✨️ Since May 31 I’ve put in ~30 hrs into Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning. It’s my “Oh shit the first two years of covid was easy mode the Real chaos starts now” cope.
✨️ I picked it up 6 months ago for this exact need — it being an open world PS3 Ken Rolston (lead designer of Morrowind and Oblivion) game made it the perfect candidate.
✨️ The story of the studio behind it, 38 Studios, is absolutely fascinating! If you’ve got the time, do look it up…though it’s very bittersweet. As much as I enjoy conservative shithead CEOs falling on their face, the fallout on the employees…sucks.
✨️ So the game itself…it initially feels very bog standard D&D Only White People The Same Old British Fairy Lore at first. Big Fable vibes…but American….so the potential to be double as racist. The gameplay and quest structure sucked me in but I was a little on edge, not knowing what to expect. Was this really going to be typical “we wish brown people did not exist” fantasy? Really?
✨️ The context of it being made in Rhode Island did not help.
✨️ Well I don’t think this game is a shining example of rising above Gary Gygax’s libertarian values codified in playable stats form. But. I felt more chill once I started to to explore the culture of the fae. The idea of an immortal race preserving their history through 24/7 larping is really great! Like the Final Fantasy house but connected with nature… and more functional….haha.
✨️ I relaxed once I reached the dark elf city. The sense of scale is really good in this game! I felt as overwhelmed as I do when I visit cities in real life. Shades of Morrowind, but not as frustrating as exploring Vivec.
✨️ But yeah it’s when you move past the “standard” settings that this game starts to get good. My favorite environment so far is the desert because I mean, an American desert rendered with that super shiny sparkly fantasy flair? That’s fucking awesome 🏜
✨️ Ultimately, the game just feels good to play. The fighting is satisfying and there’s a looooot to do. I can’t yet tell if I’ll be playing this with multiple characters. But I’m having fun right now and that’s what counts.
✨️ Anyway, without further ado, I introduce to you! Nyamo the Fateless One, Battlemage Extraordinaire, Bringer of Light:
✨️ What was Nyamo up to before he died? We just don’t know. Maybe he was a good boy, maybe he was bad — it doesn’t really matter.
✨️ He charges valiantly into battle headfirst, but he’s quite agile despite his build. A stunning flurry of speed and force, if his sword doesn’t off you, his magic will.
✨️ A dark elf in name, his features display a unique mix of the flavor elfdom has to offer. Even with the richness of his heritage, he’d rather be a fae…that is, of course, until he learns what being a fae actually means.
✨️ Despite Nyamo’s absolute skill in the battlefield, he displays none of that shining vitality in any other context. While he makes it a point to maintain his body, hair, and skills, the joy of it is lost on him. In fact, he’s a scared and ashamed of what he can be — he hunches over, holds himself small, and doesn’t speak up for himself. In his fear of crushing the people around him like he does his enemies, he lets people walk all over him and thinks that makes him “good.” It works, but…
✨️ Because of the way he looks, people think Nyamo is dumb, dumb, dumb. Surely, someone that buff could not be smart? Surely, someone this asthetically pleasing could not have a single thought in their head? Assumptions are strong and solidifiy despite reality. Even when he does find it in himself to say something about magic and unique weapons — his hidden passions — he is quickly dismissed. Groups of mages are the worst about this, he’s learned to avoid them like the plague.
✨️ The thrill of adventure is what keeps him going. It doesn’t matter what people say or do, as long as he can explore. It doesn’t matter what fucked up shit happens next, as long as he can keep fighting. While he hates his abnormal fate, the pursuit of is the only thing that makes him feel alive.