
Update: As of Patch 1.05, released on the 17th September 2020, the game-breaking bug mentioned in this article has supposedly been fixed. You can read more about the update through this link.
Original text: Today, we wanted to bring you a full review of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning. It was one of our favourite action RPGs of the previous generation, and we were looking forward to playing through it all over again. Unfortunately, we've been unable to do that. A game-breaking bug has destroyed our progress through the game not once, not twice, but three times, and beyond that, frequent crashes later in the adventure have killed any hope of us seeing the credits roll.

So why haven't we reviewed Re-Reckoning and given it a low score? Well, the thing is, we don't know how widespread these issues are. A look at the title's Trophy list suggests that some PS4 players have already completed the game, and with the review embargo lifting at the time of publishing this article, we have no idea whether other publications have ran into the same problems as we have.
As such, we thought it would be best to simply point out that we haven't been able to finish the game because, in our experience, Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is broken and not fit for release.

The game-breaking bug is a weird one. From what we can tell, it only occurs hours into the game, but once it strikes, there's nothing you can do about it. We've run into this bug on three separate character saves, each of them started from scratch. We'd get through the first few main story quests, uncover a good chunk of the map, and then disaster.
For whatever reason, enemies start disappearing as they die. Just poof, gone. Blinked out of existence. These disappearing enemies give no experience points and no loot, effectively halting all character progression. But that's not even the worst part. This bug seems to corrupt your current save, resulting in crashes whenever you hit a load screen. After this bug appears, you can't even reload your save in-game because doing so causes a crash. Not good.
We've tried to find a way around this bug ourselves, but nothing seems to work. Even reloading old saves results in the same disappearing enemies eventually, like the game decides to just fall apart past a certain point. It's not a specific quest or location on the map that causes this bug. It just happens, and that's that.
We recorded the bug in action so that you can see it for yourself. You can find the video below.
(And yes, the game crashed when we exited this particular dungeon.)
We deleted the game and our saves. We reinstalled the game. We downloaded all of the pre-launch updates available to us. We tried different weapons. We tried different magic. We tried every potential fix that we could think of, and we hit this same bug three times across three totally different characters.
So there you have it, we can't finish Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning, and if you're thinking of purchasing it on PS4, we'd highly recommend waiting to see how widespread these issues are. If an update arrives post-launch that addresses these problems, we'll write about it. Hopefully we'll have a review for you sooner rather than later.
Comments 71
If anyone's got any questions about this let me know and I'll try to answer them.
Really disappointed but like the article says, I don't know how widespread these issues are. Ultimately all I can write about is my own experience.
We'll obviously update this article and/or post news about any kind of patch that's supposed to fix these issues. We plan to eventually write a review at some point.
@Arugula Yeah, this is all based on the review copy that we received about a week ago.
From what I can tell, not everyone has ran into these same issues. But I couldn't begin to tell you what causes them. We just thought it was best to outline them in their own article, rather than write a 1/10 review!
@shogunRok How is the remaster work?
Is it a looker or is it a basic overhaul?
Does it play good the moments u can play?
@ShogunRok I assume you contacted THQ about it. If you did did they have anything to say about it like is it only happening on the PSpro? Is it a certain event? Hopefully they get it patched before release.
Got the platinum the other day - on PS4 Pro at 4k
Never had any enemies vanish. Had one crash entering a building that corrupted the autosave so I started manually saving. Crashed a few times since but never deleted or corrupted anything.
Seen slowdown and micro stutters when using effect-heavy weapons, but nothing stopped me completing the game - put in just over 138 hours
@Tasuki Yeah, we've been in touch with the dev team through PR, but we've had no word on what this bug might be or what causes it.
A pre-launch patch was issued on Friday which thankfully fixed a number of crashes that I was having, but it didn't do anything about this bug. (I also restarted the game twice since then, with the same outcome.)
The day of reckoning is approaching. Just as Papa John warned us.
Thanks for the article.
I originally had this on the X360 and then I bought it on Steam for PC. I'll be getting the remastered version on PC tomorrow, as existing Steam owners get 50% on top of the 10% launch discount. I just thought that I'd mention the latter in case it's of benefit to anyone.
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-09-04-existing-kingdoms-of-amalur-owners-on-steam-get-next-weeks-remaster-at-half-price
@Turniplord How did you manage to get the game so early and did you manage to get any sleep in between playing it for 5 and a half days 😁
@Panic_Attache Have my own site - doing the review now
The plat took about 108 hours but I carried on playing it post-finishing it as there was still a bunch of quests left to do.
But no, I hardly slept whilst I played it as I'd been waiting for this for a very long time
The ineptitude of some devs is staggering. This is why it's generally a bad idea to buy WRPGs on consoles. Even fully patched, Dragon Age Origins has about 80 skills and spells that don't do what the description says. Some do nothing at all. At least on a PC you get fan patches to fix them if the devs don't bother.
But yeah, reading patch notes of most WRPGs is a baffling experience. Like "companinions will no longer fall through the ground and end up in a random town" in Fallout 3. You read that, or articles like this, and you're like Ellie in this pic.
@Ashkorsair It certainly looks better than the last-gen version but it's nothing amazing. It still plays well — combat generally feels excellent. It's still a very fun RPG... When it works.
As a remaster, though, it's pretty basic. There have been balance changes and overhauls to things like loot and level scaling, but beyond that, it's the same game with better graphics.
Ugh. I guess I'll be returning my copy right back to Amazon when it arrives tomorrow.
@ShogunRok Definitely a concern. Hopefully they will be able to fix it before launch.
Ah bugger, I was looking forward to playing this again. At least I've still got the better PS3 version.
.. So 0/10 then? Send a message to all developers that they can't keep releasing shonky titles.. (cough, splutter, Bethesda, splutter..) sorry, I think I swallowed a bug..
That's a shame. I think I'll risk it and get it anyway!
@ShogunRok How big is the file size? I was hoping I could pre-order it so it's ready to go at midnight, but it looks like that won't be happening.
Crazy bug, especially having it happen on three different character saves.
@Bentleyma- I believe it's 38GB, or around there.
So from the video you posted the game just doesn't seem a remaster at all...it looks like PS3 to me...what do you say is a huge improve over the original game?
Also, now with this bug I will only buy the game later down the line
Owww damn thanks for letting us know!!
I did the stupid thing every gamer does. I pre-ordered it
Hopefully they fix this soon as I really want to check it out after missing out on it last gen.
Was expecting this since this game is a massive game!
@ShogunRok bangs head against desk. seriously its 2020
@ShogunRok did you contact the publisher / developer with the problem? Analysis of your saves files may actually be useful to them.
As to the problem, that's weird as hell. Still think you should review the game as is, as you can only really review a game based on the experience you had, rather than what others experienced. Your experience with the game is legitimate, and as such a valid voice to add to the critique of the product.
I was never able to complete the original Xbox version because I had a game breaking bug. I forget what it was exactly but something like an inaccessible door or NPC.
@SirAngry Yeah we've been in contact with the PR company responsible for the review code. They've been a big help and they relayed all of our issues to the dev team. Hopefully something comes of it!
@ShogunRok did they not ask for the save files? Christ, if I was working in QA on game with these problems I'd be buying you a new PS4 Pro and paying for you to ship me the one with the dodgy install so we could see what the hell was going on. I might even send a private courier to pick it up.
@ShogunRok man that sucks. Still, you can always fall back on Dragon Age Inquisition.
@kyleforrester87 Prepping a fresh run as I type this!
@ShogunRok did you uninstall the game?
Sounds like your PS4 has a covid/matrix type bug eating away bits of code!
@SirAngry Yep, uninstalled, reinstalled, deleted my saves (backed them up online), started fresh twice, still the same issue (eventually).
Zero issues with any other game on PS4.
@ShogunRok sounds like you gotta git gud
@kyleforrester87 Maybe @shogunrok should start his next playthrough using a racing wheel?
@LiamCroft but that would make him a professional video game reviewer, and that’s just not his style
If I look on metacritic or wherever to see how a game has rated, it is very relevant to me if even one professional reviewer's experience is "it literally doesn't even work." To withhold that info skews the game more positively than it should be. As you note, you can only grade your own experience, and your experience was bad. If your recommendation is "don't buy this because it doesn't work," then I don't think it's out of bounds to write up a review and say that.
Should have called the headline "The wrecking is upon us!" you missed out on a goldie
Hey I know this was for PS4 but this is also happening on Xbox as well. I got 7 hrs in saved before I got off. Came back 30min later to a corrupted save file and have to restart. I've waited for over a month since it was released for pre-order and now I can't play in fear of losing my progress so disappointed
@Bazooka This game never came out on the OG Xbox, only 360 and now One.
the taxpayers of Rhode Island remember...
@Matroska I’ve never had any issues with Dragon age Origins on console, and I’ve played it on the ps3, Xbox 360, and the Xbox one all as a mage and rogue. Every skill works as intended, with little to no hiccups.
@Mr_One_Hand That's objectively not true. Some spells will do the wrong element damage. E.g. https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Stonefist_(Origins)
A Defense buff skill doesn't actually do anything. You might not notice it but it doesnt change the fact that there's a fan patch that fixes about 80 spells that are improperly set up even as of the latest official patch. Things like Haste adding 0.8 seconds to attack time rather than subtracting 0.2. Yes, Haste slows you down without a fan patch.
There's also this fan patch that fixes about 850 bugs.
https://www.nexusmods.com/dragonage/mods/4689
Some other fan patch notes:
Fixes the bug where Mana Cleanse was adding mana instead of removing mana.
Fixes the bug where Might Blow wasn't applying a slow effect. Now slows by 50% for 3s (as per a level 0 Slow Rune).
Fixes the bug where Shield Wall was not reducing damage.
Fixes the bug where enemy canine monsters' howl did not apply a defense penalty.
So much doesn't work as intended and you're stuck with that forever if you're on console, unfortunately.
@Hengist
I was already aware of that, but disappointed in the reaction on the forums. People are angry that they're not getting it for free. Really? /shrug
This makes me sad since I have a CE coming my way and was looking forward to playing Amalur on PS4
Oh... Ffs! Pardon my language, but all I wanted was bug FIXES and slightly improved graphics and I would have got this. They can't even do that! THQ should have just forked over more cash and paid for more development time. Jokes man.
This is truly disappointing news. I was really looking forward to playing this title. I guess I'll start playing Peril on Gorgon (The Outer Worlds DLC), which comes out tomorrow and hope the developers address/fix this game breaking bug in the meantime.
Still waiting for this to appear on the PlayStation Store. 😩
@Bentleyma- I just saw it on there.
I told you I told you they never fixed a anything I told you it would be just a pc port that's it, because that's all the Nordic do
@ShogunRok I started to get the same problems today, it began halfway through the scholia arcana questline, with enemies disappearing after death and not having loot or any experience gain.
Another issue I was having was in adessa, every time I tried to Access the armoury it crashed the game, anyone else experiencing something like this?
@OrionOtterlily I had a horrible feeling it would break for more people once the game released. It still seems quite rare, but that's still not good enough. Such a shame as I really enjoyed playing it again!
So, if I restart completely from scratch, would I encounter the same issue, or is it now fixed with version 1.04? I played before on version 1.03 25 hours and was about to reach lvl 20, when this happened. Any tips?
Shame to hear about all these game breaking bugs...was planning to wait for a discount regardless but good to know.
@carleedos Sadly 1.04 doesn't fix this particular bug.
For those experiencing the issue, do you have a physical copy or digital?
@CageMachete Physical. I bought it before release and played with Version 1.03 25+ h, then the bug made it unplayable. I restarted yesterday and I have multiple save files now (creating every h a new one lol). Not sure, if this time will happen the same, but I played 5 hours with my new character and atleast didn't crashed once.
I literally just bought the game Tuesday when it released here in the States. Been playing completely fine up until this stupid bug... Where may I send a personal email to Nordic myself? Totally not cool, one of my favorite rpgs and with this bug, it's quite pointless to play... no drops, no exp. When can we expect to see a patch fixing this?!
@ShogunRok I just came across this bug yesterday.... horrible.
@yungkuuza Not good. Let's hope it gets fixed soon!
@ShogunRok Seriously! Love this game... only wish I could play D:
Only hoping we'll see a patch in these next upcoming weeks...
Been playing for about 24 hours now (not consecutively) but I just hit a huge game breaking bug, was exploring a huge cave in teeth of naros, after solving a door/lever puzzle I went down the ramp and the game crashes and with the jump down mechanics of exploring.. I'm stuck. ;( Are there any updates coming to ps4?
Saw a rep from THQ Nordique in a Twitch chat that said the bug happens if you don't loot every chest/enemy you come across, and that they're working on a fix.
I got the bug that was described in the game yesterday. I tried leaving the dungeon several times and nothing worked. This is a bummer as I had levelled up to 16 and was enjoying the game.
@PervyelfTahk Duuude it just happened to me In the same exact place after 15 hours. I am really pissed off
If they fix this issue, will my saved game work? Or I’ll have to restar it?
just had this glitch happen: i was hiding near a wall and saved the game but reloaded cuz i didn't like the outcome of my theft. after reloading, my character was invisible and i could no longer see him. i read the only way to fix was to load an earlier save so i went to the previous save which was only like 10 to 15min before which sucked but wasn't so bad. the only problem was that i hit save and not load so i overwrote the game but i didn't realize so i went to the next oldest save and did the same thing... worst part is i only had one other save and it is from the day before so i just lost all progress from today and i was doing so good too! had found all kinds of awesome loot and done so many quests. now i don't even have my house again...
@PervyelfTahk dude I did some research and our problem is not caused by this bug. It is a specific problem of the cave. The game tries to render something that it shouldnt and that is why it crashes. We should be able to avoid the crash triying different angles of de camera as we go through
This bug is wide spread, on PC, xbox,and ps4. I myself, am playing on ps4 and ran into this bug too, twice on 2 different characters. I reported it on the official site and 4 days now (and counting), no reply what so ever, nor any public statements about its acknowledgment and what they plan on doing. Im about ready to ask for a refund, and the game was so much fun to play too. :/
This is my video.
https://youtu.be/ejdwo4kQKLc
I'm about 32 hours in and I've just started getting the glitch. The game is unplayable now. Shame, I was really enjoying it.
Supposedly, the workaround for this is picking up All loot.
Apparently when you leave loot Lying around, at some point, the game runs out of memory to store all the loot and so enemies can't drop any more loot and the bug appears.
If it helps, the game-breaking glitch of mobs disappearing, happens on "all versions", PC's included. When you get used to discard on the floor any drop from the killed mobs, these trash accumulated in the data has a "limited number" the game can support. Beyond this point the glitch appears! The game only work properly if you "take everything" and put what you want to discard on the junk from your inventory and destroy it. The problem is "how can we DELETE ALL THESE ITEMS scattered all over the maps!!!"
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...