Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning, a fantasy based hack and slash game with some RPG elements, is coming out on February 7th. The game has a lot of interesting elements in it that do make it stick out, such as the combat, the crafting, and the character building. The combat is different with every weapon you have and this makes the game a lot of fun and leaves it open for a lot of customization. Then there is the crafting that lets you take reagents found in the world to create strong potions, along with some components to create strong weapons. Finally, the character building is done very well where you can see what your character can turn into. This gives you an idea of what you want to specialize in with the ability to re-spec when you want a change up the game. These aspects of the game make it fun, but the story will keep you absorbed in this world which is very colorful and lively. First looking more into the story and the lore, which is what makes this game memorable.

The story in this game starts out explaining the current situation in the world. There is this evil Fae, Gadflow, who believes that there is going to be a god reincarnated in the east, so he takes it on himself to wage a war on the other races. He leads a group of winter Fae called the Tuatha Deohn, who are devoted to the new god who will be born in the crystal fortress Amethyn. This gets pretty confusing, but after a couple decades of the war your character dies and is put in the Well of Souls. A place where life can be restored, worked on by the gnomes for centuries with no success until you wake up. Coming to your senses when there is a Tuatha assault on the Well of Souls,  you meet some characters who are relieved to see you alive. After some tutorials and conflict you reach the surface and begin your adventure to stopping Gadflow and fighting against fate. This opens up to a whole new world to explore with multiple side quests and some grinding.

The side quests in this game are handled very well, giving a very MMO feel to this game. Though some are just simply fetch quests, there are still others that give a good bit of story behind them. For example, there is a quest where you see a Fae has been attacked in the middle of a village. If you choose to help you are asked to seek out the help of a Fae that meditates nearby in order to see if their race requires special medicine. When talking to the Fae, it is very clear that she will not help but does give some advice, which then sends you on a mission to find out how to heal the wounded Fae. When all is said and done and you get the lady healed, it really helps to explore the level of tension between the Fae and some of the Human races. Next we have the combat aspect of this game.

The combat is basic hack and slash and a lot of fun, leaving a lot open to skill with knowing when to block and when to strike. With the ability tree letting you develop your character how you want, there is room for a lot of replay ability. There are the three basic classes and they are very interchangeable; these include the Fighter, Rogue, and Mage. Each of these have a "destiny" where you can get bonuses for your class depending on where you spend your ability points. For example, if you like being stealthy there are six destinies for the rogue, such as Scout, Hunter, and Assassin. Then, if you want to be a rogue and a mage, there are multiple destinies for that combo as well. This amount of well structured personalization is good to see in an RPG when sometimes too much freedom can be overwhelming.

Again this game comes out on February 7th, for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and the PC. The story is written by New York Times bestselling author R. A. Salvatore and designed by a Grammy and Emmy-award winning artist. With this all star team, this game has a lot of potential, so be sure to check back here for the full review when the game is released. With so much lore and story to enjoy along with those who want to experience a hack and slash game with a lot of customization, be sure to look out for this game in February.