Forspoken Review : Rise of Forgotten Hero

Step right up and listen closely, for I have a tale to tell. A tale of a forgotten hero, an orphan cast aside, who is swept into a world beyond their wildest dreams. With newfound magical powers and a destiny to fulfill, they rise to the challenge and fight against an evil that threatens to destroy all they hold dear. But don’t let the familiar premise fool you, for Forspoken is no ordinary RPG. While its story may be as stale as day-old bread, the pulse-pounding combat and seamless parkour system bring a fresh spark to this fantastical adventure. So strap on your sword, tighten your boots, and join our hero on their journey. Just beware, for the path ahead is filled with generic side tasks that may not hold much allure beyond the thrill of the hunt.

A Tale of Missed Opportunities and Flat Characters

Step into the shadows and embrace the darkness, for Square Enix presents to you, Frey Holland – a brooding enigma from the bustling streets of New York. Plucked from her world and thrust into the mystical realm of Athia, Frey finds herself bonded to a snarky, talking armband, Cuff. The once vibrant lands of Athia are now plagued by a corrupt force, forcing its inhabitants to seek refuge in the city of Cipal. And it falls upon Frey, wielding newfound powers, to rise to the challenge and face the tyrannical rulers known as the Tantas. But be warned, Frey is a reluctant hero at best, uninterested in saving a world not her own. Will she succumb to her inner demons or will she rise to the call of adventure?

Enter the mundane world of Forspoken, where predictability reigns and originality takes a backseat. A story as forgettable as yesterday’s news, with characters as bland as unseasoned toast. But the real tragedy lies in the lackluster writing, unable to bring its cast to life or forge meaningful connections between them. Take the relationship between Frey and Cuff, for example, touted as the cornerstone of the campaign, but with precious little time spent nurturing its growth. It’s as if Forspoken expects you to invest in these characters without giving you a reason to care. A missed opportunity indeed, to bring this buddy-cop duo to life.

The true connections are formed beyond the screen and unfortunately, the story is mostly revealed through monotonous explanations amidst extensive open-world exploration. This results in a hasty, 15-hour campaign and a lackluster portrayal of the supposed bond between Cuff and Frey. Instead of endearing, their snappy back-and-forths come across as irksome. Frey openly displays her dislike for most of the Forspoken’s assignments, while Cuff continuously belittles her for no apparent reason, in an attempt to appear friendly but only adds to the awkwardness of a couple bickering at a dinner party. Sadly, this dynamic never evolves, even as Frey embarks on a predictable hero’s journey, making the experience all the more draining.

A Combat-Heavy Game with Monotonous Side Quests and Underwhelming Audio Experience of Forespoken

Forspoken is divided into two distinct elements-interacting with the townsfolk and performing tedious side quests, such as feeding sheep and chasing cats in Cipal, and exploring the absurdly vast map to progress the story. The monotony of the Cipal sections could have been overlooked if not for the stilted and low-budget feel of the conversations and cutscenes. Despite commendable performances from the cast, the writing leans towards telling rather than showing, making the dialogue lack any sense of excitement. The elongated awkward silences between lines and the overpowering background noise or music only adds to the frustration, rendering the audio experience far from enjoyable.

As you journey between visits to Cipal, you are assigned a goal marked on your map and are free to wander as much as you please. This entails sprinting across Athia’s rugged landscape using Frey’s magical parkour abilities, flipping over obstacles and gliding through the air with a grappling whip, and battling enemies at various points of interest to acquire new gear and rewards. This will occupy the majority of your time with Forspoken and, though the mechanics may not be complex, it promises an entertaining experience.

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Throughout the Forspoken campaign, Frey acquires four distinct styles of elemental magic, each serving as a different weapon that can be swiftly swapped with a unique set of alternate firing modes and support skills that can be gradually improved. Her initial magic resembles an earth-based firearm that can either be fired rapidly or charged for a potent area-of-effect burst, equipped with abilities that immobilize enemies, boost defense temporarily, and more. Unfortunately, it takes a third of the journey to unlock the fire-based sword option, which serves as Frey’s first melee attack and may initially feel restricting to players.

However, once you unlock more of Frey’s abilities, the combat in Forspoken becomes an explosive spectacle filled with dazzling particle effects. While the enemy variety may not be as impressive, elemental resistances and unique quirks encourage players to constantly switch weapons and strategies during battles, adding to the excitement. For instance, players can use an AOE shot to take out shielded enemies by either sneaking up from behind or by charging and firing the shot at their feet. One-on-one battles can become repetitive with players simply locking onto their target and firing while dodging with Forspoken’s lenient dodge system, but group encounters often keep players on their toes and engaged.

The Magic of Forspoken and Elemental Combat with Explosive Spectacle

The parkour system in Forspoken is a balance of simplicity and flair. Players effortlessly soar through the environment with just a press of the Circle button and a direction to aim for. The parkour becomes more thrilling as you unlock new skills like boosting your speed with precise button presses. Although it lacks the complexity of combat, the parkour system does not require much effort and rarely tests your mastery of techniques with challenging platforming. Nevertheless, it provides a satisfying and effortless way to navigate from task to task.

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The world of Athia is vast and offers a considerable amount of land to explore, however, its beauty remains elusive. Despite its size, the campaign only takes you to a fraction of it, and the rest is filled with optional side objectives that don’t hold much value. The markers on the map offer tasks that range from battling enemies to receiving rewards, but they are often repetitive and offer nothing new. Completing these tasks may be enjoyable for some, but the payoffs don’t make them worth it, especially when the difficulty is set on hard mode. Forspoken follows the traditional open-world structure, but its transparency makes Athia feel like a dull to-do list instead of a world worth exploring.

The vast expanse of Athia is a barren land, with its terrain monotonously dotted with indistinguishable rocks and ruins. Despite the four unique regions, each with its own take on the terrain – be it open fields or rolling hills – they all blur together, distinguishable only by their distinct color palette.For those seeking adventure and secrets, this world may prove disappointing. Exploring the hard-to-reach corners offered nothing more than endless repetition of side tasks and bland landscapes, with the exception of a solitary trader offering a few intriguing items.

Progression System is User-Friendly and Customizable

While some players may relish in the challenge of clearing every marker and opening every chest, the lack of engaging landmarks or NPCs leaves little motivation for extended exploration. The map may be dotted with optional objectives, but the payoffs feel inconsequential, leading to a journey that feels like a checklist waiting to be ticked off.

The progression system in Forspoken is designed to be user-friendly and non-intrusive, providing players with a sense of control over their gameplay experience. The game features three types of equipable items: cloaks, necklaces, and unique nail polish designs, each of which provides various bonuses and perks to enhance the player’s character. Cloaks and necklaces offer similar benefits such as increasing health, defense, and magic, while also providing special perks like increased critical hit chance. On the other hand, nail polish designs offer unique bonuses, such as boosting a specific type of magic.

The progression system in Forspoken also features a light crafting system, which allows players to upgrade their cloaks and necklaces by using resources collected during gameplay. This system provides players with a lot of flexibility in terms of how they choose to play, as well as the fashion choices they make. The crafting system enables players to increase the stats of their equipment and swap the perks of any gear they have found so far, offering a greater sense of customization to the gameplay experience.

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While the progression system in Forspoken provides a lot of flexibility, it may not be the most exciting aspect of the game for some players. Most of the improvements offered by the crafting system are numerical boosts that can be difficult to see in the heat of battle. However, this system still offers a welcome layer of customization and player choice that can enhance the overall gameplay experience.

Verdict

Forspoken is a familiar and unoriginal game that follows a well-trodden path in its storytelling, with a main character who is a stranger in a strange land. The open world is vast, with endless options for side quests, but they are all too similar, making it hard to find any real motivation to complete them. The game’s combat system is flashy and enjoyable, but the variety of enemies is limited, making it feel repetitive over time. Despite these shortcomings, the parkour system is satisfying, with a nimble and smooth way of traveling across the environment. However, the world is lacking in interesting visuals and comes across as bland, with each area being divided by artificial mountain ranges and filled with piles of indistinguishable rocks and ruins. Although some players may be happy to spend hours exploring every corner of the map, the game’s progression system is not compelling enough to keep most players engaged.

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