A month after the release of its previous DLC, The Legend of Dead Kel, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is back with another sizable expansion. Teeth of Naros introduces another brand new area with lots to offer.
As with the previous expansion, when you purchase this DLC you’ll be directed to a particular location on your existing map, and an extra map section will be revealed, showing the new area known as the Teeth of Naros. When you get there, you’ll meet a race of giants known as the Kollossae, devout followers of Ethene. The Kollossae are partially made of stone, and essentially look like Greek statues. Once you start to get to know them, it becomes clear that their culture is heavily based on that of Ancient Greece as well, from the architecture to the characters’ names to their clothing styles. Some of the side quests center around famous aspects of Ancient Greek culture, as well — philosophy, theatre, warfare, and art.
There are two main environments in which the action takes place: the green, wild mountain range known as the Teeth of Naros and the floating city of Idylla. Though the Teeth is an area somewhat similar to other locations in Amalur, the terrain looks new, which is something so many games don’t bother to do with DLC. And Idylla itself is nothing like anything in the rest of the game. As you explore, you learn more about the Kollossae and their place among the peoples of Amalur.
The expansion introduces a new type of magic called Primal Magic, which is channeled through weapons to cause extra damage. It’s a neat concept, but I didn’t really bother with it much — I tried to use it at first, but it seemed like I was better off just using my regular powers. This may be because I was already Level 40 when I started Teeth of Naros — perhaps it would be more useful to someone with fewer experience points. On that note, I was a bit disappointed to see the level cap (and difficulty) still hasn’t increased. It would be nice to be able to invest in some other skills and abilities (without losing what I already have) and for the combat to provide more of a challenge. It’s still enjoyable, and I understand that this way, anyone of any level can enjoy the DLC (unlike Dead Kel, there’s no minimum level requirement), but I can’t help but hope for future expansions.
My only other complaint is that I had many issues with audio throughout the DLC. Sometimes it would just go out completely for several seconds during combat, and often I’d have more than enough time to read a subtitle before the character actually started speaking aloud. It wasn’t a huge deal, but a little extra QA may have caught it.
All in all, Teeth of Naros is a sound investment for any Reckoning fan, though not quite as sizable as Dead Kel. In terms of playtime, for me it was probably about three-quarters the length of Dead Kel, but that’s still a decent amount of hours, especially compared to a lot of recent DLC. And it serves to further add to the richness of Amalur, which is always a welcome quality in an expansion like this.
Teeth of Naros released April 17, 2012, and is available on Xbox Live (800 MSP), PSN, Steam, and Origin ($9.99).
