Forspoken: The Final Preview

ign.com:

Across my roughly three hours of time spent hands-on with Forspoken, I arrived in a fantastical new world, battled a dragon, and took part in a prison break. This all sounds like it should be very exciting, but in truth, so far Forspoken feels like a game getting in its own way. The latest action RPG from Square Enix definitely does display some potential thanks to a promising combat system that could become excitingly nuanced over time, but its opening sections sadly often feel uninspired.

I was able to play through chapters two, three, and five, which allowed me to gain a pretty good grasp of Forspoken’s rhythm. The open world of Athia is littered with things to do including side missions, dungeons, and battles aplenty, its variety of activities is not going to come as too much of a shock to those who have played a game in the genre. Encouragingly, some of those fights really can be a challenge, and I definitely encountered some fascinating foes that I was simply far too underleveled to take on despite my best efforts.

Regardless of my defeat at the hands of more daunting foes, combat is where Forspoken is at its most engaging. Its quick nature and the way it always keeps you on your toes as you juggle its many magical abilities harbours genuine tactical promise. There are over 100 spells to wield in Forspoken – many of which appear genuinely exciting in gameplay trailers – but you’re limited to an unexceptional select few in those first chapters. This can lead to early stretches feeling a bit one-note as you hold the trigger to fire chunks of rock at enemies while occasionally dodging an attack. That primary ‘fire’ can be toggled between Scatter, Burst, and Shield Shots, effectively acting as a magical assault rifle,