Forspoken, the ambitious action RPG from Square Enix, aims to dazzle with magical combat and high-speed traversal through a fantasy world brimming with potential. Yet beneath its glittering surface lies a game struggling with shallow world-building, repetitive mission structure, and a narrative that never quite earns its emotional beats.
High-Octane Magic Combat That Doesn’t Fully Ignite
At its core, Forspoken offers a combat system that is both fast-paced and visually impressive. Players take on the role of Frey Holland, a modern-day New Yorker mysteriously transported to the mystical land of Athia. Armed with elemental magic, Frey quickly becomes a force of destruction against the corrupted forces threatening the realm.
Combat relies heavily on switching between different elemental spell types—each functioning like a unique weapon class with its own projectiles, support spells, and tactical advantages. While this provides an exciting layer of strategy in enemy encounters, especially when facing elemental resistances or larger boss-like creatures, the combat rarely evolves beyond its early offerings. There’s fun to be had in chaining spells and dodging attacks with flashy animations, but players looking for deep systems or complex skill trees may be left wanting.
Magic Parkour: Style Over Substance
One of Forspoken’s most heavily marketed features is its “magic parkour” system, allowing players to dash, leap, and scale the environment with fluid grace. Traversing the map feels smooth and empowering—at least at first. The system allows for a fast pace and impressive visuals as you glide over Athia’s rocky terrain, especially after unlocking advanced movement abilities.
However, this traversal mechanic never develops into anything truly skill-based. There are no meaningful platforming puzzles, and exploration rarely feels rewarding. The parkour, while satisfying to watch, ultimately becomes just another method of moving from one bland objective to the next.
An Open World That Feels Empty
Athia is expansive, yet largely unremarkable. Despite its size, the world lacks compelling landmarks, environmental storytelling, or varied biomes. Most regions are defined by repetitive ruins, lifeless terrain, and the same copy-paste side activities. Completing these optional tasks—ranging from defeating enemies to collecting resources—adds little value and often feels like busywork.
What’s most disappointing is how little incentive there is to go off the main path. With minimal narrative threads tied to exploration and underwhelming rewards, the game’s vast open world feels more like a checklist than an adventure.
Weak Narrative and Unlikable Characters
Frey’s journey is a classic “reluctant hero” tale, but the story never delivers the emotional depth or character growth such a premise demands. Much of the plot is told through exposition dumps rather than immersive storytelling. The dynamic between Frey and her magical talking cuff—meant to be witty and endearing—often comes off as forced or even grating.
Relationships with other characters are underdeveloped, and major plot turns happen abruptly, leaving players feeling disconnected from the narrative stakes. While the voice acting is competent, awkward pacing in cutscenes and weak dialogue diminish the overall impact.
Customization Lacks Depth
Players can equip cloaks, necklaces, and nail designs that provide stat boosts or magic enhancements. While the customization options allow for some personalization, the changes are largely numerical and lack significant gameplay impact. The upgrade system is simple and accessible, but doesn’t offer much experimentation or build diversity.
Final Thoughts
Forspoken shines brightest when you’re in motion—flinging spells, dodging enemies, and soaring across cliffs. But beyond its fluid combat and polished visuals lies a game that feels hollow. The world is vast but shallow, the narrative is formulaic, and the side content quickly becomes a chore.
For those who enjoy stylish combat and don’t mind a forgettable story, Forspoken can offer a few hours of entertainment. But if you’re seeking a rich open-world experience filled with meaningful content and character-driven storytelling, this journey through Athia may leave you cold.