Fans of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning have consistently described this game as underrated, the product of a game studio that cranked out a classic RPG even as they spiraled into bankruptcy and drained the coffers of baseball player Curt Schilling plus the state of Rhode Island. Now that THQ Nordic has started development on Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning, one question is on everyone's lips: How will THQ Nordic update this game for modern audiences, and will the Kingdoms of Amalur franchise finally receive the success which eluded it for so long?
At first glance, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning – first conceived as an MMO, retooled into a single-player RPG about the heroics of a chosen "Fateless One" – had all the makings of a smash hit. The game setting and lore, rife with allusions to Celtic Mythology, was written up by best-selling fantasy author R.A. Salvatore. The artwork and character models were conceived by comic artist Todd McFarlane. The in-game world was fast and full of countless challenges to undertake, while the action-packed combat borrowed elements from God of War and the Darksiders franchise.
To call Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning a flop is perhaps a bit misleading. Upon release, the game sold 1.2 million copies within 90 days. However, 38 Studios was so deeply in debt by this point that only a truly exceptional amount of sales could have saved the company. Shortly after, they filed for bankruptcy, with the Kingdom's of Amalur: Reckoning license floating adrift for several years before THQ Nordic acquired it. Fans of the Kingdoms of Amalur franchise who've kept the reputation of this cult classic strong for all this time hope the upcoming Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning remaster will retains all the elements of the game they enjoyed while still improving it in certain ways.
Updating Kingdoms of Amalur's Graphics And Fixing The Bugs
For an RPG frantically developed during a truly troubled production cycle, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a surprisingly playable game, with no glitches that render it outright unplayable. Still, there are several rough, unpolished game features – awkward menu screens, delayed loot drops, disparities in volume between different in-game dialogues – that fans are hoping THQ Nordic will improve to promote ease of play. While the graphics of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning have aged fairly well, gamers are also hoping to see improved textures, lighting, and other visual improvements in Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning, without eliminating the vivid, colorful atmosphere of the original game.
Spicing Up Kingdoms of Amalur's Combat
Fights in Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning felt less like an Elder Scrolls title and more like a hack'n'slash action game in the vein of Devil May Cry, letting player lay into hordes of enemies with sweeping melee attacks that seamlessly flowed into magical spells and QTE-prompted finishing blows. These combat mechanics, though cartoonish at times, was functional and rewarding, and many fans hope THQ Nordic will build on this formula in Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning, challenging players with harder enemy encounters and more complex abilities/combos as they level up.
Adding Elements of Multiplayer Back Into Kingdoms of Amalur
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning was initially conceived as an MMO, before time and circumstance prompted developers at 38 Studios to retool it into a single-player RPG. Elements of this MMO game design can still be seen in the large world-size, huge amount of side-quests, and variety of collectible gear available in the final game.
Few fans are interested in seeing Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning revert into an online-focused game, but there is potential to add smaller, more intimate multiplayer features to the base single-player game – split-screen play for gamers who share a couch, or online co-op in the style of Dark Souls or Outward. In a world as large as and diverse as Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, what better way is there to experience it than with an adventuring companion by your side?