Forspoken is yet another game that I wanted to like more than I did, since I usually have a knack for loving games that draw the ire of chronically online gamers. I was one of the 5 people who truly enjoyed Saints Row 2022 in fact!
Overall, after spending close to 20 hours with it, I think the reviews Forspoken has received from both critics and the larger gaming public are largely true, if somewhat hyperbole (as usual).
Yes, the dialogue has its rough patches, but outside of the handful of scenes that have made the rounds online, it's largely bland as opposed to being painful. The dialogue we hear from protagonist Frey and the entire supporting cast do feel more like 'written by committee' than by one or more people with a clear vision. You can really tell that this game had issues with there being 'too many cooks' in the writer's room.
Frey herself, despite being well-portrayed by Ella Balinska, is a deeply frustrating and stubborn character. It's understandable that she should have a chip on her shoulder given her being a rough and tumble orphan who falls into an generic Isekai story. But it feels like they forgot to make her likable outside of that. The winning moments of her character come almost exclusively from occasional good bits of banter with her companion Cuff (aka 'we have Wheatley from Portal 2 at home') and the various cats you meet along the way.
That being said, while the narrative is lacking and feels like a speedrun of Joseph Campbell's 'The Hero's Journey', the combat, over-the-top magic effects, parkour, and overabundance of adorable kitties REALLY help hold this game together and secure its status as 'decent' for me. Honestly, the traversal in this game alone is up there with Spider-Man PS4 for me. It just never stopped being fun darting around the world and doing sick flips.
So yes, to summarize:
+ Sick flips
+ Fun combat
+ CATS
+ System-overloading particle effects
- Everything else
6/10
Overall, after spending close to 20 hours with it, I think the reviews Forspoken has received from both critics and the larger gaming public are largely true, if somewhat hyperbole (as usual).
Yes, the dialogue has its rough patches, but outside of the handful of scenes that have made the rounds online, it's largely bland as opposed to being painful. The dialogue we hear from protagonist Frey and the entire supporting cast do feel more like 'written by committee' than by one or more people with a clear vision. You can really tell that this game had issues with there being 'too many cooks' in the writer's room.
Frey herself, despite being well-portrayed by Ella Balinska, is a deeply frustrating and stubborn character. It's understandable that she should have a chip on her shoulder given her being a rough and tumble orphan who falls into an generic Isekai story. But it feels like they forgot to make her likable outside of that. The winning moments of her character come almost exclusively from occasional good bits of banter with her companion Cuff (aka 'we have Wheatley from Portal 2 at home') and the various cats you meet along the way.
That being said, while the narrative is lacking and feels like a speedrun of Joseph Campbell's 'The Hero's Journey', the combat, over-the-top magic effects, parkour, and overabundance of adorable kitties REALLY help hold this game together and secure its status as 'decent' for me. Honestly, the traversal in this game alone is up there with Spider-Man PS4 for me. It just never stopped being fun darting around the world and doing sick flips.
So yes, to summarize:
+ Sick flips
+ Fun combat
+ CATS
+ System-overloading particle effects
- Everything else
6/10