Forspoken's Open World Sounds Lonely

gamerant.com:

It’s fair to say that, so far, Forspoken’s marketing and release plans have been a little turbulent. Since the game’s debut in 2020 as Project Athia, Luminous Productions and Square Enix’s high-fantasy action game has been hit by several setbacks. Provided that the majority of these are now behind the game though, it should launch on PC and PS5 next January.

Although Forspoken’s most recent release day has pushed it slightly out of view, that hasn’t stopped the game from making headlines over the last few months. Perhaps in an attempt to make sure it doesn’t get lost among games like God of War Ragnarok, Square Enix has kept rolling out media, blog posts, and interviews, all themed around Luminous Productions’ project. It’s because of this that a picture is starting to form in regard to its open world, which for several reasons, appears to be a lonely setting.

Hogwarts Legacy May Have a Competitor in Forspoken

Whenever Luminous Productions and Square Enix discuss Forspoken, both parties have been willing to talk in-depth about their ideas. It’s because of this philosophy that players have a decent understanding of what the world of Athia will look and feel like.

One video released during Gamescom looked extensively at Forspoken’s gameplay and open world. During the 10-minute trailer, it was revealed that Frey will only encounter NPCs in Athia’s sole remaining city. Having been ravaged by a mysterious corruption, the city of Cipal is said to be the only safe haven for the realm's refugees. Beyond its walls lie the «wilds,» a corrupted land filled predominantly with ruins, monsters, and corruption zones.

While there are obvious narrative justifications as to why Athia is going to be populated like this, it’s easy to also