Forspoken: Everything We Know About Square Enix’s Open-World Action Fantasy Game

Forspoken is a rarity for Square Enix these days. The RPG publisher dabbles frequently in smaller titles based on new ideas, but it’s rare to see a big budget, triple-A experience taking place in a wholly original universe. That kind of development money is usually set aside for titles like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. In any case, Square Enix has shown some real confidence in the game with gameplay footage showing off impressive visuals that make it look like a game that belongs on the current generation of consoles and boasts impressive load times.

Frey’s closest ally in Forspoken will be the particle effects.

As we head into Summer Game Fest and all the various Not-E3 summer events we decided to check in on Forspoken and outline everything we know about the game ahead of its planned October 2022 release date.

Release date

Forspoken is scheduled to be released on PlayStation 5 and PC on October 11, 2022.

What we know

Announced as Project Athia before changing its name, Forspoken follows protagonist Frey Holland, a contemporary New Yorker with a cat named Homer, who gets transported to the magical world of Athia. Frey discovers she has magical abilities in Athia and is also able to resist The Break–a magical storm-like phenomenon the average citizen of Athia cannot survive. This puts Frey in a position to be a reluctant (and vulgar, if gameplay demos and trailers are any indication) hero to potentially help save this magical world. All she wants to do, however, is get home. You can read more details about Forspoken’s story here.

Frey can survive the dangers of Athia better than its locals for some mysterious reason.

Forspoken is an open-world action game with an emphasis on high-speed traversal. With her newfound abilities, Frey can sprint and leap at speeds that make Spider-Man jealous. She also has access to an abundance of offensive and defensive magical abilities she uses to fight The Break and the monsters it summons. Frey changes and upgrades these magical abilities based on the type of finger nail polish she wears.

Takeshi Aramaki and Takefumi Terada are the co-directors on Forspoken. Aramaki was the lead programmer on Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XV and also led the development of Final Fantasy XV’s DLCs and the PC version of Final Fantasy XV. Terada also has a history with the Final Fantasy series having worked on Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII as well as Final Fantasy XV and its DLCs. Forspoken is being built with Square Enix’s proprietary Luminous Engine, which was used to create Final Fantasy XV, as well as the still impressive Agni’s Philosophy tech demo from 2012.

It’s entirely possible this could be a friendly NPC.

The game’s story and script is credited to a number of different writers with various levels of involvement. Amy Hennig (the creator of the Uncharted series) and Gary Whitta (writer of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story among other movies and video games) both appear in the credits, though how much they are involved is unclear. Todd Stashwick (writing credits include Forspoken and Amy Hennig’s Star Wars project), Anne Toole (Days Gone, Horizon Zero Dawn), and Allison Rymer and K-Michel Parandi (who are both working on the upcoming Earthworm Jim TV show) are also listed in the game’s credits.

Platforms

Forspoken is releasing on PlayStation 5 and PC.

PC system specs

Forspoken’s Steam page has not offered substantial details about where your PC should be yet, but it does say it requires a 64-bit processor and operating system

Trailers

Forspoken’s 2022 Sony State of Play trailer showcases gameplay, specifically, with Frey showing off all kinds of acrobatic and combat abilities as well as some kind of magical hoverboard that I can only assume is inspired by a similar mechanic in Jak II.

The 2021 PlayStation Showcase trailer offers some insight into the game’s story and introduces, Cuff, Frey’s guide that lives on her wrist.

Multiplayer details

Forspoken is a single player, open-world action game. Square Enix generally specializes in single-player games, so it’s unlikely there will ever be a multiplayer component.

DLC/Microtransaction details

Square Enix has not outlined plans for extensive DLC or microtransactions, but it is a video released in the year 2022, so it’s safe to assume there will be some effort made to extend its monetization. The Digital Deluxe version of the game (outlined below) does reference early access to the In Tanta We Trust Prequel Story DLC. It’s likely that DLC will be available to purchase separately for those who do not purchase the Digital Deluxe version of the game.

Forspoken’s Digital Deluxe version will also be available on PC via Steam.

Price and Preorder details

You can preorder Forspoken on Steam or PlayStation 5. The Standard edition on both platforms includes an unspecified pre-order bonus and is $69.99. There is also a Digital Deluxe version on both platforms for $94.99 that includes a mini soundtrack, mini artbook, early access to the Forspoken: In Tanta We Trust Prequel Story DLC, a rare resource Kit, and the previously mentioned unspecified pre-order bonus.