Why Forspoken Isn't A Total Bomb
From the beginning, players were cautious of "Forspoken." The demo left gamers divided, and early critical reviews looked the same with Metacritic scores of 67 (PC) and 65 (PS5). On release, a vast majority of players were incredibly loud with the hate they gave the game, and player reviews of it plummeted as "Forspoken" just didn't get the reaction Square Enix hoped for.
However, many of the critiques of the game were extremely harsh. The game's price tag, along with reactions to the demo, gave many people a bad taste in their mouths before the game was fully released. Coupled with a pretty sub-par start to the game, it struck a bad chord with audiences –- especially those unwilling to give the game more than a few hours of time.
Many of the elements of "Forspoken" aren't nearly as bad as they're exaggerated to be online. In fact, many people loved the game and praised parts of it that many may have hopped on a bandwagon against.
Misunderstood dialogue and story
One of the biggest critiques of "Forspoken" was about the narrative elements, especially between what some called emotionless writing and a lackluster story. However, many were quick to refute these statements as plenty of people enjoyed the quirky comedy of the game that some players may not have recognized.
Twitter user @ItsJontis shared a clip of dialogue between Frey and Cuff that highlighted some of the cutscene banter between the two. The user explained that it's not supposed to be too serious; it's dry comedy. Others mentioned the same thing, and Reddit user u/FabioHoneynuts pointed out that the lead writer, Todd Stashwick, was a stand-up comedian.
The Britannica definition of deadpan humor is "showing no feeling or emotion — used to describe humor that is done or said in a serious way." "Forspoken" critique often argued that there wasn't much change in emotions or expressions, which is exactly what this type of comedy is about. It's not that it wasn't well written; it's just a specific type of writing.
The story speaks for itself. Many really enjoyed the isekai fantasy, and Reddit user u/clapped____ wrote that it was "generic but fine" because it allowed them to turn off their brain and still enjoy the game, which is precisely what they wanted from a video game. Again, it wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but it's not bad either.
Fun combination of combat and parkour elements
Many people agreed that the parkour adventuring and combat of "Forspoken" was great and felt fun to play. Frey's ability to run, jump, and zip around both outside of and during combat makes adventuring in the open world extremely enjoyable. While obviously not everyone was won over by the mechanics, critics and players alike generally praised the movement.
In a four-minute YouTube video from Broomstick Gaming, Frey's impressive and fast-paced combat skills are shown off. Plus, there's a myriad of options while fighting, so it doesn't feel stale — with different spells, different ways to go, and a plethora of combinations, it's no wonder critics like PC Invasion's Jason Rodriguez had near-endless praise for it.
In fact, SVG's review for the game recommended to "play it for the parkour magic" at the very least. And while the combat feels great, it looks nearly as good.
Great graphics and aesthetic details
Part of what caused near-instant discourse among "Forspoken" discussions was the incredibly high PC requirements, and what that would mean for standard or lower-end PCs. After the game was released, many complained that it looked rough, even on consoles where requirements don't affect much.
That was the narrative on graphics when the game was released. However, players started to share their in-game footage that tells a different story. Twitter user @profjpg shared a clip of Frey using various abilities, and how her costume and environment interact with the different elements. Another Twitter user, @DENGOJIN, shared a clip of Frey with her hair down in the wind. The physics of her hair show just how detailed the graphics in the game are.
Even clips of combat show just how impressive parts of the game are. It might not be the next "Elden Ring" in terms of beauty, and it may not be as well optimized as it could be, but it's by no means bad. That seems to be the sum of everything about "Forspoken" –- it's not the best, but it's certainly not as bad as many claimed it to be.