Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Preview

Strategy Informer is next in line with a hands-on preview of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, the open world RPG being headed up by what they and many others describe as a “dream team” of developers.

You character also has Reckoning mode at his or her disposal. When you’ve filled up what is known as the Fate meter (gradually achieved by killing enough enemies) this super move can be activated, granting you a massive damage increase and both slowing down time in the world but speeding you up. Saving this ability and deploying it at the right time looks key to surviving encounters with large groups of powerful enemies and taking down the game’s resilient boss monsters.

Graphically the game looks nice, even though what I saw was a pre-alpha build of it. It appears to stray away from the earthy hues and dingy aesthetics often associated with mature fantasy worlds, choosing to be much brighter and more colourful. This faintly comic book style is clearly the influence of Macfarlane and visually sets that game apart from the competition.

There are also several smart design decisions running under the game’s hood. Some might sniff at the thought of inventory management being a key feature in a game, but if you’ve ever played a loot-heavy RPG with a terribly designed inventory system you’ll know how much a bad one can bog down the experience.