Forspoken Reviews
A flawed journey that starts out slow but progressively gets better culminating in a touching and exciting conclusion.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
To say that Forspoken is a disappointment may seem harsh, but it's also not something that's far from the truth. It's not that Luminous Productions made a bad game, they just put out one that isn't particularly good either. It will be a run-of-the-mill release that will earn some fans for its strengths, but will fail to transcend.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Forspoken is a unique game, with a very distinct gameplay, setting and story that compose a very fun and interesting experience. It suffers with its short duration, problemactic camera, lack of variety in side missions and it needs a few adjustments to its gameplay, but its one of the most beautiful games on the PS5 so far and a title that deserves everyone's attention.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
It might not seem like it right now, but Forspoken had some very good ideas, and I ended up still having some fun with it. It feels like it needed a little more time to figure out its real identity instead of its disjointed little-of-this, little-of-that experience. I think it's true form, which it hinted at, is as a young-adult, Bayonetta-adjacent ass-kicker, that needs to pick a tone and lean into it. If that's what it had been, we'd be onto something.
Forspoken is a good game but it doesn't live up to expectations; side content is mediocre, the world is uninspiring, the storytelling is not strong enough. However, the combat is the bright spot as it is refreshing and inventive, so for people who do prefer this aspect over everything else, Forspoken deserves a chance.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
It is apparent that Forspoken has potential. There are highs and lows but it seems like the latter is more obvious. Unfortunately, despite the fact that a demo was released in December to solicit feedback from players, the game has not improved. Despite the ample amount of delay, the game has failed to deliver the quality that we expect from a large publisher like Square Enix. Yes, it is playable, but if you can ignore the flaws and focus solely on the unique blend of story and great traverse mechanic, it will make your time in Athia worthwhile.
Once hailed as a symbol of Sony's external partnerships, Forspoken has buckled under the weight of expectations, transforming from an unintended herald of technique to a rather standard exclusive. Frey's adventure is unlikely to be remembered for its emotional impact, above-average performance, or game design, as Luminous Production's title is as conventional and predictable as can be. Based mainly on its well-crafted combat system, the game features an uneven progression, set in an exciting and rich world but terribly monotonous in its variety. A pleasant game to play, but terribly harmless, and given the many upcoming productions in 2023, it's unlikely to be remembered at the year's end.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Forspoken delivers a fun open world with dynamic combat and an engaging narrative you should seriously consider.
Forspoken divides players. Some are disappointed others see the big plus. The game takes a lot of time to get going, but you can almost finish this game under 15 hours. But you can easily put in four times as many as you want. I see this as a plus. The player decides how much time he wants to put into it. You haven't combed every corner and taken on every side mission, but you've had a great journey. The game shows at various times what a PS5 title should look like. The highlights feel very cool and the game manages to successfully combine many elements.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Forspoken is a good open world action adventure game overall. While I would have loved if the team at Luminous had nailed every aspect of the game, it seems this time around at least it fell a little short when it comes to the main story, character writing and some design decisions. It does take place in a world I would love to see more from if the series is given the chance as there are seeds of greatness here.
Despite the sheer amount of words that have been written about the game, the reality is that it's just a forgettable, mediocre game. It does plenty of things very poorly, but it also does one or two things well enough that you can't say it's completely and irredeemably awful. There's no real reason to seek the game out, and there's no reason (apart, maybe, from that stupid talking bracelet) to avoid it at all costs: Forspoken is just kind of there.
"Forspoken" probably deserves more credit than it's gotten up to this point. It just falls short of reaching the heights that we all expected it to achieve.
Forspoken is an average RPG that fails to stand out in a crowded genre and the sort of game you’ve probably seen before – from its stereotypical fish-out-of-water fantasy story to its giant open-world map full of optional repetitive tasks.
The excellent parkour mechanics, decent combat, and the option to actually limit the amount of quips coming out from Frey’s mouth (a character way more likable than I was expecting, mind you) more than made up for the actual quality of the quips and the incredibly bland open world and sidequests. Forspoken was fine enough. The quintessential “decent and worth getting at half-price” game.
The overarching theme with Forspoken seems to be one of under deliverance. On paper, the game should be a roaring success. From its unique premise and mix of combat and traversal, through to its narrative, there are solid ideas scattered throughout. Alas, much of this potential is left to the wayside. The main protagonist is especially unlikeable and forgettable, yet her story is one which, on paper, absolutely needs to be experienced. The world is empty and bland, yet on paper it might be one of the most intriguing settings in an open world title since The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Combat and exploration also leave a lot to be desired in the long run, yet they sounds so good to any outsider who reads the brochure… and herein lies the issue. Forspoken is a surface-level star, but when digging deeper, evidence suggests it will become nothing more than an unspoken disappointment.
Frey's story and journey wobbles in places, but it’s redeemed in the game’s epic closing arcs, which reveal Frey’s true nature. Rough and ready, just like Frey, Forspoken is a tale worth stomping through one high-stakes, magic-infused battle at a time.
Forspoken has plenty of faults (most of them justified), but I'll be honest, the basic story is effective, the gameplay is flashy and addictive and the visuals are outstanding for the most part. Unfortunately it also fails to live up to its true potential which is constantly derailed by questionable writing and dialogue, lifeless environments and a protagonist that I tried my hardest to like, but just couldn't.
Forspoken is both ambitious, yet incredibly flawed. It pairs hammy dialogue and some poor pacing with a world I want to explore. Forspoken is a game tied between two worlds - losing out by never quite understanding either.
All in all, I found Forspoken to be a very well-designed game. A great many things are lacking with Forspoken, but they threw everything they could think of, including the kitchen sink, into this game, hoping something stuck. I wish Luminous Productions had taken a step back and eliminated some extra mechanics. They could have added them in a second installment once the first game was established. Honestly, I believe most of my love for Forspoken was brought on by the ability to have choices in my play style rather than the game deciding that for me. Forspoken is a game that showed me games could be fun and exciting even if there is not an engaging story to be told.
Square Enix continues to bet on interesting projects that are undermined by bad marketing campaigns or lack of communication with their audience.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review