Forspoken Review

Developer: Luminous Productions
Publisher: Square-Enix
Release: January 24, 2023

Dan Rizzo
Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
January 25, 2023

Leaps and Bounds...

Traversal combat has certainly become saturated within the role-playing genre, given its expression for freeform encounters to become favoured over an archaic turn-based system. In what is sure to be a polarising experience, Forspoken seeks to explore more than the standard formula of platforming that mixes in facets of the generic RPG, alongside parkour-elemental offense. Sure it’s not the most cut-and-dry experience out there, and could do with a once-over in the performance department depending if you decide to play it in Quality-Focused mode, but the game is incredibly fun, with relatable characters and dialogue that sparks some humour. It does lay-down the old trope of a protagonist down on their luck, that’s somehow transported to a mystical world that see’s them become the hero of their story, but its juxtapose flips the coin with a little attitude adjustment and presenting our mana manipulating enchanter with confidence to take on this exploit.

Play Video

It goes without saying, a comprehensive delivery can overwhelm anyone if unprepared yet Forspoken’s ultimate demonstration of excellent fluidity shines through its flux of character movement. It details the pace of its campaign with quick haste and bears no question in posing some tedious moments that may challenge the player, however its navigational mechanics are Forspoken’s strong suit. It’s dependent on what kind of experience you want or make out of its campaign, given the size of its map’s landscape which is insanely large. It’s an interesting concept, and there have been titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man that are praised for similar on-foot traversing, yet Forspoken’s aim to purposely have players set foot on its bristly plains, engage in arcane combat and solicit some of the most sensational sights and sounds to match is fantastic.

Practical Parkour...

Forspoken see’s you portray Frey Holland, a New York native with an orphaned upbringing is suddenly whisked away from reality to the mystical world of Athia. The land is under tyranny from a group of sorcerer’s known as Tantas – a once beloved group of leaders, this band of malevolent spell casters are feared for their unmatched power due to a toxic miasma known as the Break. The polluted substance is known to corrupt humans, mutate animals into rabid beasts and devastate the land that it encumbers. While Athia chokes on its own air, its careless ruler Tanta Prav, passes judgement on her citizens with callous intent and unruly verdict. Meanwhile back in Hell’s Kitchen, Frey experiences a paranormal halo that leads her to an apartment containing a gold brace sitting on a work bench. Upon grasping the glaring jewellery, it mysteriously opens a portal and pushes the drifter through against her will.

Upon arriving to Athia, Frey is immediately confronted by a supposed apparition, which in turn is the exact Cuff she stole. Trying its best to settle our protagonist down, both she and “Cuff” are confronted by a dragon that is running roughshod across the medieval-like valley. Evading the behemoth for mere moments, Cuff teaches Frey the many abilities she now harnesses carrying Cuff. The pair are attacked by a mutated Bear-like creature, to which they fend off with Cuff’s close-ranged attack magic. He explains the dire situation Athia currently faces with the miasma spreading rapidly through the world, while seeming ineffective toward the New Yoker. After exploring a deserted villa, the Dragon from earlier discover duo and immediately initiates battle. The Dragon takes flight after a lengthy battle with Frey in its grasp. While it soars through tall mountains, it disappears leaving Frey and Cuff hanging cliffside.

The opening moments of the campaign give us insight to Frey’s capabilities, and after a few more story beats, an arrest, jailbreak, and change of attire, we’re finally free to start exploring. The outer ruins of Cipal, see’s more miasma affected creatures that are hostile. Markers will detail campaign objectives and optional side-quests. Given the mammoth size of Athia, its granted to have its own underground sanctuary, although the Locked Labyrinths were designed for the Tantas, and are now overruled by enemies. Each encounter will detail how your arcane attacks impact the deformed demon-like creatures, highlighting their vulnerabilities and delivering a damage score. A letter grade for each group encounter is given, depending on how you execute combination chains, along with style and flair. This will in turn award you a total EXP after each battle, levelling up your Frey for potential to unlock more abilities in her skill-tree using Mana awarded after unlocking each level.

Simply dazzling, Forspoken is highly recommended for any gamer looking to leap bounds through a fantasy world that searches for solace while at suffocating through the throttle of its own malevolent demiurge.

Activating the Magic menu by pressing down on the PlayStation 5’s touchpad, your able to see which base abilities will be available at the beginning of the game, and what other branches you may purchase using your awarded points. Flow will be the first ability to unlock in the game, which grants Frey the ability to move at high speeds, also vaulting objects like a parkour expert. Holding down Circle and using your left analogue stick will have our hero sprinting through the lush landscape while avoiding many of its miasma-mutated monsters that can be confronted for grinds to gain more EXP. Mana can also be collected like resources, and is sparsely scattered across Athia in various places. Frey’s cloak is not just for fashion sense as cool as it does look, it also entails its own respective stats which carry efficiency and combat.

Rest location act as safe havens for Frey, where you may take some time to replenish health or use work benches to craft items from collected resources. Archives will detail story events, which are segregated through chapters within the campaign. Healing Draughts can be used for quick aid during battle, and come plenty across Athia, but it comes at a cost of maxing out your inventory. There are a slew of chance based rewards, with one example early on the game being the roll of the partha, a dice roll that enables a temporary buff depending on how it lands. While Frey possesses immunity from the miasma, she is not invincible from it slowly attacking her. Areas covered with the substance will glow a bright purple hue, with a gauge on the bottom right showing the strength of its effect on Frey.

Off the Cuff...

SOLID POINTS

✔️ Gorgeous terrain is experienced through fluid motion and expeditious pace.

✔️ Great detail in the title’s core mechanics are laid out for those unexperienced in the RPG genre.

✔️ Hilarious dialogue.

❌ Some convoluted plot points.

❌ Texture pop-in.

❌ Inability to play in ‘Quality-Focused’ mode dampers it slightly.

Within the infected areas, anthropomorphic beings that have been ailed by the miasma are zombified, and animals turned beasts are incredibly senseless. In similar fashion akin to inFamous: Second Son, Frey’s ranged magical attacks are effective by blasting them with her arcane ability granted by Cuff. Belfries act similarly to the towers in Breath of the Wild, having Cuff scan the general vicinity surrounding the scraper to point out any landmarks you may need to visit and act as fast travel markers.

Athia’s gorgeous terrain is simply amazing to gaze at, or experience at unimaginable speeds. From run-down mountainsides, cinder-filled volcanic rubble, the haunting hallowed halls of its underground labyrinth right to the lush and vibrant valleys, the world is your oyster to travel here at lightspeed, determining how you want to set the pace for the campaign. A deep emphasis is made on the game’s light particle effects, that are shown through Frey’s powers, environments and the miasma itself.

However, detail does fall short somewhat in terms of textures over assets with questionable pop-in occurring in some areas. I should note that I preferred to play the game in performance mode, as I found its default ‘Quality-Focused’ mode to have undesirable, and almost unplayable amount of input lag. It is a shame because I would have loved to experience Athia in all it’s beauty, but it was just too slow on the uptake when executing manoeuvres or attacks.

Performance mode does the game justice in the way it fluently demonstrates our protagonist’s insane ability to parkour her way through a multitude of areas, but also using said athletic ability to show off some awe inspiring evasion tactics while in battle. Performing combination chain and parkour through attacks, and then executing your special abilities set off an marvellous display in fashionable style. It is certainly a highlight of the entire campaign, and gameplay loop.

Play Video

Backed by an esteemed team of writers in Amy Hennig (Creator of Naughty Dog’s Uncharted), Gary Witta and Todd Stashwick, the title bears great character and charm through relatable dialogue through Frey, as she scurries through villages, meeting the town folk while doing her best to avoid confrontation in her less-than-quaint mannerisms. The relationship between Frey and Cuff becomes more of a bickering brother and sister type, with the duo working together to take down the evil Tantas and their ongoing destruction of Athia. While I would say its story takes a backseat to its gameplay, it doesn’t necessarily discredit the performances from both Ella Balinska (Resident Evil – Netflix) as Frey Holland, and Jonathan Cake (Empire) as Cuff. Both fresh faced within the voice over scene yet established in other mediums, proven worthy of potential leads in any gaming studio’s future projects.

Forspoken will undoubtedly be one of 2023’s most polarising conversational pieces within the gaming space. It harnesses great amount of potential to be an evolution of the role-paying genre, while gracing gamers with sensationally deep and gratifying traversal gameplay. While some will argue it may have needed a little proof-reading on its narrative structure – which I totally agree with – it makes up for it with efforts placed on overall presentation. Quite honestly and this is my personal take, it’s one of the most creative fantasy RPG’s I’ve had the pleasure of playing. A unique mix of action-platforming that may remain unmatched and unrivalled in demonstrating prolific parkour excellence through a sandbox open world. Simply dazzling, Forspoken is highly recommended for any gamer looking to leap bounds through a fantasy world that searches for solace while suffocating through the throttle of its own malevolent demiurge.