Review as 1.08 version. To summarize KoA-RR as much as possible, it'd be more or less like oblivion with less in-depth mechanics and WoW-like graphics. However, the game has interesting qualities and flaws alike. Performance wise, I'm playing on a Ryzen 5 3600, 1050ti and 16gb, runs fine, although I can't see the FPS on GOG, feels 60 FPS or more, likely the patches solved performance issues people mentioned. Another important feature changed after patches is how the area changes the leveling (not of chests loot) everytime you enter, instead of the first time. This is quite good in Amalur for two reasons: first, the level of the area is capped, second because of the massive ammount of content, you'll hardly manage to do everything that area had to offer, so the dinamic leveling gives you a chance of revisiting while keeping it worth your time. Exploration is surely one of the biggest qualities of this game. A vast open world game, lorestones scattered around to give you some good lore, sometimes even in form of poems and songs, which is really nice and fitting for some cultures. Plus, they give you XP and permanent bonuses for finding all of the same set. However, there is a big flaw that hinders the exploration, that you can't jump unless on certain platforms, hence the movement suffers a lot by that. Quantity of content is absurdly big, more than most of open world games. The quality of them is varied. Some quests are bland, but many quests are really good and interesting, and so are the NPCs. I've never met a character unvoiced so far, and most quests have a good background to mask well the chores themselves. Sadly there isn't a first person camera, and while there is a day/night cycle, there is no clock and the night is too bright, you might think it's day. Plus no character sheet with summary of status (like Morrowind's). Overall, I'm hopeful for a sequel that THQ Nordic will keep the amazing qualities and work on some of the most important flaws.
Review as 1.08 version. To summarize KoA-RR as much as possible, it'd be more or less like oblivion with less in-depth mechanics and WoW-like graphics. However, the game has interesting qualities and flaws alike. Performance wise, I'm playing on a Ryzen 5 3600, 1050ti and 16gb, runs fine, although I can't see the FPS on GOG, feels 60 FPS or more, likely the patches solved performance issues people mentioned. Another important feature changed after patches is how the area changes the leveling (not of chests loot) everytime you enter, instead of the first time. This is quite good in Amalur for two reasons: first, the level of the area is capped, second because of the massive ammount of content, you'll hardly manage to do everything that area had to offer, so the dinamic leveling gives you a chance of revisiting while keeping it worth your time. Exploration is surely one of the biggest qualities of this game. A vast open world game, lorestones scattered around to give you some good lore, sometimes even in form of poems and songs, which is really nice and fitting for some cultures. Plus, they give you XP and permanent bonuses for finding all of the same set. However, there is a big flaw that hinders the exploration, that you can't jump unless on certain platforms, hence the movement suffers a lot by that. Quantity of content is absurdly big, more than most of open world games. The quality of them is varied. Some quests are bland, but many quests are really good and interesting, and so are the NPCs. I've never met a character unvoiced so far, and most quests have a good background to mask well the chores themselves. Sadly there isn't a first person camera, and while there is a day/night cycle, there is no clock and the night is too bright, you might think it's day. Plus no character sheet with summary of status (like Morrowind's). Overall, I'm hopeful for a sequel that THQ Nordic will keep the amazing qualities and work on some of the most important flaws.
Short review: If you enjoy turn-based combat with good character building, but don't mind not playing on controller and incomplete/confuse key mapping (the default plays fine once you get used to it). Give it a try! Content and balance-wise, the game is quite great, the combat is fluid and it doesn't get never-ending nearing the end, like some games make the mistake. Overall most of the battles were enjoyable, the music is fitting and nice, the NPCs are shallow, like you'd expect but that's kinda ok. Some humor here and there but little to no 4th wall breaks, which suits well to maintain mood of the game. The character building might feel static at first, but with equipment (slots vary for each summon), scrolls to give permanent bonuses, a skill trainer (passive boosts purchasing) and the actual choosing of which creatures you summon, offer a solid character development. Graphics are pleasant, no big deal but effect masks on the 1st person textures change, and mostly effects on battles behave well. Mostly. Sometimes they can be a bit off and misleading. Now to the issues, which are mainly: ->The skill effects were sometimes ambiguous and overlapping for the same character, -> Sometimes music doesn't stop when it should, but not much of a big deal and doesn't happen often, ->The UI and controls, specially when using a controller: it gets weird because you can't properly map all the needed functions on a controller, even on a Xbox One controller. So you'll need to play on keyboard and mouse. -> Plot is there, but lacks more solid presence and detailing as you play. Still, they don't steal too much of the good aspects of the game, and I still recommend it. Just don't expect getting hooked to it or an amazing plot.
