project features the literary talents of fantasy writer R.A. Salvatore and comic book legend Todd McFarlane, while game design will be led by The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind and Oblivion’s own Ken Rolston.

On paper it sounds like it can’t go wrong. A fantasy match made in heaven, with all the graphical splendour and wonderful vistas that you would expect from such industry masterminds. The presentation is certainly something that interests me - give me colourful, imaginative locations and comical Fable-esque character models over grim and grey castles any day.

Your adventure begins as a nameless, unknown hero that has been brought back to life by the legendary Well of Souls. The opening cutscene shows a couple of dwarfs carting your corpse through a dungeon, ready to be chucked down a chute and added to the body pile deep underground. As you watch this, you get the chance to do the obligatory character customisation thing. Eyes, nose, chest, that sort of thing.

It’s worth pointing out that, unlike many other role-playing games where you get to play as a bespoke warrior, you don’t get to choose your character class during this process. That’s not because there aren’t any to speak of - more that you get to dynamically switch your abilities and roles by levelling up certain experience trees and by changing equipment.

I was shown three distinct types of character abilities, but when you begin the game it seems your only option is to become the standard Warrior class. Your hero digs his newly revived self out of a big pile of rotting corpses and staggers his way towards a gnome guarding the dungeon, who is rather pleasantly surprised to see you.

It was his idea to send you through the Well of Souls, you see, and you’re the first person to actually get revived by it. Actually, now that I think about it, it’s not really all that legendary after all if it doesn’t even work half the time.

Regardless, the jubilated gnome tells you of a dark force sweeping the land, and that you are the only person who can save its people. And stuff. So you’re directed to pick up the conveniently-placed sword and shield and go on your merry way.

Combat is assigned to one face button per weapon, meaning you can equip an assortment of items to create all kinds of combos. I was told that there would be something of a Diablo-esque system surrounding the weapons that would result in a deep variety of gameplay.

Although you only have one button per weapon, Big Huge Games showed that players can still play around with different fighting animations and moves by executing timed, rhythmic button presses. I did notice that animation was repeated far too frequently for my liking, and I’m not sure if I was sold on the ‘one button for everything’ idea. Perhaps it’ll be something I’ll understand once I get my hands on it and immerse myself into the game.

You can level up your Warrior abilities by spending points to unlock perks within the ‘Might’ experience tree. Alongside the burly swordsman, you can choose to be a Mage by unlocking perks related to the ‘Sorcery’ tree, or a Rogue by focusing on ‘Finesse.’

The Mage allows you to cast all kinds of spells (obviously), and gives you a teleport ability that can be combined with attacks for a backstab move. Rogues offer a bit more variety in gameplay, with stealth missions and a proficiency in silent dagger kills.

From what I’ve seen so far, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning looks like a great collaboration in terms of visuals and the setting. Rolston’s influence can even be seen in the open game world, where you have access to this green lush forest that establishes a world that you care about and will want to save.

But even glum-sounding areas like caverns and Aztec-style tombs bring a splash of colour that’s very fantasy. Time will tell if the gameplay will stand up to be as engaging as the world surrounding you, but then with a dream team of designers and developers you can’t go far wrong, right?