It’s the home stretch for Forspoken, which may not be spending the holidays under the tree, but will be part of the AAAs to land at the end of January. Announced under the name Project Athia in June 2020, the game also had the ambition to prove to us all the talent and know-how of Luminous Productions studios, a subsidiary of Square Enix, already responsible for Final Fantasy XV. If the first teaser two years ago hinted at a visually impressive game, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then. We remember in particular that the first previews in December 2021 had given way to big doubts, especially in terms of open world and gameplay. After several months of postponement, Square Enix returns with a new copy, readjusted, but unfortunately not in a good mood either. We explain to you.
There are several reasons for the rejection that players have for Forspoken, which was also playable at the last Paris Games Week and whose user feedback was not very enthusiastic either. Before discussing the gameplay and the clumsy use of the open world, we especially realize that the main problem of the game comes from its history, but also from its characters. Frey Holland and his somewhat offhand air, which all too often turns into comedy, do not appeal. No doubt Luminous Productions was inspired by Spider-Man in the tone used, but Peter Parker has at least the advantage of being a character rooted in pop culture for 60 years. A rebellious young New Yorker in her twenties, Frey Holland finds herself catapulted into the world of Athia, prey to a dark force: the Mist. And no need to draw you a picture, it is Frey who is therefore the chosen one, the only one capable of delivering this world from a disastrous feast. Since our young woman doesn’t really know how she landed in this universe full of fantasy and magic, she will get the help of Krav, a bracelet endowed with conscience, a little too talkative moreover, and whose behavior – but also the tone of voice, at least in original version – very reminiscent of Jarvis from Iron Man. Marvel and the MCU have greatly inspired Square Enix and this Forspoken, whose characters struggle to be endearing. With her skinny jeans, her checked shirt, her worn sneakers and her matted hair, Frey contrasts radically with the world of Athia in which she was propelled. A voluntary choice on the part of the developers, who unfortunately fail to impose this quirky style (it’s bad Isekai) and who even swear when conversations with Krav (the bracelet) start, leaving room for awkward exchanges, sometimes bordering on embarrassment. The osmosis between the two characters does not take, and the punchlines often fall flat. In more than 3 hours of play, the forced complicity of the two protagonists has literally sabotaged our immersion, which leaves us fearing the worst for the rest of the adventure.
IT SPOKE STRONGLY
But it’s not only in its universe and its characters that Forspoken disappoints, in terms of visual rendering, it’s not the announced slap either. To begin with, we are quite far from the first images revealed during the teaser in June 2020, which hinted at a game with next gen graphics. The reality is quite different, and Forspoken even does less well than some games released on the previous gen, also in open world. And it’s not just in its lackluster, generic, often empty and unstructured open world, but also in its character modeling. The latter lack obvious charisma, the expressions are not very convincing either and above all, you never manage to get attached to anyone. Suffice to say that in the sequences where the emotions must be palpable, we don’t give a damn about the fate reserved for the characters. It’s a shame because there is a desire to set up a narrative, with worked sequences to immerse us in this unknown world. The real concern is that this association of a current world with that of a fantasy universe never works. We could then set our sights on the gameplay, based on Parkour and fights that are supposed to be dynamic, but here too, Forspoken is still struggling to convince…
But it’s not only in its universe and its characters that Forspoken disappoints, in terms of visual rendering, it’s not the announced slap either. To begin with, we are quite far from the first images revealed during the teaser in June 2020, which hinted at a game with next gen graphics. The reality is quite different…
Popularized at the end of the 90s, beginning of 2000 in the cinema with the Yamakasi, Parkour has also spread in video games, with in particular the Assassin’s Creed license which has made it its great specialty. If the Ubisoft saga has abandoned these urban ninja movements for a more dark Soulian approach in the last episodes, it is because Parkour has become a somewhat has-been phenomenon. Visibly unaware of this state of affairs, the developers of Luminous Productions embraced the project 2000% to make Frey the new face of a movement that marked its time. Moreover, for our heroine who arrives from her native New York without the slightest notion of somersaults and other pirouettes, seeing her become a specialist in the art of movement in two express lessons also highlights the storytelling concerns of the game. We won’t blame the developers, who are forced to develop her character as quickly as possible, so that she can become interesting fairly quickly. Because we are not going to hide it from you, the discovery of Parkour in the game is quite tedious, and unlocking each of the skills before being able to move correctly in the open world is a real tan. You have to learn to run, jump, climb walls, “weave your web” to move around properly and start having fun. A sluggish apprenticeship which is accompanied by all the clichés that have been found in the classic open worlds for more than 15 years. Forspoken does not innovate in any way, and is even content to resume a formula worn to the marrow, which swears quite a bit after the passage of Elden Ring.
SPIDER WOMAN
Where the Square Enix title is more interesting is in the use of magic spells and the combination of the three powers: Attack, Support and Surge, which are in a way short, medium and long range strikes respectively. . It’s the combination of the three that makes the fights quite dynamic, offering plenty of gameplay possibilities. Between the invocation of protective shields (capable of releasing shards afterwards), the possibility of slowing down time (to give the player time to choose another skill in the skill wheel) or even invoking the environment as support. Clearly, in its confrontations, Forspoken wants to impress, perhaps even a little too much, with visual effects in all directions which tend to flood the screen and at the same time make the fights a little messy. We have seen worse, however, with the Bayonetta series, but at least the PlatinumGames game had the good taste not to display the health points of each enemy. Another questionable choice from Luminous Productions.