by: Nabila Rhapsodios
PLOT
Frey & Cuff
Alfre "Frey" Holland, a young New Yorker, finds herself abruptly transported to the continent of Athia in the narrative Forspoken. Frey bestows on him the name Cuff out of comradery convenience when she unexpectedly carries a talking vambrace around her wrist. She learns that Athia once thrived under the rule of considerate matriarchs named Tantas. But that everything—plants, animals, and people—was corrupted by a dreadful Blight.
Cuff exhorts Frey to utilize her newfound magical abilities—which she has learned her new friend has bestowed upon her—to liberate Athia from the vicious regime of the Tantas and the Blight. Cuff thinks that after coming into contact with the Blight, the Tantas went insane and became wicked sorceresses. With no soluble way, Frey must explore and take in the unusual yet stunning surroundings different from New York, hoping they may lead her to a path to her home.
MY IMPRESSION
Forspoken. Forspoken! It was met with mixed reviews from critics.
Yeah, I've completed this most hated game of 2023 and launched in the first month of that year. This game was better than you all said. It had flaws, yes, but tolerable. Let me spread out the positives (+) and negativities (-) from Forspoken, which I have split into two parts.
(+)
1. Combat. The game's combat mixes fast-paced spellcasting and magic-imbued parkour. I took a long time to adjust to this combat setting because it was perplexing; it was so different from other action games I've played. However, once I got used to it and learned how it worked, it became a blast, and I managed to traverse Athia safely.
Magic Parkour
There was a lot to take in because Forspoken is designed as an open world, so collecting collectibles and extra quests was heavy. Still, I could make it palatable by mastering parkour and seeing how I could overcome specific challenges.
The combat is the top selling point of the game. I have no complaints here.
2. Music. The music in this game is a mix of classic Final Fantasy and hip-hop. Take the time to listen to Forspoken's music; I promise it slaps, and the music makes you dance. Bear McCreary does not miss when it comes to composing specific themes and, of course, the whole score.
The Tantas (left to right: Olas, Sila, and Prav)
3. Background Lore/Origin. The background lore setting that set up the story arc was bombastic. The fall of Athia and its four Tantas were well-presented. After finishing the game, I still have one or two remaining questions. The developers did tease a sequel hook in the game's last scene (and in DLC's ending), but sadly, it will remain forever unanswered since the studio maker has been dissolved.
Tanta Cinta
(-)
1. While I love the combat setting, I couldn't get past the horrible dialogue and felt the story very little. Dialogue and story are super meaningful to me, more so than combat. I always connect these two things in other games before this with myself, so my dismissive behavior to these for Forspoken is highly unusual.
Ella Balinska (Frey's VA, Likeness & Mocap)
I did not mind Frey and Cuff ceaselessly banter with dumb jests and cringy moments, but why did the writers make Frey so annoying? Her dialogues could have been more embarrassing. It almost instantly made me not even want to return to this game. Whoever was in charge of writing and creative direction owed an apology to Ella (Frey's VA).
Also, I felt terrible for voice actors and actresses who did mo-cap and voiced their respective characters while carrying the story with such effort; the poor writing highly affected their presentation to gamers.
Athia -Concept Art-
2. I think Forspoken needs some depth in the open-world zone. I've traversed Athia; all realms had been visited, and frankly, there was zero reason to explore; all the realms contained only treasure chests with crafting materials. I am not exaggerating.
Open worlds need more secrets, fun, and variety packed into one with many options for everyone. Forspoken has loads of potential for them, but the creators choose not to, which results in a super dull realm.
3. I would like to know if anyone feels the same way I do that the games' graphics look barely any different from PS4 games and, at times, look even worse. Wouldn't you agree with me?
The money was spent to buy this discounted game in a game store and bought because of the big name of the developer; I regret it a little even though the experience of playing it was a bit enjoyable. Forspoken promised much but ultimately failed to deliver. It was okay for an AAA game; it could have been better. Truly.
6 out of 10 is my honest review for this second (the first being Final Fantasy XV) and the last game from Luminous Productions. Since May 1st, 2023, Luminous Productions has merged into Square-Enix. What was the reason behind the merging? The reason behind the dissolvement was the Forspoken's poor reception and sales.
-The End-
*Disclaimer: Courtesy of Google Images. The material published on this website is intended solely for general information and reference purposes and is not legal advice or other professional advice.
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