Square Enix takes another shot at expanding their roster of RPG titles with the release of Forspoken. Developed by the former in-house Square team of  Luminous Productions, the title follows Frey Holland,  a young woman from New York thrust into the world of magic and monsters. With the advice and encouragement given by a sentient arm bracelet, Frey tackles her magical abilities and new duties as a reluctant hero.

Forspoken is a 2023 action role-playing game developed by Luminous Productions and published by Square Enix. It is currently available on PC and exclusively for Playstation 5 on console.

Editor’s Note: Square Enix provided a Playstation 5 review copy to support this review. Near complete to complete spoilers may be present within this review.

Frey juggles her real-life hardships and fantasy heroism in Forspoken.

Initially unveiled as one of the more significant releases for the second year of the Playstation 5, Forspoken was announced as the first project under the then-development studio Luminous Productions. The game received much early praise for its art style and insane animations, making several hype lists. Though not quite to the level of expectations, Forspoken shows off an impressive display of current-gen console tech so early into its lifecycle. While we may never get a second go at it, Forspoken, as a product itself, misses the mark of reaching its full potential and, depending on the player, either slightly or significantly, does so.

Destroy monsters with might and magic in Forspoken.

THE GOOD: The story begins with Alfre “Frey” Holland, a troubled youth living in New York who has been in and out of the legal system, getting tried for one of her recent crimes. Though she receives a sentence of community service, she is later hunted by a gang after losing their boss’ car. The gang burns down her apartment complex, nearly killing her following her escape. Frey is transported to an alternate dimension to the world of Athia, where magic and terrifying creatures exist, though with some similarities to Earth, such as a language similar to English. After landing in Athia, Frey is bonded with a sentient arm bracelet which she nicknames Cuff, who guides her in using her magic powers and teaches her how Athia came to be as it currently is. Frey is captured by the guards of the Council in the city of Cipol and meets Auden, a kind woman, in search of her missing father, Robian.

Frey slowly bonds with the citizens of Cipol after it is attacked by one of the four Tantas, the rulers of the realms surrounding Cipol within Athia. Following the death of a little girl she befriended, Frey vows revenge on the first Tanta Sila, who uses fire magic. Frey defeats Sila and learns that the Tantas were once kind and intelligent women who served as protectors for all of Athia but suddenly went mad and crazy with power going to war with Athia afterward. As Frey defeats each Tanta, she gains their elemental powers of fire, water, and lightning in addition to her earth powers. Robian, who Frey found for Auden, was aiding in researching a miasma plaguing Athia known as the Break and later succumbs to it. Feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of heroism, Frey fights with Auden, who’s mourning the loss of her father, and decides to abandon Cipol.

Frey falls victim to the illusions of the third Tanta Olas and goes to battle her for revenge. She arrives at her castle only to find Olas already dead. Frey, confused, tries to understand what happened. When she acquires Olas’ magic, she’s betrayed by Cuff, who reveals himself as the demon Sussurus. Sussurus was summoned by the Rhedigg, a group of people who invaded Athia but were defeated and annihilated by the Tantas. The four Tantas sealed Sussurus into four bangles, with all but Cinta; Frey’s mother, being driven mad by his influence. Cinta was turned into a dragon through a curse after sending Frey to Earth’s dimension for her safety, but Cinta’s Sussurus bangle followed her.

As Sussurus attempts to kill Frey, his attack is blocked by Cinta, who protects her, having been pursuing Frey throughout the game and watching over her. They escape Sussurus, who begins his attack on Cipol, and Cinta reveals Frey’s backstory as the Tantas help her regain the magic Sussurus took from her. Cinta gives Frey a choice: return to New York or protect Athia from Sussurus. If the player chooses Athia, they’ll engage in a final battle with Sussurus and defeat him once Frey unlocks her full power as the fifth Tanta. If she chooses New York, she’ll pick up Homer (who she left with her judge) and contemplate her future.

Explore the open world of Athia in Forspoken.

Forspoken will be a polarizing game for those who want to experience all it offers. A lot of swearing hurts any real emotional connection aside, and I don’t think Frey will be the favorite antagonist of many because of this. But the story is enjoyable if you can get past the dialogue, which can sometimes be a bit much. Undoubtedly, Forspoken’s strongest suit is the gameplay. It gives you a lot to work with once your library of spells expands, you start to get the hang of combining spells for powerful attacks. Some achieving and codex further expands the story, world, and enemy types you’ll encounter. The crafting mechanic lets you create healing items and accessories, such as necklaces and pieces to add to Frey’s cloak for stat boosts outside the traditional level-up system.

Players also have the option of equipping Frey’s nails with stat boosts for her physical and magical attributes as well. Crafting materials are found throughout exploring the world of Athia. The greater open world also lends itself to treasure hunting and more powerful accessories through locked labyrinths and areas on the map taken over by enemies. There are also puzzle chests that let players obtain rarer crafting material upon completion. As you travel, you’ll unlock safe houses known as refugee houses where players can regain some lost health, acquire health items, and craft. There’s some slight difficulty curve closer to the end game, but it never feels too challenging to where you’ll ever struggle to beat a boss or a barrage of enemies.

Forspoken features an excellent combat system with awe-inspiring attack animations.

THE BAD: Forspoken has a solid foundation of a world to build on with a fun story. However, it’s hurt rather severally by its more “current year” script. It admittedly makes sense for Frey’s character as a present-day New Yorker and even a Western woman, but there are times when the use of language can be rather unbearable. It almost feels like there’s profanity behind every five to seven words, and it hurts the immersion of the narrative being built up. Even the random dialogue spread out as you explore the world and simple dialogue, such as her battle quips. Filtering this out is extremely rare compared to other chatty protagonists. On the technical side, there were some significant frame drops for the higher resolutions. I experienced a few graphical errors personally on the lower resolutions.

Forspoken’s strong world-building and narrative are hurt by its less-than-stellar dialogue.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Forspoken is a valiant effort that shows off the power of current consoles like the Playstation 5. While the story and world-building are an excellent start, it’s held back by its choice of dialogue that has too much profanity making the story and its lead a bit rough to connect with. Unfortunately, with the closure and absorption of its home development, a sequel isn’t likely. It sucks cause even with room for improvement, there’s enough to like and expand on with Forspoken to make a decent future.