Game On: Forspoken – trying to do a bit too much?

The game seems a bit undercooked, unfocused.

Hyderabad: I begin this review by apologising to a close friend who times and again asked me not to get carried away by the possibilities of Forspoken, a long-time confidant and at times a conscience keeper for when I get overexcited, my friend is the reality check that I need. I absolutely hate it that he was right about Forspoken, but I am also glad he was because when it comes to video games, the best of us can get carried away. I have been earnestly searching for a game that recreates or improves the experience of Dragon Age Inquisition – it’s been nine long years and not one has come close. After nearly a week with Forspoken, my search has resumed again.

There’s not much about Forspoken that hasn’t already been written or said, some have called the dialogue cringy, and others have felt that the world of Athia is sparse and its visual quality inconsistent. Some have appreciated the many wonderfully designed spells that the game offers and a few have noted how the game lacks the excitement of entering a new IP/ universe.

I, for one, felt all of these and more, as there were moments I simply didn’t want to be carrying on Frey’s journey. In my assessment, the biggest problem with Forspoken is one of cohesion. All its parts work but they don’t work together — not once did I feel that the world of Athia was alive or dynamic, and I definitely didn’t feel I belonged.

How was Square Enix planning to get me to finish a campaign that is over 20 hours and experiment with 100 spells if I didn’t want to be there? At times after a few tries, I simply moved on to another game on my PS5. The signs were there all along. The demo was a mess and the review copies landed too late. While Square Enix updated the demo and assured players that the final game would be better, how were they planning to fix the major concerns like — rewriting the dialogue, filling a world with things to do, or redesigning the way people approached the game’s quests?

Elements that are essential to a game’s conceptualisation and are inherently felt in every minute one spends in the game world, changing them would need the game to be rebuilt from the ground up. Thus, we have Forspoken a game with over a hundred spells and more cool-down timers than you can keep track of, a game that allows you to parkour with glowy boots – an action that never seems natural or intuitive – and a character for whom you just can’t root.

I am back to Dragon Age Inquisition this summer, what about you?