There was no shortage of spectacular reveals at Sony’s PlayStation Showcase 2021, but you’d have to search long and hard to find a trailer as creative and mysterious as the one for Forspoken. Previously revealed under its working title of Project Athia during last year’s PS5 launch, this stunningly gorgeous title from developer Luminous Productions has come quite a long way over the past year.
Set for release sometime in the spring of 2022 as a PS5 exclusive, Forspoken will cast players in the part of a young girl named Frey, who is suddenly transported to the dangerous yet breathtaking world of Athia where she must fight for her survival. There appears to be plenty of incredible magic to use, a vast open world to explore, and an enthralling narrative to unfurl, pushing Forspoken to the top of anyone’s most anticipated games list for 2022.
- Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Remake: What we know so far
- Check out the best PS5 games
Here’s everything we know so far about Forspoken.
Forspoken release window
Publisher Square Enix has been tight-lipped on a concrete release date for Forspoken. While the game publisher has specified that it’s aiming for a spring 2022 launch, there’s still a bit of time before then, and as with many games over the past year or so, delays aren’t out of the question.
It’s worth noting, however, that Luminous Productions is not thought to be working on any other games at the moment. Having all of its attention focused on Forspoken could bode well for the game hitting its release window.
Forspoken trailers
In March, we saw Forspoken’s first official trailer since its initial June 2020 teaser. That trailer introduced us to Ella Balinska, who plays main character Frey, and she gave a slight bit of perspective on her role in the game. The gameplay that followed was very short and sweet, showcasing a quick scene in which Frey comes face-to-face with a hulking dragon.
Now a new trailer has come along as part of Sony’s PlayStation Showcase in September. What you’ll see is Forspoken’s blisteringly fast traversal, magical combat and an enchanting narrative. We even get a quick glimpse into Frey’s life in New York before being thrust alongside her into the world of Athia.
This trailer provides a significant amount of combat gameplay, showcasing some of the incredible magic Frey will use as she fends off monsters. Water attacks and ice explosions are given some screen time, but we’re also granted a short look at some type of machine gun type of magic that wouldn’t look out of place in Infamous.
Forspoken story
Forspoken’s narrative is being handled by some of gaming and film’s most talented writers, including Amg Hennig (Uncharted), Gary Whitta (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), Allison Rymer (Shadowhunters), and Todd Stashwick (Devil Inside). From the looks of it so far, bringing such big names to the table has really paid off.
The game revolves around 20-year-old Frey Holland, a smart girl from New York who hasn’t been doing much to achieve her full potential. When she’s suddenly transported to the fantastical world of Athia, she’s forced to finally step up and put her all into figuring out how she can escape.
Frey’s goal is to find and fight off an extremely powerful group of matriarchs called the Tantas, but to make that happen, she’ll first have to traverse the sprawling lands of Athia. On her journey, she’ll be joined by a sentient bracelet named Cuff (voiced by Jonathan Cake), who will offer her advice and assistance along the way.
Famous composer Bear McCreary — you’ll recognize him from The Walking Dead and God of War (2018) — has teamed up with composer Garry Schyman (BioShock) to produce a rousing score, too, which should help immerse players even further into the awe-inspiring world of Athia.
Forspoken gameplay
Using the full power of the PS5, Luminous Production have created Forspoken with the intentions of having the highest quality visuals in any open world game ever made. They’ve seem set to make that a reality so far, and they’re doing so while equally providing players with intense and fast-paced gameplay.
Frey traverses Athia’s landscapes at a breakneck speed by effortlessly running, vaulting, flipping, and dashing anywhere she needs to go. When she’s not showing off her incredible parkour moves, she can make use of a variety of magic spells to fight off hulking beasts. Whether she’s hurling water balls that explode or firing projectiles from her hands, there’s certainly a lot of spectacle to admire in this third-person action title.
Forspoken outlook
Forspoken is shaping up to be one of the standout titles of 2022. Luminous Productions is a talented team that previously helped develop Final Fantasy XV, and the incredible team of writers, actors, and composers onboard are almost certain to bring life to this gorgeous adventure.
We may have a while to wait before we can get our hands on this epic fantasy title, but rest assured that what we’ve seen so far should make it well worth the wait. Keep an eye out for this one in the first half of next year.
