Forspoken
| Forspoken | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Luminous Productions |
| Publisher(s) | Square Enix |
| Director(s) |
|
| Producer(s) | Raio Mitsuno |
| Writer(s) |
|
| Composer(s) | |
| Engine | Luminous Engine |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | January 24, 2023 |
| Genre(s) | Action role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Forspoken is an upcoming action role-playing game developed by Luminous Productions and published by Square Enix. It is to be released on January 24, 2023, on PlayStation 5 and Windows.[1]
Gameplay
According to director Takeshi Aramaki, the gameplay will be focused on terrain traversal speed and fluidity.[1] Square Enix also described the game as a "narrative-driven adventure".[2] The character will exist in an open world game format where players are able to travel anywhere at any time.[3]
The player character, Frey, has access to a variety of magical spells. Following each combat encounter, the player will earn experience points. Frey's cloak can be upgraded in order to improve her combat efficiency and stats, while applying nail polish unlocks special abilities.[4] The player can also craft new items, or rest at a safe location in order to restore health. While the player is exploring the game world, they may encounter a "breakstorm", a scenario similar to a horde mode in which waves of demonic creatures spawn and attack Frey. The storm will end with the appearance of a named boss character.[5]
Story
Setting and characters
The protagonist, Frey Holland (Ella Balinska) is a young woman who is transported from New York City to the fantasy world of Athia. She uses magical powers to journey through it and survive in order to find her way home.[2][6] Athia is under the tyrannical rule of the Tantas, which include Tanta Sila (Janina Gavankar) and Tanta Prave (Pollyanna McIntosh).[7] Other characters include Frey's sentient bracelet Cuff (Jonathan Cake), the archivist Johedy (Keala Settle), and Auden (Monica Barbaro).[8]
Development
Forspoken is the debut project for Luminous Productions; the company was originally assembled from employees working on Final Fantasy XV. Earlier in development, the game was known under the title Project Athia.[2] It is being developed to take advantage of the graphical capabilities of the PlayStation 5 and will also release for Windows.[2] Technologies featured in the game include ray tracing for greatly enhanced lighting effects, and procedural generation for the creation of large-scale locations.[3][9] Initially set to be released on May 24, 2022, Square Enix delayed its release to October 11, 2022,[10] and then to January 24, 2023.
The game's writing team includes Gary Whitta, Amy Hennig, Allison Rymer, and Todd Stashwick.[8][11] Bear McCreary and Garry Schyman are composing music for the game.[8] The game will be a PlayStation 5 console exclusive for two years.[12]
References
- ^ a b Grayson, Nathan (March 18, 2021). "Square Enix's Project Athia Is Now Called Forspoken, Coming In 2023". Kotaku. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d McWhertor, Michael (March 18, 2021). "Square Enix's Project Athia has a 2022 release date and a final name: Forspoken". Polygon. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ a b Boudreau, Ian (August 18, 2020). "Square Enix's next RPG is open world and supports ray tracing". PCGamesN. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
- ^ Kim, Matt (December 13, 2021). "Forspoken: Hands-Off Preview". IGN. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ Cook, Adam (December 13, 2021). "'Forspoken' preview: breakneck speed and magical combat". NME. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ Wood, Austin (March 18, 2021). "Project Athia is now Forspoken, an open-world action game "about a young woman in a beautiful but threatening world"". Games Radar. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ Mitsuno, Raio (2021-12-09). "A closer look at Forspoken's major villains – the Tantas". PlayStation.Blog. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c Mitsuno, Raio (September 9, 2021). "Journey with Frey to Forspoken's fantastical world next spring". PlayStation Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ Lada, Jenni (September 2, 2020). "See the Project Athia World Procedurally Generated in Luminous Engine". Siliconera. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
- ^ LeBlanc, Wesley (2022-03-07). "Forspoken Delayed To October". Game Informer. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
- ^ Valentine, Rebekah (March 18, 2021). "Project Athia Is Now Forspoken; New Glimpse of Luminous Productions' Debut Project". IGN. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ Oloman, Jordan (December 8, 2020). "Project Athia Will Be a PS5 Console Exclusive for at Least 2 Years". IGN. Retrieved April 18, 2021.