Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning

The opinions of the critics regarding the story of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning are quite varied. Some critics, such as Comicbook.com and God is a Geek, praise the story for its fascinating and top-notch writing, showcasing the skills of renowned fantasy author R.A. Salvatore. They find the story gripping, with a deep lore and an epic narrative. Additionally, GameStar and GamingTrend appreciate the involvement of R.A. Salvatore in the creation of the story, further emphasizing its quality and reputation. However, there are critics who express more negative opinions about the story. Critics like Pocket Tactics and Cubed3 find the story uninspired and lacking in excitement. They criticize the execution of the premise, direction, world-building, and quality of writing. Noisy Pixel also finds the story unimpressive and has difficulty feeling interested in it due to its presentation. Furthermore, IGN mentions that while the game has a detailed mythos and history, the exposition-heavy storytelling can become overwhelming and repetitive. Overall, the consensus among the critics leans towards a mixed opinion. While some critics appreciate the story's depth, lore, and involvement of R.A. Salvatore, others find it lacking in excitement, execution, and quality of writing. The positive aspects of the story include its fascinating and top-notch writing, as well as its exploration of high-level concepts like fate, destiny, and free will. On the other hand, the negative aspects include uninspired storytelling, repetitive structure, and uninteresting side quests. It is important to note that opinions on the story's quality are subjective, with some critics finding it enjoyable and others finding it lacking.

The opinions of the critics regarding the gameplay of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning are generally positive. The combat system is a standout feature, praised for its fluid animations, satisfying combos, and the ability to switch between different weapons on the fly. Critics such as Attack of the Fanboy, Comicbook.com, and Push Square highlight the enjoyable and versatile combat, with opportunities to play as different character archetypes and mix and match skills. The combat is described as fast-paced, engaging, and reminiscent of hack 'n' slash games like God of War. The customization options, including skill trees and class types, are also appreciated by critics like Hardcore Gamer and Starbit. The gameplay offers a sense of scale and variety, with diverse weapons, magic attacks, and the ability to manipulate fate and change destinies, as mentioned by Game Rant and Gamers' Temple. However, there are some criticisms regarding the gameplay of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning. CGMagazine and IGN mention that the combat system may be too easy and lacks challenge, with IGN noting that it feels simplistic compared to more modern games. Technical issues such as framerate drops and disrupted timing hinder the combat experience, as pointed out by Comicbook.com. NintendoWorldReport finds the absence of a targeting system baffling, and Noisy Pixel describes the combat as clunky and lacking smoothness. Some critics, like Worth Playing and Screen Rant, mention that while the combat is enjoyable, it doesn't stand out compared to other action-RPGs on the market and lacks anything truly special. Overall, the consensus among the critics is that the gameplay of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is enjoyable and offers a satisfying combat experience. The fluid and versatile combat system, along with the customization options and character progression, are praised by multiple critics. The ability to switch between different weapons and playstyles, as well as the dynamic nature of the combat, adds depth and variety to the gameplay. However, there are some concerns about the lack of challenge, technical issues, and the combat not standing out compared to other games in the genre. Despite these criticisms, the gameplay of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is generally regarded as a positive aspect of the game, providing players with fun and engaging combat mechanics and a diverse range of playstyle options.

The opinions of the critics regarding the Graphics and Visual Design of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning are varied. Some critics, such as CGMagazine and Gamers' Temple, praise the game's visuals, highlighting the sharpness of the HD upgrade, vibrant and scenic environments, imaginative art style, and refined camera and combat mechanics. These positive aspects contribute to enhancing the overall visual experience of the game. Additionally, critics like Shindig and Starbit appreciate the cartoonish art style, noting that it has aged well and looks clean and crisp in the remastered version. However, there are several critics who express negative opinions about the game's graphics. Attack of the Fanboy, Comicbook.com, Game Rant, Worth Playing, and Screen Rant all mention that the game still retains its dated visuals, with fuzzy textures, frozen cutscenes, issues with character and enemy appearances, and blocky and inscrutable faces. They also criticize the lack of noticeable improvements and the outdated menu system and UI. Noisy Pixel and Pocket Tactics further add that the graphical fidelity is jarring, with blocky models and environments, and that the visuals feel generic and corridor-like in certain maps. Overall, the consensus among the critics is that while Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning has some positive visual aspects, such as improved textures, refined art style, and vibrant environments, it still falls short in terms of significant upgrades and modernization. Critics like TheSixthAxis, Cubed3, and GamingTrend mention that the game still looks like an eight-year-old game and lacks noticeable improvements. Additionally, the criticisms regarding dated visuals, technical limitations, and lack of visual polish are echoed by several critics, including COGconnected, Game Rant, PlayStation LifeStyle, and Switch Player. Despite the mixed opinions, it is clear that the remastered version of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning does not fully meet the expectations of the critics in terms of visual enhancements and modernization.

The opinions of the critics regarding the Sound Design and Music of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning are varied. Starting with the positives, COGconnected praises the voice acting in the game, describing it as great. Destructoid specifically highlights composer Grant Kirkhope, praising his score for the game. Xbox Achievements also commends Kirkhope's score, describing it as excellent. GameStar goes even further, stating that the soundtrack is highly regarded and masterfully performed. These positive opinions indicate that the music and sound design in Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning have received significant praise from multiple critics. However, there are also negative opinions regarding the Sound Design and Music of the game. Push Square mentions that the voice acting is often dodgy, but acknowledges a certain charm in the overall sound design. Xbox Achievements criticizes the voice acting for having difficult accents and being subpar. Xbox Tavern describes the music as capably made but slightly repetitive. NintendoWorldReport points out that the sound quality is highly compressed, which affects the enjoyment of Grant Kirkhope's excellent score when playing on a TV with decent speakers. These negative opinions highlight areas of improvement for the Sound Design and Music of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning. Overall, the consensus among the critics is mixed. While there is praise for the music and sound design, with critics like COGconnected, Destructoid, Xbox Achievements, and GameStar commending various aspects of it, there are also criticisms. The dodgy voice acting and difficult accents mentioned by Push Square and Xbox Achievements are areas that need improvement. Additionally, the repetitive nature of the music, as mentioned by Xbox Tavern, and the highly compressed sound quality noted by NintendoWorldReport are also aspects that detract from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, it is evident that the music and sound design of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning have received positive recognition from several critics, indicating that there are certainly enjoyable elements to be found in the game's audio design.

The opinions of the critics regarding the voice acting in Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning are varied. Attack of the Fanboy and COGconnected both praise the voice acting, describing it as excellent and great, respectively. This indicates that there are positive aspects to the voice acting in the game. Xbox Tavern also joins in the praise, describing it as top-notch. These positive opinions suggest that there are instances of high-quality voice acting that enhance the overall experience of the game. Additionally, MondoXbox mentions the inclusion of Italian text localization while retaining the original English voice acting, which could be seen as a positive aspect for players who prefer the original voice performances. However, there are also negative opinions regarding the voice acting in Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning. IGN notes that while the inclusion of fully-voiced NPCs throughout the world is appreciated, some characters sound repetitive. This suggests that there may be a lack of variety or depth in the voice performances, which could potentially detract from the immersion and overall enjoyment of the game. Push Square goes further, describing the voice acting as often dodgy, indicating that there may be instances of subpar or inconsistent performances that could be distracting or off-putting for players. Xbox Achievements also criticizes the voice acting, specifically mentioning difficult accents, which suggests that certain performances may not be executed convincingly or authentically. Taking into account the opinions of the critics, the overall consensus regarding the voice acting in Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is mixed. While there are positive opinions from Attack of the Fanboy, COGconnected, and Xbox Tavern, praising the voice acting as excellent, great, and top-notch respectively, there are also negative opinions from IGN, Push Square, and Xbox Achievements, highlighting issues such as repetitiveness, dodgy performances, and difficult accents. The mention by Noisy Pixel of the voice acting quality being humorously done further adds to the mixed reception. Ultimately, it appears that the quality of the voice acting in Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is subjective and may vary depending on individual preferences and tolerance for certain performance flaws.

In terms of the technical performance on the PS4, there are mixed opinions among the critics. Some reviewers, like Gamers' Temple and Game Rant, highlight improvements in frame rate and stability, with the game running at a solid 60 FPS on PS4 Pro. However, other critics, such as Comicbook.com and PlayStation LifeStyle, mention various technical issues. These include frame rate drops, pop-in for objects and textures, extensive load times, and game-breaking bugs. The occasional crashes and camera issues experienced by Hardcore Gamer and TheSixthAxis further contribute to the negative feedback. Overall, the sentiment towards the technical performance on the PS4 is leaning towards the negative side, with several critics pointing out significant issues. On the Xbox One, the technical performance of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning receives criticism from multiple reviewers. Xbox Achievements mentions frame-rate problems and slow loading times on modern hardware. Xbox Tavern goes even further, criticizing the game for numerous crashes and technical issues, suggesting poor optimization. MondoXbox, on the other hand, acknowledges improvements in visual aspects and slight gameplay corrections, but does not provide details on any technical issues. The overall sentiment for the Xbox One version of the game leans towards the negative side, with critics expressing disappointment with the technical performance. For the Nintendo Switch, the opinions on the technical performance of the game are relatively positive. God is a Geek, NintendoWorldReport, Noisy Pixel, Pocket Tactics, Shindig, Starbit, and Vooks mention various aspects of the game running well on the Nintendo Switch. While there are occasional frame rate drops, long loading times, and performance issues mentioned by some critics, the overall sentiment for the Nintendo Switch version is more positive compared to the PS4 and Xbox One versions. The remastering of the game on the Switch brings tweaks that improve performance, as noted by Shindig. In summary, the overall consensus among the critics regarding the technical performance of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is mixed. While there are positive aspects mentioned for each gaming platform, such as improved frame rates and stability on the PS4 and Nintendo Switch, the negative feedback outweighs the positive. Issues like frame rate drops, technical bugs, crashes, and slow loading times are frequently mentioned, particularly for the PS4 and Xbox One versions. The game's technical performance on the Nintendo Switch is generally seen as more favorable, with some occasional performance issues but still providing a satisfactory experience.

The opinions of the videogame reviewers regarding the Replay Value of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning are generally positive. CGMagazine, Gamers' Temple, Hardcore Gamer, PlayStation LifeStyle, Push Square, MondoXbox, God is a Geek, Pocket Tactics, Shindig, Starbit, Cubed3, GameGrin, GameStar, and GamingTrend all highlight the game's abundance of content and activities, including quests, customizable features, and expansion packs. They mention the ability to experiment with different character builds, classes, and weapons, as well as the option to re-spec, which adds replay value. The game's massive runtime, ranging from 20 hours for the main quest line to over 150 hours for completionist playthroughs, is also praised by several critics. However, there are a few negative aspects mentioned by some critics. Destructoid simply states that the game is easier to replay without providing further details. Worth Playing mentions that while the game offers replay value for fans of the original who want to play it on a more modern platform, it is not meaningfully different from the original release. Xbox Achievements criticizes the game for lacking originality, and Screen Rant suggests that the game's content and features are not rare in 2021, making it feel more standard in that regard. Vooks and Cubed3 mention that while the game offers a lot of content, it is repetitive and lacks good character interactions. Additionally, Vooks and Starbit highlight that there are better fantasy games available at a similar price range or on other platforms. Overall, the consensus among the critics is that Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning has good replay value due to its extensive content, customization options, and the ability to experiment with different playstyles. The game's vast amount of quests, activities, and expansion packs provide players with plenty of opportunities to explore and engage with the game world. The option to re-spec and the variety of character builds and weapons further enhance the replayability. However, some critics point out that the game may lack originality and feels repetitive, and there are other fantasy games available that offer a more complete and up-to-date experience. Nevertheless, the majority of critics recommend the game, especially for those who missed out on it in the previous generation or for fans of the original looking to experience it on a more modern platform.