Forspoken Deep Dives Continue in 2 new video releases

Forspoken devs continue to show off combat and exploration

Earlier this month, publisher Square Enix and developer Luminous Productions started releasing deep dive videos into their upcoming Playstation-exclusive Forspoken. Previously, I covered the first of these videos in an article about the game’s magic parkour traversal abilities. For the second and third videos, the developers detailed protagonist Frey’s magical combat techniques as well as a taste of what players will experience while exploring the world of Athia. All videos can be found on the official Playstation YouTube channel.

Frey will be wielding at least five different magic types in-game, each themed around a different color. Earth magic, colored purple, seems to be more medium and long-ranged based, offering ways to attack while putting space between her and her enemies. Red-based fire magic looks to be more melee-based attacks, though there appear to also be some projectile spells for it too. Finally, blue and green magic looks to tie into water and lightning elements respectively. The video details a variety of spells per magic type as well as a charged-up finishing move for each element for massive damage. Also, the developers showed off a preview of Cuff, Frey’s gauntlet assistant that performs several functions, including defending her, scanning environments, and cataloging enemies for analysis. Combat possibilities appear quite diverse in Forspoken, and we’re sure there is more to be revealed.

For the final deep dive video, players are shown parts of Athia and the activities within it. The video shows various landmark statues called monuments that look to increase a particular stat or give rewards. Various combat challenges exist both on the ground with large monsters and underground with difficult labyrinths. On her off time, Frey can play games at a local pub or interact with certain creatures. It also appears that the game will have its own built-in photo mode to use for tasks in-game. Forspoken seems to be offering the players quite a laundry list of side quests and tasks to perform.

As much as I am looking forward to this game, I have my concerns. Every video released shows a huge map, though there have been a lot of indications that points of interest are incredibly spread out. The game looks beautiful and open, but I can’t help but notice that it looks a lot like Final Fantasy XV. Finally, as diverse as the side quests look, I am worried that many will become fetch quests or surface-level tasks to check a box. In a way, I’m hoping we do not see much more in previews so that we as players can be surprised by what is to come. Until then, I’m going to remain cautiously optimistic that this game will give plenty to do without becoming too repetitive.

Forspoken releases on January 24th, 2023 for Playstation consoles and PC platforms. Make sure you check out their website for more information and screenshots. Also, tell us in the comments how you feel about Forspoken. Do you think this will be an early contender for one of the top 2023 titles? My interest in Forspoken is already…spoken for. That was an early Christmas gift for you, dear reader.