THQ Nordic has released the first gameplay footage of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning. The RPG remaster supports three different paths to heroism, and this trailer focuses on Finesse.
Choosing Finesse will unlock the game’s more precise weapons - daggers, bows and Fae-Blades - as well as more devious options like traps, bombs and poison. It’s the life of the hunter and rogue, familiar to anyone who’s kept track with RPGs since the invention of D&D.
In fact, there’s a cozy familiarity to Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning as a whole. It recalls an era of RPGs defined by Dragon Age: Origins - brightly coloured yet gory worlds in which you could be sure of getting a critical hit by sneaking up behind an enemy.
The original game was published by EA and pulled together some expensive talent - namely Drizzt Do’Urden creator R.A. Salvatore, comics celebrity Todd McFarlane, and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion lead designer Ken Rolston. Kingdoms of Amalur reviewed fairly well - we said “the combat is stronger than Skyrim’s by a long shot, and the world feels more alive than games like Fable”. But you won’t find it on any Best RPG lists, so it’s an unusual choice for a remaster.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning will be out on September 8th for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Perhaps more intriguing is the brand-new Fatesworn expansion set for release next year.
The game’s original developer, Big Huge Games, laid off its entire staff in 2012. It’s been revived by co-founder Brian Reynolds since, but doesn’t appear to be involved in the Re-Reckoning.
Looking ahead to more releases on the way? Here's our roundup of upcoming games 2020.
