Kingdoms Of Amalur: Re-Reckoning Reviews
Kingdoms of Amalur Re-Reckoning is, in my opinion, not worth playing. It doesn’t do anything egregiously bad, it just doesn’t do much above passable either. In a world with a seemingly infinite supply of games, there are better ways to spend your time than trundling through a mire of mediocrity.
For better or for worse, this is what we had hoped the came could have been nine years ago only to re-emerge in modern times in order to give us the experience we wanted while exploring the lands of Dalentarth.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is an action RPG that first saw the light of day in 2012 for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. It was developed by Big Huge Games and 38 Studios and published by everyone’s favorite company: Electronic Arts, or EA. The game averaged 80.66% across all three platforms as it was known to be a game for RPG aficionados and newcomers to the genre. After 38 Studios went belly up, THQ Nordic snagged the rights in 2018 and announced Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning for last-gen consoles along with PC. While the PC, PS4, and Xbox One versions released last September, fast-forward to March 2021 where we finally have the Switch version. Given that we’ve already had a full review of the Xbox One version here, this article will cover how the Switch version stacks up.
If you missed Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning the first time around, I highly recommend checking out Re-Reckoning. It has a great story and a well crafted world, combat is pretty fun and that soundtrack is phenomenal.
The world of Amalur gets a much needed (and well-deserved) second life on the Nintendo Switch, but it isn’t completely free of faults.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is a rather barebones revamp of a cult classic action RPG that's really beginning to show its age in many respects. The core combat here is still strong stuff, crunchy hack and slash action with plenty of flexibility and variety in how you go about decking out your character, but it's also surrounded by a world and story that are very much of their time. Fans of the original game will no doubt enjoy what is a mostly fine Switch port, but there so many other, more modern RPG experiences available at this point on Nintendo's console that everyone else should perhaps approach with a measure of caution.
Remasters of past games, even ones that are at least somewhat revered, can be a tricky business...
Kingdoms of Amalur's shine has dulled a little bit.
The Switch version if as good as the others when it comes to contents, and even if some compromises have to be accepted, the possibility to enjoy this underrated action rpg on the go is a very welcome one. Give it a try.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Some of this is the unavoidable battering of time, but other things, such as the lack of a target lock, feel like improvements that could have, and should have, been implemented. Approaching Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning from an entirely modern perspective, therefore, will likely lead to some frustration. However, if you can put yourself in the necessary headspace, Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is an enthralling, though flawed, adventure that perfectly encapsulates a very specific era in game design history.
Overall, Kingdoms of Amalur Re-Reckoning is an excellent remaster of an already great open-world RPG. The game takes everything we love about the previous remastered game, making it look fresh with updated graphics and extra content to create an outstanding remaster. If you are a Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning fan or a fan of open-world RPG’s, pick up this game.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning retains all the major flaws of an original game, but if you want to dive into the interesting world of Amalur, buy this remaster.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is a good remaster if you haven't played this classic WRPG, but it also shows how far the genre has advanced since 2012.
Originally released back in 2012, Kingdoms of Amalur was a game loved by many, but one that caused much controversy. This game was originally seen as a failure, and due to this the original publisher, 38 Studios, was forced to close. Nonetheless, I adored this game. So, as you can imagine I was very excited to hear it would be remastered for the latest consoles. I’ve waited a long time for this day. But, is it as good as I remember?
The main problem with Re-Reckoning is that it’s just not a very good rerelease. [...] The sheer amount of technical issues on the PlayStation 4 version dwarf those improvements, and the multiple bugs make for a frustrating and unpredictable experience.
I always loved my time with Amalur, and I am still loving my time with the Re-Reckoning. What with Dead Kell to dive into, and Naros, with ALL the DLC from the first run of the base game packed in with it there's a lot on offer here and the price is decent. You get a complete package, one that doesn't trick you through nostalgia. If you want to pay a bit more, you can also go for the full edition of the game and get the new expansion that's coming in 2021.
Feeling very dated in both visuals and gameplay I really can’t recommend it at the full asking price, especially as there are ways in which you can still get hold of download codes for the original release at a fraction of the price. It may have been a different story had there been more work done bringing the game up-to-date and squishing those darn bugs, but this feels like nothing more than a cash grab to make up for some of the money spent on purchasing the IP. Wait for a price drop.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is the story of marketable talent crafting a competent-if flawed-RPG in 2012; Re-Reckoning is that same story hastily repackaged in 2020 and resold at an overinflated price point.
Honestly, if you have the original game still there’s little reason to upgrade to the Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning remaster. While the quality of life improvements are a welcome inclusion, there just isn’t much else new here.