Forspoken’s story and dialogue has no coldness

Von Frey’s very first steps in the medieval fantasy land of Athia, Forspokens Influences emerge with full force.

She runs and ducks under ruined walls in an abandoned castle being pursued by a giant dragon. She gets an annoyingly talkative companion named Cuff, which is literally a talking gold bracelet. Then, after narrowly dodging danger, we get a dramatic bird’s-eye view of the landscape, dominated by a massive stone landmark arching into the sky.

The game seems to scream: This is a JRPG! That’s an isekai! There could be some glorious anime bullshit in here! Even minor details, like the stone landmark, reminded me of the Gaur plane from Xenoblade Chronicles. Yet despite its initial promises, much of Frey’s time in Athia unfolds without much whimsy or the requisite amount of frivolity. The new game from Luminous Productions and Square Enix strikes a decidedly serious tone that makes it difficult to persevere during the long journey.

Image: Luminous Productions/Square Enix

Luminous Productions fills Athia with a kind of pervasive sadness. This is mostly due to the “bubonic plague vibe” it has. There is no such thing as a plague, but there are dark and stormy clouds that cover entire cities and kill all living beings within. That prophesied also relies on a photorealistic art style that, despite some lively magic in combat, isn’t overly colorful – even its flowers look a little sad and colorless.

Then we superimpose Frey’s story, which is also very sad! She is an orphan who was abandoned by her parents at birth. She lives in poverty in New York City, and the day she finally saves enough money to move and have a better life, her house is burned down by a gang. She finds renewed trust in Athia, but still lives a lonely life. On her journey, she is unaccompanied by a gang of companions who fill the cutscenes with romantic monologues about the power of friendship.

She is an outsider to the world of Athia and will be cremated (without spoiling anything) if she opens her heart a little.

Frey’s magical parkour skills allow her to jump through the world unbound. But outside of its mechanics, That prophesied It lacks the moments of lightness that allow players to endure the long, sad, and sometimes difficult journeys of so many other “serious” games. There are no silly cacti popping up to make you laugh; no cocky friends standing by your side; no moments of whims that allow you to take a break and recover from everything. Maybe the next thing you get is a cute little side quest where you feed sheep, but even then it’s a bit boring because you can’t actually see Frey feeding the sheep as the text on a black screen just says for feeding them .

Image: Luminous Productions/Square Enix via Polygon

There’s a reason comic relief is so common in blockbuster movies and video games — it gives the audience a breather before the next exciting but stressful set piece. That prophesied is so decidedly serious in its overarching narrative that it becomes too much weight for dialogue to carry – thus creating the tingling. The bad jokes and stiff self-narrative are staples of several popular AAA games, but in That prophesied When they miss, they seem to fall even harder because it’s not a world where stupid things happen or people talk in weird, unbelievable ways. The self-centered dialogue feels less like comic relief and more like self-deprecation.

I personally think Frey deserves to have fun. In some places she is obviously having fun. When she first uses her magical parkour skills, she says, “Okay, that’s awesome! I’m seriously catching my breath!” Her life and story doesn’t have to be completely silly, but all that sad medieval stuff could use some headwind. And it doesn’t get any. It’s exhausting enough for me to push myself away.