Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Preview

IGN has cranked out a preview of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, with a majority of the article focusing on the game’s “bad ass” mage class and how it differs from what we’re used to seeing.

Rather than a roll-dodge, the mage teleports short distances. In skilled hands, this is an impressive tool to get in close, dodge a stream of attacks, unleash a devastating combo with the staff, leap backwards and throw the Frisbee-like Shakram to slice into an enemy before tossing a fireball to finish the group off.

A mage is all about spells — at least that’s the expectation — and there seem to be plenty in Reckoning to play with. A detonation spell seems quite effective. You tag multiple enemies, then choose when the spell “explodes” them. This adds more strategy to magic than I’m used to seeing. And then there’s the big daddy spell — the meteor strike. Just as it sounds, this rains down hell. This one’s at the top of the spell tree, so you’ll have to work to acquire it. And when it’s used, be sure you have some distance from the strike point, because it’s easy to get caught in the massive blast.

Now consider being able to mix this in with weapons such as the Shakram or a staff that is almost as effective as a sword and it’s easy to see how mage combat in Reckoning could be very special.