Forspoken

***Forspoken*** is an open world action RPG developed by Luminous Productions and published by Square Enix. It was released worldwide on January 24, 2023 for the PlayStation 5 and PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, and Windows Store). It was directed by Takeshi Aramaki and Takefumi Terada with Gary Whitta providing world and lore concept, Amy Hennig providing the story concept, Allison Rymer and Todd Stashwick serving as script writers.

## Gameplay

*Forspoken* is an open world, action role-playing game in which players take control of protagonist Frey Holland, a stranded girl who can perform a variety of actions related to both field exploration and combat.

### Battle System

#### Magic

Up to 100 spells are available in the game. Players can invest in different types of spell (earth, fire, etc.), and can switch between them at a moment's notice.

### Difficulty modes

*Forspoken* has three difficulties:

* **Focus on the Story**: Recommend for players who just want to enjoy watching the game's narrative unfold.
* **Explore the Open World**: Recommended for players who want to visit every corner of the game world.
* **Take Part in Challengin Battles**: Recommended for players who are used to playing action games.

The setting the player choose won't affect how the story unfolds and the player is able to change the difficulty at any time they like (except during events/battles) via the SETTING menu.

## Story

### Synopsis

The protagonist, Frey Holland is a directionless, gritty yet street smart young woman who has persevered despite her rough upbringing in New York City. And her life hasn’t really gotten any easier now that she’s about to turn 21. Things take a turn for the unexpected when she’s magically transported to Athia, a land where fantasies and nightmares are suddenly very real. Playing as Frey, you’ll need to harness newly discovered magical abilities to battle the terrifying monsters that inhabit the land. To have a chance of returning home, she’ll also have to contend with the Tantas — destructive and twisted all-powerful matriarchs who have dominion over Athia.

## Music

The soundtrack of *Forspoken* is primarily composed by Bear McCreary, known for his composition on 2018's *God of War*, and Garry Schyman, known for his contributions to the *BioShock* series.

## Development

Earlier in development, it was known under the title *Project Athia*. The title is being developed to take advantage of the graphical capabilities of the PlayStation 5.

The game's writing team includes Gary Whitta (who also serves as story team lead), Allison Rymer, Amy Hennig, and Todd Stashwick. Bear McCreary and Garry Schyman are composing music for the game.

Whitta was first approached by Square Enix back in 2017 about potentially working on Luminous Production's newest title and was given a largely blanks canvas to create the fantasy world and story *Forspoken*, with their full support and cooperation. With some initial visuals to work with, Whitta was tasked with taking Square Enix and Luminous Productions' initial points of inspiration and shaping them into a story and fantasy world that would later become the building blocks for Frey's adventure.With the scale and ambition of the project other writers were brought on board to help with the creative process of shaping the story and setting of Forspoken. With writers joining at different times throughout the development process, Whitta didn't work directly with Hennig or Stashwick who picked up the "story baton" after his work was completed to develop the story from there. Whitta worked with Rymer, who he said was "an incredible asset" in the writer's room. Allison Rymer worked as the main connective tissue between the initial story-breaking and world-building that they developed in 2018 and the more fully realized story that has developed since then.

The game was originally revealed under the working name of "*Project Athia*" during Sony's *State of Play* livestream presentation of June 2020. During the presentation a teaser showed sneak peek about the game world and gameplay.

The game was showcased during Square Enix's *Square Enix Presents* livestream presentation of March 2021, now under the official name of *Forspoken*. In the presentation it was revealed Ella Balinska would as the voice actress of protagonist Frey Holland as well as a small scene featuring Frey in the presence of a dragon creature.

Forspoken made an appearance during Sony's *Playstation Showcase 2021* livestream with a new trailer showing more details about the story and snips of gameplay and revealing the game's release window of spring 2022.

Forspoken last public appearance in 2021 was during the *The Game Awards* with a new trailer showing more aspects of the story like the Break, Tanta Prav and Monsters, the trailer concluded revealing the game's release date of May 24, 2022.

On March 7, 2022, the development team announced that the game will delayed from its original release date to October 11, 2022.

Forspoken made an appearance during Sony's *State of Play* livestream presentation of March 2022, the trailer called "Worlds Collide" showed more footage of the monsters of Athia as well as the combat of the game.

On July 6, 2022, the development team announced that the game will be delyed to January 24, 2023 and calling the move a “strategic decision” that will give them more time to polish the game.

During Gamescom 2022 producer Raio Mitsuno presented a new video showcasing more gameplay details about the game.

The game was showcased during the Tokyo Game Show event with a new trailer and a playable demo, focused on combat and traversal of the open world, that attendees could play.

From late October Square Enix and Luminous Productions kicked off the release of a three-part video series, offering players a deeper look into the gameplay mechanics of the game. The first video in the series focuses on protagonist Frey Holland’s magic-enhanced parkour and traversal skills, as well as the variety of spells at her disposal, the second video focused on Magic combat and the final video focused on the overall exploration of the open world of the game.

On December 9th Square Enix revealed new gameplay content showcasing Frey’s high-intensity battle with Tanta Sila, an encounter with a very powerful Breakbeast, and an ominous introduction to a never-before-seen character, Tanta Olas.

The game released worldwide on PlayStation 5 and PC on January 24, 2023.

## Release

*Forspoken* was originally slated for release on May 24, 2022, later delayed to October 11 and subsequently delayed further to January 24, 2023.

For $69.99 players can purchase the "standard edition" of *Forspoken* on retail and digital stores.

For $94.99 players can purchase the "Digital Deluxe Edition" of *Forspoken* on digital stores, which includes a rare resource kit (Playstation 5 only), a mini artbook, mini soundtrack and early access to the *Forspoken: In Tanta We Trust* DLC.

### Playstation 5

On Playstation 5 *Forspoken* features three graphic/resolution options as well as support for 120Hz output displays:

* **Performance Mode**: targets 1440p resolution at 60FPS. This mode targets 60FPS when enabling 120Hz ouput.
* **Graphics Mode**: targets 4K resolution at 30FPS. This mode targets 40FPS when enabling 120Hz ouput.
* **Ray Tracing Mode**: Features ray tracing. This mode targets 40FPS when enabling 120Hz ouput.

The game will integrate dualsense features that will take advantage of the controller adaptive triggers and haptic feedback. The triggers will provide different tactile feedback depending on what type of spell is used.

**Limited Edition**

The Limited Edition is a japanese exclusive release of *Forspoken*. This release includes the following content:

* Main game.
* *Forspoken Original Soundtrack Expanded Edition*.
	+ Original soundtrack with special disc only for Limited Edition
* *The Art of Forspoken*.
	+ A4 size luxury binding art book full of setting materials and various art materials.
* *Forspoken Orignal T-Shirt*.
	+ Original T-shirt designed for Limited Edition (one size fits all: length 74 cm, width 55 cm, sleeve length 22 cm).
* Early access to the story DLC *Forspoken: In Tanta We Trust*.
* Rare material kit (DLC),

### PC

On PC *Forspoken* will support AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution 1.0 and Microsoft's DirectStorage technology at launch.

**System Requirements**

**PC features**

 Sound
 Imput Device
 Graphic options
 Storage

The final release has DRM Denuvo.

### Downloadable Content

Main article: Downloadable Content
Players that pre-ordered the game received unique gears and items, the content would differ depending on the platform:

* No Limits Cloak, Symbol Combo Necklace, Trigger Happy Nails and Crafting Starter Kit (PS5).
* Elite Cloak, Spectra Combo Necklace and Overclock Nails (PC).

Players can download a free playable demo to try out the gameplay and open world exploration taking place in the Avoalet region.

On spring of 2023 the game will release its prequel story DLC titled *Forspoken: In Tanta We Trust*.

## Reception

### Critical reception

Forspoken received "fair" reviews, an aggregated score of 67/100 and 28% critics recommendation, according to review aggregator Opencritic.

### Comercial performance

In Japan the PS5 version sold 29,055 units on its launch week. In the United Kingdom's Boxed Charts *Forspoken* debuted at forth place overall at launch. On France the game topped the physical sales charts on launch week.

In February 2023, during a financial results briefing, Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda said sales of the game had been “lacklustre” following “challenging” reviews.

## Videos

Project Athia – Teaser Trailer - PS5Forspoken – Official Title Announcement - PS5Forspoken - PlayStation Showcase 2021 Trailer - PS5Forspoken - The Game Awards 2021 TrailerForspoken – State of Play March 2022 "Worlds Collide" Gameplay Trailer - PS5Forspoken - 10-Minute Gameplay Trailer『FORSPOKEN』｜TGS2022トレーラーForspoken - Deep Dive- Magic Parkour - PS5 GamesForspoken - Deep Dive- Magic Combat - PS5 GamesForspoken - Deep Dive- Exploring Athia - PS5 GamesForspoken - Demo Announce Trailer - PS5 GamesForspoken – December 2022 Gameplay Showcase - PS5 GamesForspoken - Cinematic TrailerForspoken - PC Features HighlightForspoken - Launch Trailer

## External Links

* Official website
* Twitter page (EN)
* Twitter page (JP)
* Instagram page

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Square Enix delays Forspoken to 2023
2. ↑ Cuffing Season In Athia
3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 Journey with Frey to Forspoken’s fantastical world next spring.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Square Enix’s Project Athia has a 2022 release date and a final name: Forspoken.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Forspoken writer Gary Whitta on building its "lustrous new fantasy world".
6. ↑ PS5 - THE FUTURE OF GAMING SHOW.
7. ↑ SQUARE ENIX AND LUMINOUS PRODUCTIONS UNVEIL ‘FORSPOKEN’.
8. ↑ Forspoken launches in spring 2022, story trailer.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Square Enix and Luminous Production's Forspoken confirmed for release on May 24, 2022.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Announcement of delay on Forspoken social media.
11. ↑ Forspoken – State of Play March 2022 "Worlds Collide" Gameplay Trailer | PS5.
12. ↑ Forspoken - 10-Minute Gameplay Trailer | PS5 Games.
13. ↑ [https://press.na.square-enix.com/UNCOVER-THE-MAGIC-OF-FORSPOKEN-WITH-NEW-DEEP-DIVE-VIDEO-SERIES UNCOVER THE MAGIC OF FORSPOKEN WITH
NEW DEEP DIVE VIDEO SERIES].
14. ↑ New Forspoken characters, areas, PS5 bonuses, and more revealed.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Square Enix details Forspoken PS5 graphics modes and DualSense features.
16. ↑ The Forspoken demo: six graphics modes to choose from but what do they do?
17. ↑ New Forspoken Tech Video shows off AMD FSR & DirectStorage.
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Forspoken on Opencritic.
19. ↑ RPG Fan review of the game.
20. ↑ Easy Allies review of the game.
21. ↑ Game Informer review of the game.
22. ↑ Destructoid review of the game.
23. ↑ Digital Trends review of the game.
24. ↑ IGN review of the game.
25. ↑ Shacknews review of the game.
26. ↑ GameSpot review of the game.
27. ↑ GamesRadar+ review of the game.
28. ↑ Hardcore Gamer review of the game.
29. ↑ Famitsu Sales: 1/23/23 – 1/29/23
30. ↑ Dead Space is No.1, but launch sales lower than The Callisto Protocol | UK Boxed Charts.
31. ↑ Jeux vidéo on Twitter
32. ↑ Square Enix says Forspoken’s launch sales were ‘lacklustre’.
33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Forspoken is the final title of Project Athia, the new RPG from the Final Fantasy XV team.
34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Square Enix announces TGS 2021 Online lineup, schedule.
35. ↑ Umeka Shōji on *Twitter*.
36. ↑ More details on the newly revealed Tanta Prav, who Frey will confront on PS5 May 24, 2022..
37. ↑ Announcement on Twitter.