Forspoken, A Short Review

Forespoken is a game developed and published by Japanese companies. It uses conventions more commonly found in games made by Western Studios, such as an open world filled with things to do, an American protagonist, and a setting inspired by medieval fantasy rather than Eastern fantasy. It feels like a throwback to games from the PS2 era, a time when development budgets were lower and taking risks was easier.

In many ways, Forespoken feels like two different games clubbed together, with elements that are often at odds with each other. At its best, Forespoken is a fun game with great mobility options, an interesting combat system, and a simple but enjoyable world to explore. However, at its worst, the game constantly interrupts gameplay to throw exposition your way, regardless of whether it's appropriate for the situation.

You play as Frey, a young woman from New York City who constantly finds herself on the wrong side of the law. Through a series of events, Frey becomes the target of a local gang and is mysteriously transported to the world of Athea. She is accompanied by a talkative fashion accessory named Cuff as they embark on their adventure.

One of the biggest issues with Forespoken is that it's afraid to let players do much of anything, especially early on. Every time the game allows you to play, control is quickly taken away for another largely unnecessary cutscene or conversation. The game considers its story to be incredibly important, but playing the game is often more enjoyable without the story getting in the way. This is due, in part, to the chatty nature of Frey and Cuff, who constantly interrupt the game to let you know what they think about the situation they find themselves in.

Frey is especially emblematic of this problem. As a character, she is incredibly talkative, which starts to get annoying when it becomes clear that she isn't a well-written character. Every time she opens her mouth, she is bound to say something stupid. Her conversations with Cuff are especially annoying, as they often circle the same subjects. The writing for Frey and Cuff often feels like it was written to pad out time for cutscenes.

The game offers the option to reduce the chatter between Frey and Cuff, but this doesn't help the quality of the writing in cutscenes. The story is best seen as an excuse to set you free in the world of Athea. On the flip side, when Forespoken actually lets you play, it's incredibly fun. The movement options make exploring the open world a blast, and the combat encourages experimentation. The game has a deep skill tree, where abilities can be unlocked in a more free-form way than being restricted to level-up requirements. You get experience from exploring and fighting, which can be spent on new abilities.

Forespoken has a lot of variety, including a fair number of side quests. The side quests don't offer much in the way of variety, but using magic to parkour your way up a mountain and fight mutated bears is a unique experience. There are also materials to find in the world that can be used to upgrade your cloak, giving you passive benefits.

On the graphics side, Forespoken offers three distinct options: favor quality, favor performance, and ray tracing. The game defaults to favor quality, and it is indeed a beautiful game. Whether you're exploring the world of Athea or battling a dragon in a boss fight, Forespoken is a stunning game to look at.