It was supposed to be the "Skyrim killer." That’s the heavy burden Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning carried when it dropped back in 2012. You probably remember the headlines. It had a "dream team" behind it that felt like a fever dream for any fantasy nerd: R.A. Salvatore handling the lore, Todd McFarlane on the art design, and Ken Rolston—the guy who basically made Morrowind and Oblivion what they were—running the systems.
Then everything went south.
Not because the game was bad. It wasn't. It was actually great. But the studio, 38 Studios, imploded in a mess of government loans and lawsuits that felt more like a political thriller than a game development cycle. It’s a tragedy, honestly. Because while everyone was busy talking about the financial collapse of Curt Schilling’s company, they were missing out on a combat system that still puts modern open-world RPGs to shame.
The Fate-Weaving Combat That Ruined Other RPGs
Let’s be real for a second. Most Western RPGs have "okay" combat. You click a button, your character swings a sword, maybe you block. It’s fine. But Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning decided to play like a character action game. It’s snappy. It’s fluid. You can launch an enemy into the air with a longsword, juggle them with a few arrows, and finish them off with daggers before they even hit the ground.
Most games lock you into a class. You're a mage. You're a warrior. Boring.
In Amalur, you are the "Fateless One." This isn't just a generic "Chosen One" trope; it's a literal gameplay mechanic. Since your character died and came back to life outside the threads of fate, you aren't bound by a destiny. This translates to the Destinies system. You can put points into Might, Finesse, and Sorcery simultaneously. Want to be a heavy-armored knight who blinks through space like a wizard and uses poison? You can do that. The game encourages you to respec constantly at Fateweavers, which keeps the 60-plus hour runtime from feeling like a slog.
I’ve spent hours just messing with the weapon combinations. The Chakrams are easily the coolest weapon in the game. They’re these circular, bladed rings that you throw like lethal frisbees. They cover mid-range, deal elemental damage, and look incredible in motion. If you haven’t tried a pure Sorcery/Finesse build using Chakrams and Faeblades, you haven't lived.
A World Built on 10,000 Years of Lore
R.A. Salvatore didn't just write a script; he wrote a bible. He created a timeline spanning ten millennia for the Faelands. You can feel that history when you walk through places like the Gardens of Ysa. The Fae aren't just "elves with pointy ears." They’re immortal beings who live in literal cycles, repeating the same stories over and over because that is their nature.
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Then you show up. You're the glitch in their matrix.
The conflict with the Tuatha Deohn feels heavy because the stakes are tied to the very idea of whether people can change their lives. Most players get bogged down in the side quests—and yeah, there are way too many "kill 5 wolves" quests—but the Faction quests are where the writing shines. The House of Ballads questline is a masterpiece. It forces you to play through the Fae’s traditional stories, only to watch them crumble because your presence changes the ending.
It’s meta. It’s smart. It’s also kinda sad that most people just saw the colorful, WoW-inspired art style and assumed it was a shallow experience.
The Re-Reckoning: Is the Remaster Worth It?
When THQ Nordic picked up the IP and released Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning in 2020, people were divided. Let's be honest: it’s not a "from the ground up" remake. It’s a touch-up. They fixed the lighting, bumped the resolution, and—crucially—overhauled the loot zones.
In the original game, the level of a zone was locked the first time you entered it. If you wandered into a forest at level 5, that forest stayed level 5 forever. It made the endgame feel trivial. The remaster fixes this with a dynamic leveling system that recalculates every time you enter an area. It makes the world feel dangerous again.
Why You Should Play It Now:
- The Fatesworn DLC: This was a brand-new expansion released years after the original game. It actually concludes the story of the Fateless One and adds a whole new "Chaos" mechanic to combat.
- The "Very Hard" Difficulty: The original game was notoriously easy if you knew how to craft. The remaster adds a difficulty level that actually forces you to use your potions and defensive abilities.
- No Loading Screen Nightmares: If you played this on PS3 or Xbox 360, you remember the soul-crushing load times. On modern SSDs, they’re basically gone.
The Crafting Problem (And How to Handle It)
Here is a tip from someone who has beaten this game four times: be careful with Blacksmithing.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning has a crafting system that is arguably too good. If you max out Blacksmithing and Sagecrafting early, you can create weapons that make the final boss look like a total joke. You’ll be walking around with 100% damage resistance and swords that heal you for every hit.
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It sounds fun, but it can kill the tension.
I usually recommend sticking to found loot for your first 20 levels. It makes the discovery of a "Purple" (Unique) or "Gold" (Set) item actually feel special. There is something incredibly satisfying about finally completing the "Eurythmic" set and seeing your character transform into a glowing avatar of destruction. If you just craft everything, you lose that "one more quest" itch.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Visuals
People love to call this game a "World of Warcraft clone." I get it. The proportions are chunky. The colors are vibrant. The armor sets have massive pauldrons.
But if you look closer, Todd McFarlane’s influence is everywhere. The monster designs are gnarly. The Niskaru—the game's version of demons—are terrifying, jagged creatures that look like they crawled out of a Spawn comic. The Bog Thresh is another one; it’s a hulking mass of vines and teeth that doesn't fit the "cutesy" label people try to stick on the game.
The art style was a choice, not a limitation. It allows the combat animations to be incredibly readable even when the screen is exploding with magical effects. In a game where parrying and dodging are frame-dependent, that clarity is vital.
The Legacy of 38 Studios
You can't talk about Amalur without acknowledging the elephant in the room. The downfall of 38 Studios is a case study in over-ambition. They wanted to make an MMO (Project Copernicus), and Reckoning was meant to be the single-player introduction to that world.
When you play the game today, you can see the "MMO DNA." The maps are huge. The quest hubs are dense. There’s a sense that this world was meant to hold thousands of people. While we never got that MMO, we ended up with a single-player game that feels more substantial than almost anything else from that era.
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It’s a miracle the game even exists. It’s an even bigger miracle that it’s actually fun.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Playthrough
If you’re jumping back in—or starting for the first time—don't try to clear every icon on the map. You will burn out. The Faelands are massive, and the "filler" content is real.
Focus on the Main Quest and the Faction questlines (House of Ballads, Warsworn, Travelers, Scholia Arcana, and House of Sorrows). These are the meat of the game. They take you to the most interesting locations and offer the best rewards.
Also, experiment with the "Harpoon" ability in the Finesse tree. Even if you aren't playing a rogue, it’s basically Scorpion’s move from Mortal Kombat. Pulling a teleporting wizard toward you so you can smash him with a hammer is one of the most satisfying things in gaming.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning isn't perfect. The inventory management can be a headache, and some of the voice acting is a bit "ye olde fantasy." But in an era where every RPG feels like it’s trying to be a grim-dark simulator or a live-service grind, Amalur is a breath of fresh air. It’s a pure, high-fantasy power trip.
Go find a copy of Re-Reckoning. Pick a weird Destiny. Break the threads of fate. It’s worth the 40 hours, I promise.
Next Steps for Your Adventure
- Prioritize the House of Ballads: Complete this faction questline early (available in Odarath) to get a powerful armor set and a permanent twist of fate bonus.
- Diversify Your Build: Don't stick to one tree; try a "Universalist" build for the first 15 levels to see which weapon types (Greatswords, Daggers, or Scepters) actually click with your playstyle.
- Invest in Detect Hidden: Max this skill out as soon as possible. It reveals hidden treasures, secret doors, and—most importantly—traps on your mini-map, which saves you from constant frustration in dungeons.