Times Download: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

T-Mag Thursday 09/May/2019 10:11 AM
By: Times News Service
Times Download: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

Fate is a curious thing isn’t it? Some say it’s predestined, that we can do nothing to change the hands that are dealt to us. Yes we never know what it holds in store for us. Yes, there are those who claim to predict the future, but how accurate are they really? They’re no Melisandre from Game of Thrones, for example (spoiler alert!), and it’s often hard to distinguish between what they tell you and what you want them to tell you. But what if you lived in a world where you didn’t just know what fate held in store for you, but a world that revolved around people’s fates and the roles they played? Such a world does exist. It’s not ours, though, it’s the land of Amalur, the setting for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, one of the best role playing games ever made. Players are transported into a world created by award-winning American author RA Salvatore, the brains behind Vector Prime, the first novel in the Star Wars: the New Jedi Order series, a book that was controversial because it included the death of Chewbacca (oof, another spoiler!). He’s also the man behind the Forgotten Realms series of the legendary Dungeons and Dragons fantasy realm, and given his pedigree in imagining the world of fantasy, small wonder that Amalur is a game that has you hooked for hours. Published by EA Games, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is now available to download and play on PCs and consoles such as the Xbox and PlayStation. In the realm of Amalur, mortals and immortals live together. While the men are skilled sailors and warriors, the elves are seasoned wizards and diplomats. However, these mortals are but ants in the presence of the Fae, immortal beings and the keepers of nature who are tasked with keeping the cycle of life and death intact. When a Fae dies, he is brought back at a fixed time, and continues to carry on the duties he’s been assigned in this cycle of birth and re-birth.
The Fae themselves are divided into two factions: Amalur’s Seelie Fae or Summer Fae oversee the cycles of life and renewal, while the Unseelie Fae or Winter Fae are aligned to the process of death and decay. Because they knew they served a greater purpose, the two factions of the Fae lived in harmony. Until Gadflow became the King of the Winter Court, the centre of power of the Winter Fae. Corrupted by an unknown force, Gadflow seized power in the Winter Court and from his capital of Bhaile, raised the Winter Fae into an army known as the Tuatha Deohn, giving him control of warriors whose fate and destiny it was to fight forever, forever improving their skills as part of this cycle.
The Tuatha went on a rampage in the eastern half of Amalur, before arriving at the great fortress of Mel Senshir, the elven stronghold on the northern coast of the region. There, humans and elves fought side by side against the Tuatha, holding them to what would appear on the surface to be a stalemate. But while mortals who died on the field of battle would not rise again, the same was not true of the Tuatha. The Fae were after all immortals, and re-took their place on the battlefield after they’d been slain. Should the conflict go on, Amalur will be bled dry of mortals.
While this conflict was brewing on the frontlines, gnomish scholars had retreated into the lands of the Summer Fae, where they worked on a magical contraption called the Well of Souls, a device that could bring back mortals to use in the fight against the Tuatha Deohn. Experiments to bring people back from the death have failed so far, with revitalised corpses merely twitching and shambling before they have to be put down.
Until now. The Well of Souls latest experiment is an unprecedented success...you, who are about to change the Kingdoms of Amalur in ways never seen before. With stunning graphics, some gorgeous landscapes, a deep story, a crafted history that goes back 10,000 years and plenty to do in-game, be prepared to keep aside plenty of time for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning this weekend. – [email protected]
The Short and Skinny
Name: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Genre: Fantasy RPG Produced by: 38 Studios and Electronic Arts
What it’s about: In the realm of Amalur, a peace that has reigned for millennia has been replaced by a decades-long war that threatens to destroy all in its path. There seems to be no way to stop it, until now.
Platforms: Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360
Where to buy: Microsoft Store, EA.com, Origin, Steam Store, PlayStation Store, Xbox Marketplace IGN Rating: 9/10