Forspoken is the highly anticipated title releasing this year, but there’s been a lot of mystery surrounding the project. While early footage has leaked, alongside the release of a trailer and other gameplay content, there’s still a lot that fans do not know about the game and what creative direction it is taking.
Ultimately, some details are out there right now though, from the visual style of the piece, to when it will be released and what the general premise of Forspoken is. There’s a lot of skepticism as to whether it will live up to its full expectations, but this information should shed new light on some significant features of the title.
Publishers And Developers
Square Enix, famous for the Final Fantasy saga, alongside recent controversies like Marvel’s Avengers and hits such as Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy, will also be publishing Forspoken and thus pulling from their roots in the role-playing genre that’s influencing this title so much.
The mechanics themselves are being produced and developed by Luminous Productions. The team is using its very own Luminous Engine, which is perfect for next-gen consoles. While the studio itself is still very new, they did previously work on Final Fantasy XV.
Premise
The official synopsis of Forspoken is as follows: Forspoken follows the journey of Frey, a young New Yorker transported to the beautiful and cruel land of Athia. In search of a way home, Frey must use her newfound magical abilities to traverse sprawling landscapes and battle monstrous creatures.
The game pulls heavily from the fantasy genre but is an entirely new narrative set within the original kingdom of Athia, which appears to be the main driving force of the gameplay. From the trailers, it seems that much like the classic tales of the genre, the protagonist Frey is at the center of a mysterious prophecy that the player must unlock the secrets to.
Footage
For long time footage was pretty thin on the ground when it came to Forspoken. While early trailers indicated that there would be an exciting world to explore, it’s only recently that footage has been revealed concerning the extent of Frey’s magical abilities and the narrative itself.
Besides the leaked gameplay footage, which was at the earlier stages of the game’s development, all of the trailers and reveals are included throughout this article. What’s most notable is that the most recent releases from Square Enix have given a closer look at the antagonists, beasts, and monsters the player will be fighting against; many of which appear to be classically fantasy-based. The dragons are a good example of that.
Traveling Mechanics
One of the highlighted aspects of the title thus far is how Frey will travel through Athia. The mechanics that allow this world to become far more accessible for players appear to be a focal point of the enjoyment of the piece, in a way similar to the swinging in Marvel’s Spider-Man.
Whether players wish to fly, run, walk, jump or perhaps even scale impressive rock formations, there’s an indication here that Frey’s magic will come into play when traveling. There’s also an assumption that perhaps the monstrous fantasy creatures can act as transport methods down the line.
Magic System
The other area of interest that the developers are drawing attention to is the magic system. In fact, that will be the area of most progression for the character, with players choosing Frey’s magical style and customizing the fighter to match the abilities they want in gameplay.
Basic spells, such as offensive blasts, have been showcased in trailers already. But there is also a lot of elemental magic at play. Gamers will be able to control water, air, fire, and the earth in their quests, with Square Enix teasing a combat system with surprising depth. Players will have to use their combination of skills tactically to survive.
Open-World
While there are other games out there like Forspoken, based on what’s already been revealed, one of the elements that allow the title to stand out is the kingdom of Athia itself. The open-world format is so vital to the title that the game was named after the fictional land in its early development days.
The world outside of the protective castle at the center of Athia is a dangerous place. It looks to be only populated by monsters, but there will be secrets and narrative details for players to discover by exploring the kingdom further. While it’s largely been desert-based imagery so far, no doubt that the ability to magically travel great distances will help in that exploration.
Microtransactions
Microtransactions are an area of controversy for Square Enix, especially after the failures of the system brought into Marvel’s Avengers. While that has largely been fixed, it’s perhaps worrying for some that Forspoken will also be including a microtransaction marketplace.
Right now, there’s no concrete idea on how that will impact the game. Early indications suggest that it will be via the cosmetics of the characters that players can use their hard-earned cash, rather than anything story-based. This would follow a similar formula to the Avengers game.
Creative Team
The creative team behind Forspoken is a who’s who of talent. In fact, not only is that an exciting aspect of the title but it certainly elevates expectations of its release. Writers on the title include Todd Stashwick, Allison Rymer, Amy Hennig, Gary Whitta, Brent Friedman, Anne Toole, and K-Michel Parandi. Hennig of the Uncharted series is of course the standout of the group.
Bear McCreary and Garry Schyman will be composing the score, while Raio Mitsuno is producing. The title is also being directed by Takeshi Aramaki and Takefumi Terada of the Final Fantasy series. Ella Balinska from Charlie’s Angels will be voicing the main character, Frey.
Consoles
While Square Enix has published titles for all major platforms in the past, Forspoken is going to be far more exclusive than previous entries into their archives. While there will be a PC iteration of the game coming to Microsoft, the title will be released only on PlayStations.
Specifically, the PS5 will be the only console platform to play the game on. This has led to some speculation as to how the DualSense Controller could be utilized in gameplay, alongside the impact of the next-gen graphics and mechanics used within the Luminous Engine. Ray tracing and locational procedural generation to craft larger areas are part of that process.
Release Date
The official release date for Forspoken was May 24th, 2022. However, the developers opted to delay the title further. While that may be a worrying decision on the surface, it does indicate that more work was needed, or perhaps Luminous wanted to avoid the crunch period.
The current release date is now set for October 11th, 2022. Some rumors have suggested that this could be delayed once more though with the 16th entry into the Final Fantasy saga releasing in its place. While fans are eagerly anticipating the title, it does seem unfortunate that so many delays are taking place. Audiences are hoping for further clarification shortly.
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