Last week the demo for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. This game wasn’t on my radar
until I sat down for a presentation of it at E3 2011. I have a feeling this is
the RPG many non-RPG fans have been waiting for.
Reckoning is the first game to be released from the
developer 38 Studios founded by pitcher Curt Schilling. However, Schilling
isn’t the only big name behind the game. Famed fantasy writer R.A. Salvatore
wrote a 10,000-year history for the game as well as the upcoming MMO project
codenamed Copernicus. Todd McFarlane, creator of Spawn, worked as art director
on the game, and the lead designer of The
Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Ken Rolston, served as executive director for
Reckoning.
Looking at the game, it could be labeled it as a derivative
fantasy RPG. It’s based in a fantasy setting with elves, gnomes, magic, and
swords. But the feature that stands out above the rest is its combat. It’s been
described as someone putting the God of War combat system in an Elder Scrolls
game. After playing the demo, it plays more like Darksiders meets a hybrid of
Fable and the Elder Scrolls. Combat is fast, fluid, and dynamic. I can’t think
of another RPG that allows you to sneak attack an enemy, juggle him up in the
air, fire several arrows at him while still in the air, and slam him down to
the ground with a giant two-handed mace.
Reckoning also takes a cue from Skyrim, as there are no classes
in the game. Instead, it uses a destiny system that effectively lets you choose
your class at the end of the game, rather than the beginning. During the game,
you can freely switch weapons on the fly to create hybrid combos. Feel like
mixing the sneak attack of daggers with the burst damage of magic? The destiny
system allows you to shape your character to how you want to play, whether it’s
with a two-handed sword or with a bow. The fun part comes from experimenting
with these different combinations and unlocking different destinies to see
which playstyle fits you best.
I have to commend EA, 38 Studios, and Big Huge Games for
putting out an exceptional demo, especially on PC. It’s refreshing to play a
demo again; the last quality demo I can remember was the Bulletstorm demo
released in 2010. Even after finishing the tutorial, and outside areas of the
demo, you’re given an extra 45 minutes to explore and experiment, whether
that’s following up on the quests or stalking and killing NPCs in town.
The demo is free and available on both Origin and Steam for
PC, as well as the Xbox Marketplace and PlayStation Store. You’ll also unlock
items for Mass Effect 3 when you play the demo as part of a cross-promotion.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning will be available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3,
and PC on February 7.
