Forspoken is a brand new IP game from Square Enix. The game is a single-player role-playing game in which players act as Frey. Frey is a young New Yorker who is transported to the fantasy world of Atia. In this brand new fantasy world, she learns to use magical powers to travel the world and find her way home. In this journey, players meet different characters who help them learn more about Freyr as a character and the history of the world of Atia.
Many players were excited about the idea of a new Square Enix series, and many hoped that it would become a major new game for the gaming company. However, when the embargo on reviews was lifted, many were surprised at how mixed the reviews of the game were. This happened because most reviewers were divided in their opinion about the game. Some reviewers gave a bad review of the game based on the plot, while others gave it a high rating because they found it interesting and fascinating. There were also some complaints about the Forspoken gameplay. With that said, let’s take a look at some of these reviews and see what made them give such a verdict to the game.
On Metacritic, Forspoken received 76 Metrica scores. The Metric is the average of the ratings given by various video game critics. Looking at the various statements of various critics who were given the opportunity to evaluate the game, many were delighted with the gameplay of Forspoken. They highly appreciated the combat system and its smoothness. They also praised the parkour system in the game. Since this is the first entry in the new series, many said that it would be an excellent basis for a strong series. On the other hand, many critics were very critical of the fact that the game did not immediately take off. There were many complaints that the story took too long to develop and only became interesting towards the end. Some were also critical of the magic system used by Frey, as it seemed only visually appealing, and its use seemed simply intended to deter players. Also, the open world seemed tedious to explore, considering how uncomfortable it can be to traverse. Despite all this, many agreed that, despite the shortcomings, it is still a very exciting game. However, it is now also unanimously recognized that the current price of $70 may be too much for what players get from the game.
Gamespot also gave a review on the game. For this game, Gamespot gave Forspoken 5 out of 10 points and rated it as a mediocre game. In the review, they praised his character’s movement, as did other reviewers. They stated that the movement was “frenetic and fun” and the navigation abilities given later in the game really helped improve the experience. In addition to this, the soundtrack in the game was also highly appreciated, as it helped to enhance the player’s immersion effect. However, despite these positive praises, Gamespot had a lot of negative reviews about the game. On the one hand, the story of Forspoken can be a little annoying, since dynamic actions suddenly stop for the presentation of the plot. This ruined the players’ experience when they were going through the game’s plot. Also, the story didn’t do anything for the characters around Frey as they weren’t properly fleshed out. Because of this, the player had no emotional attachment to minor characters, which made the story less impressive than it already was. In addition to this, there were complaints about the magic system. In the review, they felt that although the magic used was bright, ultimately it didn’t seem impressive, as the last enemies were just sponges for bullets, which also made the difficulty very artificial. Because of this, the fight was more like a routine than a challenge that the player has to overcome. Overall, Gamespot believes that even though this was the first entry in an entirely new intellectual property, a lot remains to be resolved if Square Enix tries to continue this series. Because of this, they felt that Forspoken is a difficult game that cannot be recommended to people, especially considering the price of $ 70.
IGN also reviewed the game and expressed the same opinion regarding Forspoken. In his review, IGN put Forspoken 6/10 and rated the game as not bad. As in previous reviews, they praised the movement and navigation in the game. They highly appreciated the parkour system and how it makes the game very fun and engaging. There were also praises of the bright magic that is present in Forspoken. However, as in previous reviews, IGN had many complaints about the plot and the open world of Forspoken. According to IGN, the story seemed very banal and uninteresting, since this is not the first time the game uses this setting. Because of this, they felt that the characters surrounding Frey didn’t matter much and that they were just an afterthought. In addition to the unimpressive plot, IGN felt that the open world of Forspoken was empty and uninteresting. They felt it was boring and exploring this world felt like a routine rather than something that was entertainment. In general, IGN’s verdict on the game is that, although the magic in the game is quite a visual spectacle, and the parkour system was interesting, the game is held back by its cliches, uninteresting plot and setting. Thus, they found that they were hardly motivated to continue playing and exploring the open world after the credits rolled.
Since many critics have a negative attitude to the plot of the game, a review on DigitalTrends suggests the opposite. Forspoken was also reviewed by DigitalTrends and they gave it 3.5 points out of 5. In their review, they listed the pros and cons of the game, which, in their opinion, were. Compared to other reviews, they are more positive about the open world of the game. According to DigitalTrends, they felt that the Athia world was attractive and worth exploring. They felt that Forspoken’s open world design was very useful. In addition, they thought that Frey played the main role perfectly. As the main character, they felt that Frey helped the story come together as the game progressed. DigitalTrends also praised the navigation and movement in the game, as in other reviews. They felt it added a lot to why the game was very enjoyable to play. With all that said, despite the fact that they had a lot of positive reviews about Forspoken, there were still some negative aspects in the game that they also pointed out. One of them will be the slow start of the game. They felt that Forspoken had a slow start to the game and it was like going through until the player got more skills. Another may be that the controls in the game seemed rather awkward and it may be difficult for inexperienced players to play. At the same time, they thought that Forspoken is a great game, but it takes time to fully enjoy it.
