Forspoken is a rather mysterious game for me as I didn’t understand how it would play and feel based on the trailers. When I saw a playable demo at Paris Games Week Restart I took some time to check it out and was pleasantly surprised so far!
A little background
In Forspoken, you’ll take control over Frey, your typical New York girl who got teleported to the world of Athia. Here, she gains Cuff, a magical bracelet that’s supposed to protect her against the evils of the world. We already saw this story develop in multiple trailers and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a fun story to play but during my demo, I didn’t get a lot of time to explore Frey’s background. Instead, I could explore the open world and combat a bit more and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised.
Intense combat and fun exploration
Since I played the demo during Paris Games Week Restart, I didn’t got a lot of time to take a deeper dive into the gameplay mechanics but I did get the chance to check out the combat and exploration of the open world a bit. When in combat, the game focuses on Frey’s magic which is triggered by the triggers on your controller. One side activates the more long-ranged attacks while the other triggers are used for closer-ranged combat. For the sake of the demo, my character already got some pretty powerful attacks at her disposal which I could easily switch between and find the fighting style I liked the most. What I appreciate here is the fact that the game gives you the freedom to defeat enemies the way that fits your preferences the most. During my short time with the demo, the combat convinced me since it doesn’t only offer a lot of options, it also looks epic while using your magic spells. The engine of Forspoken is pretty impressive as the different elements realistically came to life while using spells.
Besides the combat, I also got to see a bit of the open world and the way you’ll travel through Athia. With just a push of a button, you’ll be able to use magical parkours skills which are as epic as they sound. You’ll travel the lands at high speed and easily get over the obstacles standing in your way. Just like combat, it feels very natural and I love the higher pacing of it all. I only saw a small bit of the open world but from what I’ve seen, it looks like the team really is creating something unique here.
Conclusion:
I’m glad I got to spend some time with Forspoken as it finally get a better understanding of what this game will be all about. The combat and parkours in combination with magic is pretty unique and works surprisingly well. I can’t wait to play some more!
