Square Enix's Forspoken puts a New Yorker in a Final Fantasy-like world

Over the past decade, Square Enix’s game catalog has merged from two worlds: From its in-house studios based in Japan, the company produces games in the ever-growing RPG universes of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Nier / Drakengard and Kingdom Hearts; and elsewhere in the world, Square Enix publishes the adventures of Lara Croft, JC Denton, Rico Rodriguez, and Marvel superheroes.

The next big AAA game from the global publisher, the brand new world of Pronounced, feels like the two sides of Square Enix are coming together. Developed by Luminous Productions, a team made up mostly of former Final Fantasy 15 Developer and written by a quartet of western creators, Pronounced plays a young woman from New York City who has been transported into a desolate fantasy world where magical spells and a sentient bracelet help her fight an evil force called Break.

Pronounced is a classic fish-out-of-the-water story – or, if you know the term, an Isekai story. Heroine Frey Holland is magically kidnapped from New York into the strange fantasy world of Athia, where she is not only capable but also incredibly powerful. But she is also overwhelmed. Frey will use magical spells to fight break-mutant creatures and traverse a huge, deadly, but boring-looking open world with “Magic Parkour”.

Frey jumps with magical parkour in Forspoken. through a desert landscape

During a hands-off preview of Pronounced, say the creators of the game that players can explore Athia “as freely and in style as they want”. Frey’s magical parkour moves make her climb cliffs, jump over tall buildings and break falls that would mean instant death to a normal person. Steering Frey “is really fun,” promise the makers.

But Frey is not a superhero, according to Todd Stashwick, who calls her “a vulnerable person among everything”. Stashwick said Frey was “tough on the outside” thanks to a rough foster upbringing, and that she used humor as a defense mechanism in her interactions with allies and enemies. “That’s what most people do when things are tough or absurd,” explains writer Allison Rymer. “You meet him with humor.”

In practice, that humor didn’t seem to land. Frey constantly jokes in combat, and does so with a rhythm that seems more annoying than lovable. Comedic timing is notoriously hard to get right in an interactive game that could last dozens of hours, but hopefully their better zingers will be saved Pronounced‘s release in March.

Even so, Frey doesn’t seem like your typical Final Fantasy protagonist, dressed in grungy jeans, flannel and slip-on sneakers. Her casual streetwear is complemented by magical capes, necklaces and nail stickers, which are streaked with magic splinters Pronounced

goes on. Frey becomes more and more powerful, learns and improves spells – her lone weapon in the game – on her journey to cleanse Athia of the rupture and drive away the corrupt matriarchs who rule her, the Tantas.

Frey becomes Forspoken in a story scene. held captive

The people of Athia view Frey with awe and fear, as there are often supermen in stories like this. That’s the most interesting thing about it Prosperity: Frey’s outsider perspective and role in a large fantasy world developed by Square Enix. Watching her navigate her way through the surroundings, politics, and conflicts of Athia – while saving her at the same time – is the game’s most compelling premise.

The fight looks fine too, but of course that takes some practical time. When Pronounced comes May 24th, 2022 for PlayStation 5 and Windows PC, we’ll see if the former Final Fantasy 15 Team did it.