Forspoken

68%
Game Brain Score Based on 2,904 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • optimization
Forspoken Game Cover
Forspoken stands on its own as an impressive game and delivers on what it promises, and you will be satisfied if you're into its premise for story or gameplay.
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Forspoken is an action RPG that follows the journey of Frey, a young New Yorker transported to the beautiful and cruel land of Athia.

  • PC
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Epic Games
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

68%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,904 reviews
story623 positive mentions
optimization227 negative mentions
  • Fun and engaging combat mechanics with a variety of spells to master.
  • Beautiful graphics and a large, immersive open world to explore.
  • Interesting story with character development, especially for the protagonist Frey.
  • Repetitive dialogue and banter between characters that can become annoying.
  • Performance issues and poor optimization, leading to frame rate drops and crashes.
  • The story pacing is slow at the beginning and rushed towards the end, leaving some plot points unresolved.
  • story2,376 mentions

    The story of "Forspoken" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it predictable and clichéd, often likening it to typical isekai narratives. While some appreciate the character development and emotional moments, others criticize the dialogue as cringeworthy and the pacing as uneven, particularly in the early stages. Overall, the story is seen as serviceable but lacking depth, with many players suggesting that the gameplay and combat mechanics are the true highlights of the experience.

    • “The story is intriguing and offers a linear progression that keeps you engaged from start to finish.”
    • “The story itself is surprisingly good and the conversations between the main character and her 'companion' are honestly hilarious and I personally love the sarcasm aspect.”
    • “The story is interesting, character design is unique, and fighting can be rewarding.”
    • “Lastly, it must be said, the story is bad.”
    • “The story feels rather undercooked.”
    • “The story was pretty crap, the character makes decisions that just don't make sense sometimes.”
  • gameplay839 mentions

    The gameplay in "Forspoken" is widely praised for its fluid combat mechanics and innovative parkour system, offering a unique and engaging experience that many players find enjoyable once they master the mechanics. However, the game is criticized for its pacing, with excessive cutscenes and dialogue interrupting the flow of gameplay, leading to a frustrating experience for some. While the core gameplay is considered a highlight, performance issues and a lackluster story detract from the overall enjoyment for many players.

    • “This game has some of the most fluid and engaging combat mechanics that I have ever gotten the chance to enjoy.”
    • “Forspoken has some great gameplay concepts that make it feel very unique in the current gaming landscape.”
    • “The exploration and traversal mechanics are a true highlight, offering an exhilarating experience once you master their complexities.”
    • “The gameplay isn't interesting enough to justify the story, so I'll be uninstalling this game.”
    • “The gameplay gets very repetitive and the animations are super laggy.”
    • “The game isn't broken or buggy, mind you - it's just inconsistent physics and game mechanic performance.”
  • optimization790 mentions

    The optimization of "Forspoken" has received significant criticism, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including stuttering and frame rate drops, even on high-end hardware. While some users have noted improvements post-launch patches, the game is still considered poorly optimized overall, particularly on PC, leading to a frustrating experience for many. Players recommend waiting for further optimization updates before purchasing, especially given the game's high price point.

    • “With smooth performance and responsive controls, this game could easily be considered a masterpiece, scoring between 8/10 to 8.5/10.”
    • “I didn't have any issues with performance, traversal is quick and fun, and the game feel is incredibly satisfying.”
    • “I've played it since launch and now it's much better performance-wise, the gameplay is addictive, the traversal is really good; I never used fast travel even with small side stuff.”
    • “It's amazing how a poorly optimized game at launch can ruin its gameplay; after the patches, it runs more stable.”
    • “The main negatives are poor optimization for this port to PC and a lot of padding via collectibles.”
    • “This is by far the most poorly optimized game that I have played in a long, long time.”
  • graphics766 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players praising the stunning visuals and beautiful environments, particularly the spell effects and landscapes. However, numerous complaints highlight poor optimization, inconsistent graphical quality, and performance issues, especially on lower-end systems, leading to stuttering and frame rate drops. Overall, while the graphics can be breathtaking at times, they often fall short of expectations set by promotional materials, leaving players frustrated with the game's technical execution.

    • “Overall, the graphics are quite beautiful, and there are some stunning locations.”
    • “The graphics are absolutely stunning, showcasing some of the best visual work in recent games.”
    • “The graphics are gorgeous, and the world-building is there for those who were patient enough to put a few hours into actually getting into the game.”
    • “The graphics could've used a bit of tweaking to get it looking like a proper next-gen game (the shadows/lighting severely needed more work) and the performance was not up to snuff.”
    • “I wouldn't recommend this to any PC players because the graphics don't perform as they should unless you have the best of the best hardware and even then you have to play with and adjust the settings till it looks halfway decent.”
    • “The graphics are outdated, and the performances of the actors lack any real talent.”
  • music142 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising the soundtrack as beautiful and fitting, particularly highlighting the work of composers Bear McCreary and Garry Schyman. However, many players found the music repetitive and unmemorable, especially during combat, leading to frustration with its lack of variety. Overall, while some appreciate the emotional impact of certain themes, others feel the soundtrack detracts from the gameplay experience.

    • “The music blends orchestral, electronic, and ethnic elements to create a distinctive and memorable sound that matches the mood and tone of each scene.”
    • “The game also features original songs performed by Keala Settle, such as 'Break Free' and 'In Tanta We Trust', that add emotional impact and resonance to the story.”
    • “I would say Frey's theme was by far my favorite and hearing the motif show up through most of the in-game music definitely made me feel a little emotional at times.”
    • “The soundtrack is bad enough, with less than 10 arrangements making up 80% of the soundtrack (if that doesn't sound bad, just wait till you're hearing the 'fight engagement' theme for the 10,000th time).”
    • “The combat soundtrack can be annoyingly repetitive since you hear it so much all the time.”
    • “The music is bland and abrasive enough to legitimately detract from the overall experience of the game, and if it wasn't for Denuvo and a lack of interest generally hurting this game's modding scene, one of the first things I would do is meticulously go in and replace the OST with literally anything else.”
  • humor107 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players finding the banter between the main character, Frey, and her companion, Cuff, genuinely funny and entertaining. While some appreciate the sarcastic and quirky dialogue, others feel it can become repetitive or forced over time. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted touch to the gameplay, making for an enjoyable experience, though it may not resonate with everyone.

    • “It made me laugh aloud several times.”
    • “The banter between Frey and Cuff made me laugh quite a bit and was a lot of the amusement for me.”
    • “The humor is a welcome bit of lightheartedness that makes for a more pleasurable exploration and fun combat experience.”
    • “Unfunny, cringey, forgettable, and boring; it put me to sleep twice so far, and I am left wondering if I'll even be able to finish the game.”
  • stability72 mentions

    The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting frequent freezes, graphical glitches, and bugs that hinder gameplay. While some users noted improvements after troubleshooting and patch updates, others found the game still plagued by inconsistencies and performance issues, particularly with cutscenes and loading times. Overall, while there are signs of progress, the game remains a work in progress with significant stability concerns.

    • “Game play was bug free as far as I could tell and the cinematics were awesome.”
    • “After 3 hours I can say it runs great, I'm having a great time and I like the world.”
    • “Game runs great on my PC / NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti!”
    • “You walk 5 meters, the game freezes for 1 dialogue line, pauses for another second, then you regain freedom, only to walk another 25 meters and freeze again.”
    • “Unfortunately after the first part I am bombarded with errors and the game freezes and closes.”
    • “This game is so buggy that I'm sure it will go on sale soon, so wait for that.”
  • grinding66 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, especially during combat and side quests. While some appreciate the depth it adds to character progression and resource gathering, others feel it detracts from the overall enjoyment, making certain gameplay elements feel like a chore. Overall, the game offers a balance of grinding and story, but the execution often leads to frustration and a sense of monotony.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Every single quest/dialogue is so tedious I wish it could've just been a cinematic.”
    • “The highest tiers of upgrades require materials that require dedicated grinding if you want to upgrade more than a single set to the max value.”
    • “The gameplay is good in combat with certain weapons, but the tedious repetition of certain side quests bogs down the fun of the game.”
  • emotional56 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its touching narrative and character development, particularly highlighting the protagonist's traumatic backstory and relatable moments that evoke genuine feelings. However, others criticize the emotional moments as forced or lacking depth, leading to a disconnect with the characters and story. Overall, while the game offers some heartfelt experiences and surprising plot twists, it struggles to maintain consistent emotional engagement throughout.

    • “The story is amazing in my opinion; it was a really good story with multiple plot twists that I didn't see coming. It was also emotional and tied perfectly into the gameplay with your powers, and while possibly a little cheesy, it had a great overarching theme.”
    • “The game has some really emotional moments that, having met people from similar backgrounds and experiencing my own losses, feel very realistic.”
    • “Without revealing too much, there were multiple instances where I found myself moved to tears; so profoundly touching were the moments and plot twists that lay in wait.”
    • “The game is held back by a boring story, uninteresting side characters, and being unoptimized.”
    • “Things most reviewers were saying were stuff like cringe dialogue, boring story, bad world, etc.”
    • “Boring story so far.”
  • character development40 mentions

    Character development in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising the growth of the protagonist, Frey, while others criticize her as unlikable and lacking depth. Many players appreciate the unique character designs and world-building, but feel that the dialogue and pacing detract from the overall development. Overall, while there are moments of strong character progression, particularly in the main storyline, the execution is inconsistent, leaving some players wanting more depth and coherence.

    • “Character development is also there, and Frey at the end of the storyline is quite different from Frey at the beginning.”
    • “I would wholeheartedly recommend this game if you're a fan of single-player games with a compelling storyline and great character development.”
    • “Can be a little frustrating at first but the character development is insane and you get really connected with them.”
    • “The dialogue, aiming for fun quips, misses the mark half the time, and damages or even contradicts some of the story beats and character development.”
    • “The reveals are obvious, the supporting characters are obvious, and Frey remains an abrasive and genuinely unlikeable character until the end of the game, skipping all character development across 20 hours of gameplay and 5 hours of side quests.”
    • “My main problem was with the protagonist, her personality, her character development, too many pointless cut-scenes, at some points it felt like she was forced down my throat.”
  • replayability14 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is considered limited, with many reviewers expressing disappointment given its price. While some players found aspects that could enhance replay value, such as difficulty options and potential for mods, the consensus leans towards a lack of substantial content to encourage multiple playthroughs.

    • “It's otherwise a fairly short game with a good amount of replay value.”
    • “Fantastic graphics, options that make the game as easy or difficult as your preferences, lots of things to do making it great for replayability.”
    • “If people could mod this game to add more spells in future times, I would be down for that as well to add some replayability and fun.”
    • “It just doesn't have enough replayability to warrant such an extreme price.”
    • “However, as a downside, there is little value to replayability.”
    • “I'm really sad that there is almost no replayability, especially for the price tag.”
  • atmosphere14 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its immersive visuals and dynamic weather effects, creating a sense of exploration and mystery. However, some players feel the world can feel empty or bland at times, with certain design choices, like excessive cut-scenes, detracting from the overall experience. While the music complements the atmosphere, it tends to be forgettable, leaving a mixed impression on the game's environmental engagement.

    • “The game also features dynamic weather and lighting effects that enhance the atmosphere and immersion.”
    • “Forspoken has a variety of attack and defense patterns, a very nice atmosphere and a story that gradually becomes more interesting.”
    • “The game's atmosphere is eerie and adds to the overall sense of mystery and tension.”
    • “The fog in most of the areas feels like it's there to reduce GPU load and not create an atmosphere.”
    • “The game itself is hard to get through because you can't fight, walk, or explore more than a couple of feet without a stupid cutscene that adds nothing to the game's atmosphere at all and could've been taken out.”
    • “It doesn't blend well with the atmosphere of the world.”
  • monetization10 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has drawn significant criticism, with players expressing frustration over aggressive microtransactions, season passes, and rising base prices for AAA titles. Many feel that the monetization strategies detract from the overall experience, likening it to being bombarded with pop-up ads, while some appreciate the absence of loot boxes. Overall, the sentiment suggests a growing discontent with how big studios prioritize profit over player experience.

    • “No microtransactions or loot boxes.”
    • “For the price and what you are getting, I say it’s a pass. Mind you, they price Disgaea 6, a game from Nintendo, at the same price with in-game purchases, and it came out like two years ago with a base price sitting at $69 here. I genuinely can’t wait to continue playing this game and its future content.”
    • “The game development industry these days is so saddening, how the big studios try to squeeze as much money out of players as possible with stupid microtransactions, season passes... or simply increasing the price of AAA games every few years by an additional €10 and see how the players will react.”
    • “It feels like being interrupted by pop-up ads every few moments, except instead of selling you things they patronize you.”
    • “This game completely threw me off guard because it had a lot of advertisement and yet is horrible.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

66% average critic score

Buy Forspoken

Play time

6hMedian play time
15hAverage play time
3-20hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 53 analyzed playthroughs

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