Platforms
- PCJan 24, 20236.9playscore6.515 Critics7.14.10K Players
- PlayStation 5Jan 24, 20237.1playscore6.783 Critics7.84.07K Players
93 critic reviews · 4 community reviews across all platforms
Critic Reviews
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.
Leo Faria · Jul 09, 2023 Reviewed on PCRead full reviewFor all its ambition, Forspoken doesn't bring much new to the genre, and instead falls into various pitfalls common with open-world games. While the combat is serviceable and fun in spurts, the game's narrative, characters, and exploration all come up short. It's too bad it seems like Forspoken won't get a second chance, because I think there is some potential sitting dormant underneath all the imperfections, but it looks like Frey's journey will remain a missed opportunity.
Adam Vitale · May 29, 2023 Reviewed on PCRead full reviewThe gameplay mechanics are fairly in line with what one would expect of any other open-world RPG. There are different zones, farmable resources, a variety of enemy types of varying difficulty for you to grind XP and resources from, and of course, story missions for you to progress through.
Dan Lenois · Feb 15, 2023 Reviewed on PCRead full reviewIt’s a game that takes risks and dares to be different, and it’s utterly captivated me as a result. Risk-taking is impressive when an indie game does it, but it’s all the more so when you see it in a big budget AAA title.
Glen Fox · Feb 09, 2023 Reviewed on PCRead full reviewFrey makes a great protagonist, and we couldn’t help but be charmed by her punchy personality. But it’s her exhilarating parkour that really sets Forspoken apart. This open world adventure offers up the type of fun that’s hard to put down once you get started. We’re certainly keen to keep returning to Athia to mop up those remaining distractions.
Kim Snaith · Feb 08, 2023 Reviewed on PS5Read full reviewForspoken is a solid action RPG that sadly falls short due to some of its design. The world is just not that interesting to explore and the weird dialogue can detract from an otherwise interesting narrative.
Ken McKown · Feb 07, 2023 Reviewed on PS5Read full reviewForspoken is not a bad game but it’s definitely not worth the price tag that comes with it. The game offers a by-the-numbers action RPG experience with flashy magic spells, fun parkours skills, and an overall interesting story, albeit with a protagonist that swears more than a sailor. Sadly, the game feels unpolished, the gameplay is very monotone, and the very awkward pauses in dialogues will immediately break immersion.
Ibuki · Feb 04, 2023 Reviewed on PS5Read full reviewIn the end, though, it manages to enthrall and excite given the combat and parkour mechanics, especially once you’ve reached the post-campaign stage. The only problem is getting to that point, and all the hiccups and unnecessary fluff in between.
Jason Rodriguez · Feb 01, 2023 Reviewed on PCRead full reviewForspoken is packed with flaws — be they outright missteps or simply middling executions — but there are definitely qualities to this game that can deliver an entertaining and sometimes thrilling experience. I did ultimately enjoy my time with it, all told and considered. There’s interesting lore here, and at times the story approaches compelling, but it was held back so much by odd design choices, an often bland world, and uneven pacing in both the story and moment-to-moment dialogue.
JEFFREY DAVID BROOKS · Feb 01, 2023 Reviewed on PS5Read full reviewThose who stick out Forspoken until the end may derive enjoyment from how certain elements were tackled like I did, though, ultimately, it’s all too little too late. At the very least, exploring the open world and completing optional tasks after completing the story can be fun, albeit in brief doses, since there’s not much of interest within the environments.
Orpheus Joshua · Feb 01, 2023 Reviewed on PS5Read full review
Community Reviews
I was able to buy this game on a recent sale on my PS5. Finally got time to try this and oh boy! I did enjoy it honestly. I really don’t get the hate this game is getting without them having the thought of playing this. This actually got a lot of negative comments and bombarded with harsh reviews. But for me, they are wrong. Having to play and beat the game for roughly 25 hours, I can say that this game is not perfect. Yes it has flaws, it has some cringe moments and weird dialogue conversations. I get that. But this game also shines in some aspects if you’ll look deeply into it. I am reviewing this game from my POV as an adult gamer who actually has an ADHD that loves open world games. With that being said, the Traversing mechanic is wonderful! Doing Magic Parkour all over Athia is something I could enjoy for dozens of hours. Exploration is fun for me. It keeps me going to place to one another. Though I just don’t like the repetitive dialogues between Cuff and Frey during the open world. Frey, the protagonist is a complicated one. She is not the typical protagonist who sees the world as a fairy tale and wants to rank to the top. She is selfish, arrogant and full of air (at first) . But was able to redeem her character as she learned the truth. That alone is a good character progression for me. I don’t want to mention anything that spoils the story. Another thing I liked about this game is the gameplay, the skillsets. You will have different skillset from Tantas, each has unique features and abilities depending on your playthrough. It is really fun for me. This is something you can’t see often in an open world game. You have plenty of abilities to choose from and combine with other abilities as well. The controls on the other hand has its learning curve. It is a challenge having to press certain buttons to change skills to another. The graphics on PS5 is astonishing. The world of Athia is indeed a new world for me. I opted playing in performance mode which gives me a maximum framerate. Ray Tracing and Quality mode is quite good but has a lot of frame drops during certain battles. Even the performance mode has is frame drops as well. The optimization is not that great in this aspect. The story and lore of forspoken is quite interesting too. Just give yourself a few hours to overcome some cringe dialogue. In the middle portion upto the end game, everything has its own turns. A good plot and ending. This is not a perfect game but a good start for the developers to learn from the reviews. Forspoken has a lot of potentials. I was hoping fans stop the hate when games flop. I am a developer too myself so I know the feeling of having to spend most of time coding and trying to fix everything. I am glad I gave this game a chance. This will be part of my uniquely enjoyed games of all time.
Reviewed on PS5Graphics 3/10 Soundatrack 1/10 Characters 0.5/10 World building 3/10 Story 2/10 Combat 5/10 Bad game
Reviewed on PC
- Rated on PS5
- Rated on PC,PS5
About the game
Mysteriously transported from New York City, Frey Holland finds herself trapped in the breathtaking land of Athia. A magical, sentient bracelet is inexplicably wrapped around her arm, and Frey discovers the ability to cast powerful spells and use magic to traverse the sprawling landscapes of Athia. Frey nicknames her new golden companion “Cuff” and sets off to find a way home. Frey soon learns this beautiful land once flourished under the reign of benevolent matriarchs, called Tantas, until a devastating blight relentlessly corrupted everything it touched. The Break transformed animals into beasts, men into monsters, and rich landscapes into four dangerous realms. At the center of their shattered domains, the Tantas now rule as maddened and evil sorceresses.Unaffected by the Break and desperate for answers, Frey reluctantly agrees to help the last remaining citizens of Athia who see her as their only hope. Frey’s journey through this strange and treacherous land will take her deep into the heart of corruption where she must battle monstrous creatures, confront the powerful Tantas, and uncover secrets that awaken something much more from within.