wherein i have nothing else to say

[muladhara]

I am almost at the end of Kingdoms of Amalur! (I think? Time estimates vary wildly, but there's a consensus that the main plot is between thirty and forty hours. I'm about twenty five in, I think, and I didn't do a ton of side quests).

I'm enjoying it a lot more than I expected to, even if it reminds me a lot of different games I've played already. Which feels a bit like when I watch a TV program or read a book and am like, "this is like this other thing!" which sometimes I wish I didn't do that?

So mostly it's like Dragon Age II and Fable smushed together. Though there are some bits that are like DA:I (prismere is red lyrium, right? Especially when you see the trolls that have been impregnated with it. It reminds me a lot of how Corypheus looks and also I think some of the templars?. I know this is the second game where I've said this but also this is more obvious than the nethicite AND both KoA and DAII were released by EA).

I've seen a lot of people compare it to Skyrim, but it doesn't feel like that to me (I think it depends on what you've played? But praying at the roadside shrines does feel like Oblivion to me, primarily because that element doesn't really exist in Skyrim*).

I do wish, however, that it didn't adhere to the "All Celtic myths/sources are the same thing!" though. It's nice to not have a smush of Irish/Scots, and the majority of the inspo is Irish and it sticks to it (and all the fae have Irish accents, because otherwise how would we know they're fae, right?) But then there are characters (either fae or elves, but I think mostly fae) whose names are blatantly Welsh inspired, but it's like the writers/creators/whoever didn't care enough to put any effort into how the names sound (looking at you, Owaiglyn! ESPECIALLY you).

(My nitpicking reminded me of this post about writers using Irish as Discount Elvish by Orla ní Dhúill which admittedly I haven't read till just now, but it's the same feeling of They Just Didn't Care Enough).

I mean, goddamnit, if you're going to do something like this, pick a mythology and fucking stick to it! AND DO YOUR SODDING RESEARCH. Wales is not Ireland and neither of those places are Scotland, even though there are some similarities in language/myths if you look hard enough/in the right places.

(Oh yeah, and? The game's lore saying the Travellers are the most renowned thieves in the land? NOT A GOOD LOOK, MY MAN).

As angry as I sound about this, I am enjoying the game in general. The plot is interesting and coherent (unlike Skyrim. No, I will not take that back). I am interested to see how it ends (I sort of know spoilers, but not exact enough ones to know exactly what's coming).

(and I'm not really mad mad, just highly irritated).

The soundtrack is awesome (and also very Fable-esque, which is not a bad thing in the slightest).

So yeah, I'm glad I eventually came around to this and picked it up!

~

*I know there's the stones that grant bonuses, but that's not the same thing.

Comments

[lassarina]

Yeahhhhh there's a lot that's cool in Amalur but there's also some very distinct sloppy that is a not great look. :/ IIRC the worldbuilding was done by R.A. Salvatore, who I remember as being old school but I don't remember if his D&D/other stuff has similar source-smush problems.

[muladhara]

I do wish they'd taken better care with it.

It was indeed R.A. Salvatore.