"Kingdoms of Amalur": Initial Impressions

On the surface, this was either going to be an awesome game or one stuck in the ’90s. A story by R.A. Salvatore! Art by Todd McFarlane! Ken Ralston designing the actual game!

Well, eight or so hours in, here’s what we think: it’s an MMO for people who hate to go on the Internet.

Sad to say, so far the story isn’t any great shakes, and the art isn’t particularly unique either. Honestly, so far we’ve been skipping cutscenes because they’ve been tending towards the dull and pompous. But there are some good decisions here, especially in the mechanics.

In terms of combat, this plays a lot more like a Zelda-esque dungeon crawler than a typical role-playing game, and that’s a good thing. Similarly, the leveling system is pretty easy to understand and to use. Think “God of War” meets “Skyrim”.

The overall vibe, though, is very much of an MMO. It’s open world, and there’s plenty to do, but it feels a bit like other players were supposed to fill in the gap between the game’s writing and the player.

Still, so far it’s engaging and fun, and we’ll have a fully-fleshed review later in the week.