Forspoken

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Critics Recommend

Average Score

Total Reviews: 46

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Forspoken features interesting open world parkour, but a badly written story, weak RPG elements, and boring combat make for a mediocre experience. For everything that Forspoken does well there’s a negative flip side.

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Critics Recommend

Critic Reviews: 46

Critics Consensus

# Reviews: 46

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Critic Reviews for Forspoken

Critic Reviews

Distribution

46

Reviews

High Score - 95/100

95%

Average Score - 68/100

68%

Low Score - 40/100

40%

3/5 stars

James Billcliffe (CG247)

Its stuttering start belies a combat system that’s worth investing the effort to learn, but takes so long to get up to full speed that it’s already on borrowed time.

January 23, 2023 |

Full Review

Forspoken’s opening hours are by far its worst. It took me 16 hours to complete the game, taking in a fair bit of the side offerings in this open-world action RPG, being careful not to sprint too quickly toward the game’s conclusion, though the temptation was there.

January 23, 2023 |

Full Review

Not Recommended

Grayson Morley (Polygon)

6/10

Tom Marks (IGN)

Forspoken’s flashy combat and parkour can be fun, but they aren’t enough to make its cliche story and barebones open world very interesting to explore.

January 23, 2023 |

Full Review

James Billcliffe (CG247)

3/5 stars - (Read Review)

Its stuttering start belies a combat system that’s worth investing the effort to learn, but takes so long to get up to full speed that it’s already on borrowed time.

Grayson Morley (Polygon)

Not Recommended - (Read Review)

Tom Marks (IGN)

6/10 - (Read Review)

Forspoken’s flashy combat and parkour can be fun, but they aren’t enough to make its cliche story and barebones open world very interesting to explore.

**Read all 46 critic reviews on the desktop version of VSG.

Read the Reviews (46 total)

Outlet	Author	Score	Date	Quote	Read
ACG	Jeremy Penter	Not Recommended	01-23-2023	"Forspoken comes out of the leaping into 2023 and falls flat on its face with boring combat and a terrible main protagonist."	Read review
Atomix	Sebastian Quiroz	85 / 100	01-23-2023	Forspoken manages to stand out for its fantastic combat system and spectacular exploration in its open world. However, it clearly could have been better in other areas.	Read review
Attack of the Fanboy	Noah Nelson	2.5 / 5 stars	01-23-2023	Forspoken fails to impress in several ways. Almost every good aspect of the game has a negative flip side. Though Forspoken isn't a bad game, the problems it does have hold it back from being great. All in all, Forspoken is just okay.	Read review
AusGamers	Steve Farrelly	4 / 10	01-24-2023	At this point you could make it a true Daily Double and just guess your way to the game's eventual kick off point, and you'd probably pull ahead of all the other contestants.	Read review
But Why Tho?	Quinn Hiers	7 / 10	01-23-2023	Forspoken isn’t without its hiccups…Nevertheless, I enjoyed my time with Forspoken’s focal storyline…The relationship between the two main characters never ceases to entertain, and the gameplay is enjoyable.	Read review
CGMagazine	Chris De Hoog	8.5 / 10	01-23-2023	Forspoken feels like a breath of fresh air for open-world adventures with its stylish engine, but is held back by pacing and other foibles.	Read review
Chicas Gamers	Estela Villa	Not Recommended	01-23-2023	Forspoken is a semi-open world RPG that will invite us to explore Athia with Frey, a New Yorker who will have to fix that place in order to return to hers. Making good use of DualSense and with a fun combat system once we have access to the entire set of spells, Forspoken tells us an interesting story with some plot twist and different endings. After finishing the game we can extend our experience if we want to fully explore Athia thanks to new missions. Despite what it promised, the game suffers from having a very fair graphic section for the current generation and a world that is emptier than it should be.	Read review
COGconnected	Mark Steighner	70 / 100	01-23-2023	Forspoken is ambitious, and there are hints of a winning formula.	Read review
Digital Trends	Tomas Franzese	3.5 / 5 stars	01-23-2023	Forspoken takes too long to get started due to a poorly paced story, but its dazzling spellcasting and parkour traversal will reward patient players.	Read review
Easy Allies	Michael Damiani	4 / 5 stars	01-23-2023	Forspoken emerges as a solid new RPG, and though it has its fair share of issues, its world draws you in with intriguing combat and spellbinding abilities.	Read review
Eurogamer	Henry Stockdale	Not Recommended	01-23-2023	Forspoken takes it time to get over a wobbly start, but there's something worthwhile here amongst the noise.	Read review
Everyeye.it	Antonello Bello	8 / 10	01-23-2023	Quote not yet available	Read review
Game Informer	Kyle Hilliard	7.5 / 10	01-23-2023	Forspoken's story and combat fail to reach the heights of its movement and exploration, but thankfully those two latter elements make up most of the experience.	Read review
Game Rant	Anthony Taormina	3 / 5 stars	01-23-2023	Forspoken promises an intriguing world with a deep magic combat system, but it struggles in presentation and execution.	Read review
Gamersky	Mega杰尼龟	7.9 / 10	01-23-2023	As a new title from Luminous Productions six years after FFXV, Forspoken continues to show the shortcomings of its open-world design. The abundance of magical combat and the still-excellent story make up for most of these shortcomings. However, the hopes for a fantastic magical world cannot be fulfilled.	Read review
GameSkinny	David Restrepo	6 / 10	01-20-2023	Into the Frey.	Read review
GameSpot	Jordan Ramée	5 / 10	01-23-2023	Forspoken is visually stimulating and a musical delight, but boring combat, poor characterization, and loose movement mechanics make for a mediocre experience.	Read review
GamesRadar+	Rollin Bishop	2.5 / 5 stars	01-23-2023	"Barring a few rare setpieces, Forspoken seems to prefer to tell rather than show"	Read review
GameXplain	Unknown	Recommended	01-23-2023	Video Review	Read review
Gaming Nexus	Joseph Moorer	9.5 / 10	01-23-2023	Forspoken is absolutely fantastic. With all the spells you can unlock, the gear you can upgrade, the fights, the bosses, and a storyline that rivals the best video game stories, this isn't a return to form for SquareEnix, it's a testament that they still got it, and will have it for a very, very long time.	Read review
GamingBolt	Shunal Doke	7 / 10	01-23-2023	Rather than letting its awful story simply be a good excuse for its excellent gameplay, Forspoken insists on constantly interrupting your fun to throw some truly bad exposition your way. Forspoken's character building and lore are a disaster but it manages to make it up with its incredible combat and traversal mechanics.	Read review
GamingTrend	David Flynn	90 / 100	01-23-2023	Forspoken is an incredible title. Although the story suffers from being a bit too generic, the gameplay is inventive, magical, and an absolute blast. This is a game I'll come back to again and again just to move around and exist in the fascinating fantasy world. Forspoken is an exciting leap forward for action games, and I can't get enough of it.	Read review
God is a Geek	Mick Fraser	7.5 / 10	01-23-2023	There's something here to get stuck into for fans of open world adventures, and Forspoken isn't without its charms, but like Frey herself, it's often its own worst enemy.	Read review
Hardcore Gamer	Jordan Helm	2 / 5 stars	01-23-2023	Where Forspoken should've been a striking and appealing fresh start for Luminous Productions, the end result sadly is a game not only bland and unpolished, but deprived of a reason to care for its unfolding mystery.	Read review
Hobby Consolas	Alberto Lloret	80 / 100	01-23-2023	Forspoken it's not the next gen game that we're waiting for, but it's not as bad as some found in the demo. It has its share of elements to improve, starting with the script, but it makes combat and traverse very fresh and enjoyable, in a world full of things to do, that invites to keep playing even after watching the ending credits.	Read review
IGN	Tom Marks	6 / 10	01-23-2023	Forspoken’s flashy combat and parkour can be fun, but they aren’t enough to make its cliche story and barebones open world very interesting to explore.	Read review
IGN Italy	Alessandro Alosi	7.5 / 10	01-23-2023	Forspoken is neither black nor white, it's a mottled gray of spectacular combat and magical parkour to be experienced within a dated open world.	Read review
MMORPG.com	Joseph Bradford	6.5 / 10	01-23-2023	In the end, Forspoken is okay, with its world, parkour, and combat as its high points.	Read review
Niche Gamer	Fingal Belmont	7 / 10	01-23-2023	Quote not yet available	Read review
PlayStation LifeStyle	Paulmichael Contreras	8 / 10	01-23-2023	Forspoken represented a huge risk taken by newcomer Luminous Productions. While the story may feel a bit contrived at times, the Flow method of traversal and combat more than makes up for it. Frey may annoy some people as the protagonist, but stringing together a chain of magical commands within just a few seconds while deftly avoiding incoming fireballs is rewarding, and ultimately, I came away from Forspoken having enjoyed my time helping the people of Athia.	Read review
Polygon	Grayson Morley	Not Recommended	01-23-2023	Forspoken’s opening hours are by far its worst. It took me 16 hours to complete the game, taking in a fair bit of the side offerings in this open-world action RPG, being careful not to sprint too quickly toward the game’s conclusion, though the temptation was there.	Read review
Press Start	James Mitchell	7.5 / 10	01-24-2023	Forspoken offers a unique and thrilling experience with its impressive combat and smooth traversal mechanics. The story and open world may fall victim to the pitfalls of its genre and the largely formulaic side quest design only shines occasionally, but it's an overall satisfying and well-crafted action RPG with fast-paced and energetic gameplay.	Read review
PSX Brasil	Thiago de Alencar Moura	80 / 100	01-23-2023	Forspoken is a unique game, with a very distinct gameplay, setting and story that compose a very fun and interesting experience. It suffers with its short duration, problemactic camera, lack of variety in side missions and it needs a few adjustments to its gameplay, but its one of the most beautiful games on the PS5 so far and a title that deserves everyone's attention.	Read review
Screen Rant	Kyle Gratton	3.5 / 5 stars	01-23-2023	Forspoken is sprawling, awing in its scale, and a treat to look at, and while the gameplay is snappy and engaging, it's not necessarily impressive enough to completely distract from haphazard discussions with NPCs and a narrative that should have been given more space.	Read review
Shacknews	Ozzie Mejia	6 / 10	01-23-2023	Forspoken's magical parkour system has a lot of potential and can be fun. It offers a novel means of traversal, if nothing else. However, the combat and the vast world aren't enough for me to overlook many of Forspoken's other issues, which mainly start with Frey Holland herself.	Read review
Sirus Gaming	Unknown	6 / 10	01-23-2023	It is apparent that Forspoken has potential. There are highs and lows but it seems like the latter is more obvious. Unfortunately, despite the fact that a demo was released in December to solicit feedback from players, the game has not improved. Despite the ample amount of delay, the game has failed to deliver the quality that we expect from a large publisher like Square Enix. Yes, it is playable, but if you can ignore the flaws and focus solely on the unique blend of story and great traverse mechanic, it will make your time in Athia worthwhile.	Read review
SpazioGames	Silvio Mazzitelli	8 / 10	01-23-2023	Despite feeling like an open world from a previous era because of its structure, Forspoken it's pretty enjoyable thanks to its combat and exploration systems, that make it feel unique and spectacular.	Read review
TechRaptor	Dan Rockwood	8 / 10	01-23-2023	Forspoken offers an engaging story and fluid traversal mechanics that make the act of exploring the world and upgrading Frey's magical abilities an absolute delight.	Read review
The Outerhaven Productions	Kyle Simcox	2 / 5 stars	01-23-2023	Forspoken is a bland experience about a girl and her cuff trying to save a world blanketed in corrupting mists. It tries to do a lot of things but doesn't ever really do any one thing well.	Read review
TheSixthAxis	Aran Suddi	6 / 10	01-23-2023	Forspoken was once one of the big reveals for the PS5 in 2020, but aside from using the SSD for open world magical parkour and the ultra quick fast travel, it is difficult to really see how it takes advantage of the latest console generation. The world of Athia looks good, and the combat full of flashy magic, but there's no major side quests to divert from repetitive activities and a predictable main story.	Read review
TrueGaming	Unknown	6.5 / 10	01-23-2023	Forspoken is a good game but it doesn't live up to expectations; side content is mediocre, the world is uninspiring, the storytelling is not strong enough. However, the combat is the bright spot as it is refreshing and inventive, so for people who do prefer this aspect over everything else, Forspoken deserves a chance.	Read review
VG247	James Billcliffe	Not Recommended	01-23-2023	Its stuttering start belies a combat system that’s worth investing the effort to learn, but takes so long to get up to full speed that it’s already on borrowed time.	Read review
Washington Post	Gene Park	Recommended	01-23-2023	“Forspoken” doesn’t do anything new for the open-world genre of games, but it does offer just enough to distinguish itself, mostly thanks to Frey and her magic spells, and a story that’s able to stick the landing.	Read review
Wccftech	Alessio Palumbo	7 / 10	01-23-2023	Forspoken is a fun action game that shines best when you're taking advantage of the great magic parkour to soar through the fantasy world of Athia and blast enemies with overwhelmingly cool spells. However, its content is underwhelming, its RPG systems are weak, and its visuals are less advanced than advertised. As such, Forspoken's potential is largely unrealized in its current state. It's still a decent romp for genre fans to go through, though waiting until it gets a discount or is added to one of the many subscription services is recommended.	Read review
We Got This Covered	David James	4 / 5 stars	01-23-2023	Want to explore a beautiful and desolate fantasy world without being stomped into the ground by every enemy you meet? The power fantasy of 'Forspoken' might just be the game for you.	Read review
Worth Playing	Redmond Carolipio	6.9 / 10	01-23-2023	It might not seem like it right now, but Forspoken had some very good ideas, and I ended up still having some fun with it. It feels like it needed a little more time to figure out its real identity instead of its disjointed little-of-this, little-of-that experience. I think it's true form, which it hinted at, is as a young-adult, Bayonetta-adjacent ass-kicker, that needs to pick a tone and lean into it. If that's what it had been, we'd be onto something.	Read review

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In a world not her own, where resolve will be tested, truths will be questioned, and devotions will be doubted. She will rise.

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