In some ways, Amalur is a pleasant surprise, as the setting itself is a intriguing spin on the "generic" Tolkien fantasy world, and the combat is often times kinetic in a way uncharacteristic of a typical RPG. However, it also plays like a MMO with the multiplayer aspect stripped out; the game environment itself feels lifeless in that regard, and many of the quests have that same oft-lampooned "collect/kill 10 of item/creature" aesthetic. This hampers the final game severely.