Forspoken

Forspoken is a 2023 action role-playing game developed by Luminous Productions and published by Square Enix. It was released on January 24, 2023, on PlayStation 5 and Windows. The game received mixed reviews.

Forspoken
Developer(s)Luminous Productions
Publisher(s)Square Enix
Director(s)
  • Takeshi Aramaki
  • Takefumi Terada
Producer(s)
  • Raio Mitsuno
  • Gabriel Moszkowski
  • Akio Ofuji
Writer(s)
Composer(s)
EngineLuminous Engine
Platform(s)
ReleaseJanuary 24, 2023
Genre(s)Action role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay
Pre-release gameplay of Forspoken. The game focuses on terrain traversal speed and fluidity.

According to director Takeshi Aramaki, the gameplay was designed to be focused on terrain traversal speed and fluidity.[1] Square Enix also described the game as a "narrative-driven adventure".[2] The character exists in an open world game format where players are able to travel anywhere at any time.[3]

The player character, Frey, has access to a variety of magical spells. Following each combat encounter, the player earns experience points. Frey's cloak can be upgraded in order to improve her combat efficiency and stats, while applying nail polish unlocks special abilities.[4] The player can also craft new items, or rest at a safe location in order to restore health. While the player is exploring the game world, they may encounter a "breakstorm", a scenario similar to a horde mode in which waves of demonic creatures spawn and attack Frey. The storm ends with the appearance of a named boss character.[5]

Story

Setting and characters

The protagonist, Alfre "Frey" Holland (Ella Balinska) is a young woman who is transported from New York City to the fantasy world of Athia. She uses magical powers to journey through it and survive in order to find her way home.[2][6] Athia is under the tyrannical rule of the Tantas, which include Tanta Sila (Janina Gavankar), Tanta Prav (Pollyanna McIntosh), Tanta Olas (Claudia Black) and Tanta Cinta (Kendal Rae). [7] Other characters include Frey's sentient bracelet Cuff (Jonathan Cake), the archivist Johedy (Keala Settle), and Auden (Monica Barbaro).[8]

Development

Forspoken is the debut project for Luminous Productions; the company was originally assembled from employees working on Final Fantasy XV. Earlier in development, the game was known under the title Project Athia.[2] It was developed to take advantage of the graphical capabilities of the PlayStation 5 and will also release for Windows.[2] Technologies featured in the game include ray tracing for greatly enhanced lighting effects, and procedural generation for the creation of large-scale locations.[3][9] Initially set to be released on May 24, 2022, Square Enix delayed its release to October 11, 2022,[10] and then to January 24, 2023.[1]

The game's writing team includes Gary Whitta, Amy Hennig, Allison Rymer, and Todd Stashwick.[8][11] The team approached Brandon Sanderson for the project, but he declined the offer as he was working on another video game project (later revealed to be Moonbreaker) at that time.[12] Bear McCreary and Garry Schyman are composing music for the game.[8] The game will be a PlayStation 5 console exclusive, alongside the PC version, for two years.[13]

Reception

Forspoken received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[14][15]

The Verge praised the game's parkour system, saying it made the game's otherwise empty world "enthralling" to traverse, although they felt the combat was "one-note" and "kinda useless" in comparison.[27] Polygon criticized Forspoken's slow start and noted that the game ended by the time it had presented the player with a full range of abilities.[28] The game's dialogue received criticism from players for being "cringey"[29][30][31] and became the subject of internet memes.[32]

References
  1. Grayson, Nathan (March 18, 2021). "Square Enix's Project Athia Is Now Called Forspoken, Coming In 2023". Kotaku. Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  2. McWhertor, Michael (March 18, 2021). "Square Enix's Project Athia has a 2022 release date and a final name: Forspoken". Polygon. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  3. Boudreau, Ian (August 18, 2020). "Square Enix's next RPG is open world and supports ray tracing". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  4. Kim, Matt (December 13, 2021). "Forspoken: Hands-Off Preview". IGN. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  5. Cook, Adam (December 13, 2021). "'Forspoken' preview: breakneck speed and magical combat". NME. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  6. Wood, Austin (March 18, 2021). "Project Athia is now Forspoken, an open-world action game "about a young woman in a beautiful but threatening world"". Games Radar. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  7. Mitsuno, Raio (2021-12-09). "A closer look at Forspoken's major villains – the Tantas". PlayStation.Blog. Archived from the original on 2022-07-15. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  8. Mitsuno, Raio (September 9, 2021). "Journey with Frey to Forspoken's fantastical world next spring". PlayStation Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  9. Lada, Jenni (September 2, 2020). "See the Project Athia World Procedurally Generated in Luminous Engine". Siliconera. Archived from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  10. LeBlanc, Wesley (2022-03-07). "Forspoken Delayed To October". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 2022-03-07. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  11. Valentine, Rebekah (March 18, 2021). "Project Athia Is Now Forspoken; New Glimpse of Luminous Productions' Debut Project". IGN. Archived from the original on September 14, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  12. Williams, Demi (January 10, 2022). "'Forspoken' was almost written by fantasy author Brandon Sanderson". NME. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  13. Oloman, Jordan (December 8, 2020). "Project Athia Will Be a PS5 Console Exclusive for at Least 2 Years". IGN. Archived from the original on July 20, 2022. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  14. "Forspoken for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  15. "Forspoken for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  16. Moyse, Chris (January 23, 2023). "Review: Forspoken". Destructoid. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  17. Franzese, Tomas (January 23, 2023). "Forspoken review: magical action overcomes weak storytelling". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  18. Damiani, Michael (January 23, 2023). "Review: Forspoken". Easy Allies. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  19. Hilliard, Kyle (January 23, 2023). "Forspoken Review - Average Isekai". Game Informer. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  20. Ramée, Jordan (January 23, 2023). "Forspoken Review - Forsaken". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  21. Bishop, Rollin (January 23, 2023). "Forspoken review: "An exceptionally middling experience"". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  22. Helm, Jordan (January 23, 2023). "Review: Forspoken". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  23. Marks, Tom (January 23, 2023). "Forspoken Review". IGN. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  24. Taylor, Mollie (January 30, 2023). "Forspoken review". PC Gamer. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  25. Mejia, Ozzie (January 23, 2023). "Forspoken review: Say no more". Shacknews. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  26. Billcliffe, James (January 23, 2023). "Forspoken review: Square Enix's latest RPG experiment feels like it's already on borrowed time". VG247. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  27. Parrish, Ash (2023-01-23). "Forspoken is better than its bad name implies". The Verge. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
  28. Morley, Grayson (2023-01-23). "Forspoken finally gets better, shortly before it ends". Polygon. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
  29. Cryer, Hirun (January 23, 2023). "Forspoken reactions aren't kind to its dialogue". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  30. Diaz, Ana (January 28, 2023). "Forspoken's gravest sin? It has no chill". Polygon (website). Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  31. Byrd, Matthew (January 25, 2023). "Forspoken's Dialog Debate Exposes a Bigger Pop Culture Divide". Den of Geek. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  32. Colbert, Isaiah (February 3, 2023). "Forspoken Actress Says She's [sic] Isn't Bothered By The Online Discourse, And More Power To Her". Kotaku. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
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