Forspoken was one of the more unexpected titles to be announced at the Spring 2021 Square Enix Presents. With the publisher best known for series like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts, the obvious dark, mature style of Forspoken is a fresh direction, but not an unwelcome one. The game has so far received a cautious but positive reception among fans.
News on Forspoken remains scarce, seeing as its title announcement only just happened in March. It was previously known as Project Athia but remained under the radar for most gamers, with only a short trailer of some gameplay clips floating around on the internet prior to its official debut at Square Enix Presents. Though there's not much out there on it yet, what we do know hints at an intriguing Action RPG that embraces frequent f-bombs, vivid violence and high graphical fidelity.
A short trailer for Forspoken dropped during its title announcement in March. Choosing to remain rather enigmatic about the story, the trailer instead showcases the game's stunning graphics. The open world setting -- a fantasy world known as Athia -- is beautifully rendered with AMD technology that doesn't skimp on environmental detail. Perhaps the most eye-catching part of the trailer is the fluid movement of the protagonist as she leaps and flies through the world.
Unfortunately, while the trailer does a good job showing off the graphics, it remains unclear what exactly there is to do in this vast open world besides fighting monsters. Luminous Productions, the new Square Enix studio developing the game, will need to do more to demonstrate that Athia isn't empty if it's going to compete against other games with beautiful open worlds as their selling point, such as Ghosts of Tsushima and The Witcher 3.
Forspoken follows Frey Holland, a seemingly modern woman who somehow winds up Athia. Quickly discovering that the land is filled with both beauty and dismay, she must harness her newfound magical abilities to survive. A promotional statement also claims she must face "treacherous trials to unravel the mystery behind Athia," but we don't yet have any indication of what this mystery could be.
All this seems to suggest Forspoken is an isekai story. Isekai is a popular anime genre where an ordinary person winds up in an unfamiliar world (often by getting hit by a truck and dying). If the game follows conventional isekai tropes, the plot will revolve around Frey seeking to find out why she wound up in Athia and how to return home, but it seems likely Forspoken will do something more unique given the game's dark and gritty atmosphere.
At PlayStation Showcase 2021, a new trailer was shown which detailed more about the game's story and showcased the combat. In the trailer, we see more of Frey in the modern-day before she is whisked away to Athia. Once there, she is able to communicate with a presence through her bangle and quickly gains control of spells and powers -- though the presence assures her she won't be able to fly. The game ends with what looks to be a massive boss encounter, teasing some of Forspoken's hardest fights.
When Forspoken was first announced, it certainly seemed like it wasn't very far along and would need plenty of development time. However, Sony appears to have been playing their cards close to their vest. At PlayStation Showcase 2021, it was confirmed that Forspoken would release Spring 2022. No specific date has been announced, but a Spring release window would indicate as early as March or as late as June of next year.
Forspoken is among the many games now being marketed as a PlayStation 5 exclusive as Sony begins to quietly move away from the PlayStation 4. However, despite it being showcased so heavily as a Sony property, Forspoken will be receiving a PC release as well, opening up the world of Athia even for those who don't have a next-gen console.
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