If you’re craving a big, colorful action-RPG packed with loot, flashy combat, and a rich fantasy setting, Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning delivers exactly that. This 2020 remaster of the 2012 cult classic breathes new life into the original game with improved visuals, smoother performance, all the DLC bundled in, and some quality-of-life tweaks. Whether you’re a returning hero or a fresh Fateless One, diving back into the Faelands feels like slipping on a comfortable pair of boots—except these boots let you combo a greatsword with fireballs while dodging death.
Created with input from fantasy legend R.A. Salvatore (who helped craft the world and story), the game drops you into the role of a resurrected warrior who exists outside the normal threads of fate. In the world of Amalur, the immortal Fae follow predetermined destinies woven into a grand Tapestry, but your character—the only successful revival from the experimental Well of Souls—breaks all the rules. This “Fateless” status makes you a wildcard capable of changing the course of the Crystal War raging across the lands, where the corrupted Tuatha Deohn, led by the mad King Gadflow, seek to remake everything under a dark new god.
The story starts strong with mystery and high stakes, mixing political intrigue, ancient prophecies, and personal redemption. It’s not the most groundbreaking narrative in RPG history, but the lore is deep and immersive, with hundreds of lorestones, detailed NPCs, and faction questlines that flesh out the five main regions: from the lush Dalentarth forests to grim dungeons and bustling cities like Rathir. Side quests abound—over 250 of them—offering everything from whimsical Fae tales to dark intrigue and monster hunts. You’ll spend dozens of hours just exploring and helping folks, which is half the fun.
What really makes Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning shine is the combat. It’s fast, fluid, and super satisfying, blending hack-and-slash action with RPG depth. You have three main ability trees—Might (tank-y warriors), Finesse (agile rogues and archers), and Sorcery (spell-slinging mages). Mix and match freely to create hybrid builds, then unlock Destinies (like tarot-style class cards) that grant powerful passive bonuses. Equip two weapons at once, chain combos, parry, dodge, and build up your Fate meter to trigger Reckoning Mode—a slow-motion power surge that lets you obliterate groups of enemies before finishing with stylish Fateshift kills.
The remaster enhances this core loop with better 4K visuals, refined controls (great on controller or mouse/keyboard), a new Very Hard difficulty, and dynamic enemy scaling so zones feel fresh on replays. Loot is everywhere—smash crates, defeat foes, and craft your own gear with gems and components. The world feels alive and rewarding to explore, full of hidden treasures, bosses, and secrets. It’s the kind of game where you set out for a main quest and end up sidetracked for ten hours chasing shiny new armor.
Of course, it’s not perfect. The sheer volume of content can make some quests feel repetitive (fetch this, clear that dungeon), and the story leans on familiar fantasy tropes. Graphics, even updated, show their age in places, and navigation or inventory management isn’t as polished as modern titles. But for fans of games like God of War meets Diablo-style looting in a single-player open world, it holds up remarkably well. The remaster makes it more accessible than ever, especially with all original DLC included right out of the gate.
One standout element is the House of Ballads faction questline, a clever meta-story about Fae legends, storytelling, and breaking cycles. It’s thoughtful and replayable with multiple paths—exactly the kind of depth that keeps players coming back.
Fatesworn, the new DLC expansion released in 2021 for Re-Reckoning, picks up right after the main campaign and gives fans a proper epilogue. You head to the snowy peaks of Mithros, where a cult serves Telogrus, a self-proclaimed God of Chaos threatening to unravel fate itself. The story explores the consequences of your actions as the Fateless One, with new characters, moral choices, and a solid 5-10+ hours of main content plus side quests.
It introduces Chaos mechanics—a fresh twist with rifts, portals, corrupted enemies, and a new crafting system for powerful Chaos weapons. The level cap rises to 50, encouraging hybrid builds, and the new region adds variety with its wintry landscapes and ancient ruins. While some critics found the quests a bit fetch-heavy and the Chaos portals divisive, it delivers more of what fans love: epic fights, loot, and closure to the saga. If you enjoyed the base game, Fatesworn feels like a worthy victory lap that ties up lingering threads.
Overall, Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning (and its Fatesworn expansion) is a love letter to action-RPG fans who want spectacle, freedom, and a massive world to lose themselves in. It’s not trying to reinvent the wheel, but it spins that wheel with style and enthusiasm. THQ Nordic and Kaiko did a solid job modernizing a cult favorite without losing its charm. If you’ve been on the fence, now’s the perfect time to become the hero who defies fate. Grab your weapons, weave your own destiny, and dive into Amalur—you’ll be slashing through hordes and collecting loot for weeks.
