Forspoken was one of those games that piqued my interest pre-launch only to have it diluted by post-launch reviews.
I am glad I still had a little mana left in the reserves to click that purchase button.
I am not a huge fan of development companies bringing in third-party video game consultant organizations, especially when there is no glaring need for one, as in Forspoken's case. I honestly feel there was no need for external guidance on Frey's portrayal as one of the first black female protagonists in a fantasy genre of this magnitude.
Frey Holland is from New York City, is being pursued by a gang to whom she owes favors, is looking to make ends meet, has been in and out of jail, and was abandoned at birth by her parents. I get it. If I were 21 years old and had been through all that, I, too, would probably have an arrogant personality. At least it's semi-justified.
You can look at Forspoken as a modern-day Alice in Wonderland. Although this far-fetched new world is much more deadly.
After returning to her place of abandonment she finds Cuff, or Vambrace which he likes to be called; and ends up in Athia.
Athia is a sprawling fantastic land of fantasy with a rich deep lore.
Athia is divided into four zones or territories each ruled by an individual Tanta. Each region contains its own unique fauna, flora, enemies, and resources and coincides with the 4 different types of magic you will be wielding. That being Purple Magic (Earth-based), Red Magic (Fire-based), Blue Magic (Water-based) and Green Magic (Light/Electric-based).
There is a whopping 105 spells for you to unlock and utilize. Those 105 spells are divided into the 4 main types of magic as stated above. Those 4 types of magic are then further divided into several categories. Attack Magic, Support Magic, Surge Magic, and Utility Magic.
You are free to mix and match any spell one after the other anytime when cooldowns permit. I did however find myself just spamming spells from all types of magic like a MMORPG boss fight until they came off cooldown.
I played on the highest difficulty and let me tell you, this game is a cakewalk. Boss fights were trivial, to say the least.
Forspoken has deep-deep lore and the land of Athia has a rich history. A great selling point. The story was actually quality. Something I didn't expect.
Traversal was superb seeing you are given multiple movement spells to traverse the land of Athia. Magically Parkouring was a blast! If you're looking to 100%, you will find yourself grinding a lot. And this will become mundane as the world of Athia is vastly uninhabited due to story reasons.
You're going to want a beefy rig to play Forspoken maxed out and consistent 60+ frames. And I mean beefy. I can only talk about 1440p maxed out. My old RTX 3080 Gaming OC and Ryzen 5950X weren't even doing the trick.
However, I did enjoy my time in Athia. The 105 spells were a no-brainer and the combat was fun. The story was great and the lore of Athia; enthralling. Traversal and exploration are very fun.
Third-party consultants were not needed and Frey could have been a little more humble and a lot less arrogant.

Not at full price. Get it on a steep sale if you can.

Conceptually, this game is great. The word, the story, the magic, the characters, Cuff! All things that are begging for praise to be sung about them. The problem is this game was rushed, and it shows from the very first moments of play. I think this game could have been a real gem with just a bit more time in development.

The script, at times, also leaves a lot to be desired. I absolutely love Frey and Cuff, and if they were given just a bit more time on writing, they would have really benn able to shine through some of the rougher sides of this game. Voice acting is on point, and the humorous dialog can be enjoyable, but it all feels a little disjointed.

I'll continue to play through the whole game, but I don't think I'll be shaking the feeling of what could have been. Because of the lack luster response this game got, I doubt Square will be putting out a second one, but if they did, and if it actually gets the development focus it deserves, they could really save this. Doubt we'll get that lucky.

PARKOUR!