Holding down the circle button turns on something of an autopilot mode for Frey, both in terms of how she moves and how she dodges attacks. There are all kinds of terrain to clamber over, though with Frey’s Flow mechanic of traversal, you can do so in a much more tightly-orchestrated way. Much like most any open-world game released in the last few years, the entire map is open to the player upon clearing the introduction, complete with massive mini-boss enemies that can and will kill you in a hit or two. A rough intro, but fun combatįorspoken’s introduction may not set the tone well, but sticking with it through the first few chapters and getting to the open-world section is worth it. Zooming in far enough on the map causes it to transform from an overhead view into an isometric one, like a miniature version that has much more detail about the geography and architecture.
The map is huge, but not overwhelmingly so, and easy to navigate. Athia is divided into several states, and those states are further divided into (former) villages and towns. Storytelling is not one of Forspoken’s strong points, and this is best evidenced by this blasé introduction, but the lore that can be found throughout the land of Athia fares better, as there are many stories of love, loss, rebuilding, and more to be found in various notes and mementos found during Frey’s travels.
She’s a 21-year-old who swears a lot, doesn’t want to be bothered by other people’s problems, and has quite clearly had enough of everyone’s bullshit. But the voice acting is excellent, even if the dialogue is notably ropey, though Frey is destined to divide opinion as a protagonist.
Why exactly she wants to return to a life that she was so headstrong about leaving behind is a bit confounding, as the game itself points out many times. This sets Frey up with one main goal: returning home. Anything but Frey, that is, who seems to be immune to its effects in most cases. This once-beautiful and peaceful world is ruled by four Tantas, or goddesses, who have become corrupted with something called the Break, a miasma that infects anything organic that it touches, in extreme cases killing them outright. Fortunately, things pick up with both Frey and the story in general after she finds a sentient golden bracelet named Cuff, who inexplicably thrust her into a whole new world, Athia. This courtroom drama opening is both dull and misguided, with Frey’s early characterization being quite tone-deaf in the current climate, and not helped by jarring dialogue that contrasts its story of gang violence with cringeworthy MCU-esque humor. Forspoken begins its story in a New York courtroom, with an awkwardly handled set-up to its story that pitches orphan protagonist Alfre “Frey” Holland as a small-time criminal with a lengthy rap sheet.
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