Details on Forspoken have been scarce, but fortunately, enough has been revealed about it for gamers to get a good idea of whether it will be the game for them. From intense action, plenty of fantasy magic, and an otherworldly realm to explore, Forspoken has players covered.
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The Development of Forspoken
The game is being developed by Luminous Productions and published by Square Enix. It began life as “Project Athia,” but it has come a long way since then. Some big names are working on the game; including notable writers such as Amy Hennig of the Uncharted series, and Gary Whitta who co-wrote After Earth with M. Night Shyamalan, as well as Rogue One with John Knoll. Composers working on the game’s music include Bear McCreary, who also produced music for God of War (2018), and Garry Schyman, who has composed music for the Bioshock series.
The development team behind the game is the same team that worked on Final Fantasy 15. As expected, Final Fantasy 15 has had a considerable impact on Forspoken: According to Forspoken’s co-director, Takefumi Terada, how the team is approaching the game is “very much based on learnings from Final Fantasy 15.”
Forspoken is being developed using the Luminous Engine, and it is being designed to take full advantage of the PS5’s power. Hence, it will feature ray tracing and top-notch graphics. According to Square Enix president, Yosuke Matsuda, ray tracing on PS5 will be almost identical to raytracing on PC. Luminous Productions is aiming for a 2K 60 FPS mode, a 4K 30 FPS mode, and a separate ray tracing mode.
What is Forspoken About?
Forspoken stars Frey Holland, a young New Yorker with a furry, white cat. As trailers have shown, Frey can be a bit sarcastic, and she has a habit of making cheesy comments. She is also not averse to cursing. On the cusp of turning 21, she is plucked out of normalcy and thrust into the magical land of Athia. All is not well in Athia under the rule of the Tantas, who are powerful matriarchs. The strongest and most terrifying Tanta is Tanta Sila, who is intoxicated with power.
In Athia, Frey discovers she has magic power which she uses to fight for her life and try to find a way back home. She will need every advantage she has, because the world of Athia is filled with monsters. Fortunately, Frey has a companion at her side — her magical bangle named Cuff. With the help of Cuff, Frey can navigate the strange lands she finds herself in. Other characters who aid Frey include Johedy the archivist, and Auden, who is a kind-hearted young woman.
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Trailers show that Frey is quite talkative and she is always making comments to herself, whether she is traveling or facing enemies. Her Cuff is also constantly conversing with her as well. Their banter provides opportunities to discover more about Frey, and it stops things from getting too quiet. Frey’s liberal cursing is indicative of her personality, making her seem understandably shocked and overwhelmed by some of the things she encounters in Athia.
What is Forspoken’s Gameplay Like?
Fast and fluid movement will be a central aspect of Forspoken’s gameplay. Frey will be able to use magic to zip across huge stretches of land and traverse terrain that would be difficult for a normal human. This ability will be useful because Athia is an expansive open-world which players will be able to explore freely. Magic will also be a big part of the game, and players will use magic and a variety of spells to attack enemies or set traps for them.
Trailers for Forspoken have shown Frey zooming across varied landscapes and using her magic abilities against strange monsters, a dragon many times her size, and an aggressive bear hellbent on killing her. Her magic abilities include sending out huge shockwaves and blasting bullet-like projectiles from her hands. Much like many games have a weapon wheel, Forspoken will also feature a wheel to select Frey’s different magical abilities. Frey also seems to be able to leap from great heights and surf on water. For players who are into customizing their character, Frey will also be able to easily change her outfit.
At times, Frey will be ambushed by packs of enemies in an event known as a Break Storm. There are also treasure chests she can unlock to obtain useful resources. The team behind Forspoken has revealed that Frey will be able to avoid combat encounters if she pleases, but this will come at the cost of missing out on some useful EXP.
One criticism that can be brought forward is that while the game looks gorgeous, what has been shown so far makes Athia appear a bit lifeless. When Frey walks through a settlement, NPCs hardly react to her, and when she races across the terrain, players see nothing but vast open plains and rocky mountains. Of course, what gamers have been privy to so far is only a portion of what Forspoken has to offer, and what has not been shown may be more exciting.
While none of what has been shown is particularly groundbreaking in the world of RPGs, if crafted correctly, Forspoken could turn out to be an exhilarating game with an addictive gameplay loop.
Forspoken releases on May 24, 2022, on PC and PS5.
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