After waiting and waiting and waiting for Forspoken to grab my attention and see if it was worth it, we finally get a full 10-minute trailer to give us a better idea of what the game will look and feel like. And after looking at it, I'm unfortunately not impressed.
I have no problem with that.I've described how Square Enix has been regressive for years on how they handle black characters. I think Barrett for example was of the times, but there's no excuse for Sahz to be a stereotype. Characters like Barrett and Sahz deserve better than the tropes they follow. When it comes to FOrspoken, so far the appeal in Forspoken just doesn't seem to live up to the hype that Square Enix keeps pushing.
Luminous Production wanted to make a character that we knew of in real life, and they want to make a character they normally wouldn't make for a Japanese audience that's normally treated as a side character or a stereotype.
The first thing that is immediately noticeable is Frey Holland just doesn't match the background they gave her. She speaks more refined than the average American, and with the idea that she gets into fights with other gangs/rebel teens, she should be more of a loudmouth. The personality though seems like she's just curious and slightly adventurous. And when she does curse, it sounds like she's trying to be cool, more than just coming out naturally. It may be the writer in me, but I make it a big deal to follow personality types, and swearing/cursing is usually a strong indicator of what personality. Frey Holland is played by an English actress, and some of the writers are English as well, and it shows a lot in the writing. So her "New York" roots just don't seem to show at all.
For example, "12 Minutes" has James McAvoy (Scottish) and Daisy Ridley (English), written by writers from different countries. They do a really convincing job of sounding "American", although it becomes clear it's not written by Americans, and the actors aren't American just by how they handle cursing. Especially how they handle "f*ck". The only exception is Wilem Dafoe who is American.
Now 12 Minutes is still a good game. I recommend it, and I don't think it's that noticeable to the average player. But with Forspoken, it's glaringly obvious. I can hear Frey's English accent seeping into every sentence. It comes across as very cringey when you hear a voice actor, not matching the energy they're supposed to give. Some of her terms just don't sound natural coming from her. fighting "Jacked up beasts", talking to "a cuff" and other terms seem awkward in execution more than what she's saying.
For me, It would make sense if Frey was originally from the UK, or other English-speaking territories and immigrated to the US. On top of the whole "troublemaker" trope they try to give her, I would've appreciated the idea more 10 years ago, but I can't imagine this new generation getting into the type of trouble Frey does to consider it relatable. And if so, at least not as composed as she presents herself.
It's like Luminous Production wants a trope for Frey to fill, not knowing it's not the most realistic trope, but they do it in the name of realism. In the end, Frey's background feels like an afterthought. They wanted to make a character different on the surface, but still, be that typical JRPG main character the Japanese are familiar with. And since she's not Japanese, "New York" is the go-to place to get the common American template. Unfortunate to see that you still see the Japanese stereotypes of Americans seeping through.
If the world doesn't draw me in, and the main character isn't drawing me in either, I then rely on supporting characters. Not just the main character. And once again, there seems to be a lack of characters to pay attention to. I can't seem to find any pictures of any of the supporting characters they mention such as The main antagonists are the only ones shown but that's about it. For a story about a character getting isekai'd into a fantasy world, with who she meets and develops relationships is part of the appeal of the genre.
The first thing I want to mention is Camera placement. the camera doesn't seem that dynamic, always set specifically on Frey's back, and Frey is always at the left of the screen. So any jolt she makes, you notice the camera move, before you get a chance to see Frey move. It could also be that the demo just refused to move the camera. I think the decision to do that was because it looks like Frey is mostly a long-range fighter, which is fine, but there are short-range attacks too. It would've made more sense trying to place Frey closer to the center of the camera and switch to the "over-the-shoulder" style combat for when ranged attacks are used. Then again, it's hard to tell if the game auto-locks or you are free-aiming. Regardless, the shift in camera positions would be nice.
The animation is very awkward but I can't tell if it's the way the demo was made, or just the game itself. For example, Frey's magical run and normal run don't have a good transition. It's instantaneous and you see the jolt or a pull with the camera. The same thing with her attacks and movements. I'm sure it may feel fun once playing, but the action is hard to keep up with how the camera moves. There are moments when Frey will pause and instantly jump high into the air with little delay or wind up.
A game that handles it better just by looking at it is Nier Automata. The camera never jolts around for the character, it stays mostly stationary. For the most part in combat, you have free control, and when the camera is stationary, it's not toward the character and just where the camera would be most comfortable. But the game is also mostly short-range melee with the range attacks being auto-locked. So I understand how they couldn't do that with Forspoken as easily.
Theres these Hookshot moments which again, constantly pull the camera. For me, they don't look fun. Forspoken is very choppy when it comes to those moments. In one instance, Frey is free falling slowly, and in another she instantly teleports to the next target.
If it's not clear what the problem is with the gameplay, i will try to summarize it. there's something about the weight or gravity of the game. In most games, just by looking at the gameplay, you can get a good sense of the character's weight or the game's gravity just by looking at it. For example, you don't need to play Kingdom Hearts to know that the gameplay is floaty, and Sora has delayed gravity. In Spiderman, you can see the gravity pull and push him when he swings with the spider web, and there's a sense of resistance that you can see. It helps believe that the web is elastic and it's that elasticity that helps Spider-man swing. Frey's weight or gravity is hard to decipher. She moves quickly, but it's hard to figure out why she's fast. In some moments it looks like she is using magic on her feet to move quickly, but in other times she looks like she is levitating off the ground and she's just floating across the land (all with the same speed).
It's like you're never supposed to feel like you have control of Frey, frey is just too powerful for her own good and that's why she jolts, slides, runs, at a very inconsistent way. Like she's a god.
The Main Salespitch: Frey Holland
There seems to be an underlying message from Square Enix that the main hook of the game is that the main character is black. They've mentioned it multiple times in interviews, and it seems to be the driving force of the narrative.I have no problem with that.I've described how Square Enix has been regressive for years on how they handle black characters. I think Barrett for example was of the times, but there's no excuse for Sahz to be a stereotype. Characters like Barrett and Sahz deserve better than the tropes they follow. When it comes to FOrspoken, so far the appeal in Forspoken just doesn't seem to live up to the hype that Square Enix keeps pushing.
Luminous Production wanted to make a character that we knew of in real life, and they want to make a character they normally wouldn't make for a Japanese audience that's normally treated as a side character or a stereotype.
The first thing that is immediately noticeable is Frey Holland just doesn't match the background they gave her. She speaks more refined than the average American, and with the idea that she gets into fights with other gangs/rebel teens, she should be more of a loudmouth. The personality though seems like she's just curious and slightly adventurous. And when she does curse, it sounds like she's trying to be cool, more than just coming out naturally. It may be the writer in me, but I make it a big deal to follow personality types, and swearing/cursing is usually a strong indicator of what personality. Frey Holland is played by an English actress, and some of the writers are English as well, and it shows a lot in the writing. So her "New York" roots just don't seem to show at all.
For example, "12 Minutes" has James McAvoy (Scottish) and Daisy Ridley (English), written by writers from different countries. They do a really convincing job of sounding "American", although it becomes clear it's not written by Americans, and the actors aren't American just by how they handle cursing. Especially how they handle "f*ck". The only exception is Wilem Dafoe who is American.
Now 12 Minutes is still a good game. I recommend it, and I don't think it's that noticeable to the average player. But with Forspoken, it's glaringly obvious. I can hear Frey's English accent seeping into every sentence. It comes across as very cringey when you hear a voice actor, not matching the energy they're supposed to give. Some of her terms just don't sound natural coming from her. fighting "Jacked up beasts", talking to "a cuff" and other terms seem awkward in execution more than what she's saying.
For me, It would make sense if Frey was originally from the UK, or other English-speaking territories and immigrated to the US. On top of the whole "troublemaker" trope they try to give her, I would've appreciated the idea more 10 years ago, but I can't imagine this new generation getting into the type of trouble Frey does to consider it relatable. And if so, at least not as composed as she presents herself.
It's like Luminous Production wants a trope for Frey to fill, not knowing it's not the most realistic trope, but they do it in the name of realism. In the end, Frey's background feels like an afterthought. They wanted to make a character different on the surface, but still, be that typical JRPG main character the Japanese are familiar with. And since she's not Japanese, "New York" is the go-to place to get the common American template. Unfortunate to see that you still see the Japanese stereotypes of Americans seeping through.
What about the other things that people care about in a JRPG?
I usually play Square Enix games for lore and story. And from what I've seen, Forspoken's world is basic. I haven't seen anything in the world of Athia to draw me in. it's almost as if Luminous Production made a world as an excuse, and the main character is the only draw point that LP wants me to focus on. One of the things I've noticed is the heavy lighting and shadows making it hard to appreciate what I'm looking at. Compared to something like God of War 4, every enemy was clear and easy to appreciate their design at a glace, Forspoken makes it very hard to look at just one enemy. In the 10-minute demo, I saw Frey fight what I believe was a reindeer but I had to pause multiple times just to get a good glimpse because of the heavy shadows. This also applies to the land as well. It doesn't help that these characters speak as if they're from another time on Earth rather than from another world.If the world doesn't draw me in, and the main character isn't drawing me in either, I then rely on supporting characters. Not just the main character. And once again, there seems to be a lack of characters to pay attention to. I can't seem to find any pictures of any of the supporting characters they mention such as The main antagonists are the only ones shown but that's about it. For a story about a character getting isekai'd into a fantasy world, with who she meets and develops relationships is part of the appeal of the genre.
Lastly Gameplay
If the world isn't interesting if I don't have an attachment to the characters. is the game fun? There is no hands-on demo of the game yet. So I can't judge for 70% of the gameplay experience. The only thing I can judge about the gameplay so far, is how comfortable my eyes feel seeing the game in action. And so far, there is a sense of motion sickness to it all. It reminds me a little of Kingdom Hearts 3 combat. Very fast-paced and moves a lot. Some things are different from Kingdom hearts 3 that don't make the experience as pleasant visually.The first thing I want to mention is Camera placement. the camera doesn't seem that dynamic, always set specifically on Frey's back, and Frey is always at the left of the screen. So any jolt she makes, you notice the camera move, before you get a chance to see Frey move. It could also be that the demo just refused to move the camera. I think the decision to do that was because it looks like Frey is mostly a long-range fighter, which is fine, but there are short-range attacks too. It would've made more sense trying to place Frey closer to the center of the camera and switch to the "over-the-shoulder" style combat for when ranged attacks are used. Then again, it's hard to tell if the game auto-locks or you are free-aiming. Regardless, the shift in camera positions would be nice.
The animation is very awkward but I can't tell if it's the way the demo was made, or just the game itself. For example, Frey's magical run and normal run don't have a good transition. It's instantaneous and you see the jolt or a pull with the camera. The same thing with her attacks and movements. I'm sure it may feel fun once playing, but the action is hard to keep up with how the camera moves. There are moments when Frey will pause and instantly jump high into the air with little delay or wind up.
A game that handles it better just by looking at it is Nier Automata. The camera never jolts around for the character, it stays mostly stationary. For the most part in combat, you have free control, and when the camera is stationary, it's not toward the character and just where the camera would be most comfortable. But the game is also mostly short-range melee with the range attacks being auto-locked. So I understand how they couldn't do that with Forspoken as easily.
Theres these Hookshot moments which again, constantly pull the camera. For me, they don't look fun. Forspoken is very choppy when it comes to those moments. In one instance, Frey is free falling slowly, and in another she instantly teleports to the next target.
If it's not clear what the problem is with the gameplay, i will try to summarize it. there's something about the weight or gravity of the game. In most games, just by looking at the gameplay, you can get a good sense of the character's weight or the game's gravity just by looking at it. For example, you don't need to play Kingdom Hearts to know that the gameplay is floaty, and Sora has delayed gravity. In Spiderman, you can see the gravity pull and push him when he swings with the spider web, and there's a sense of resistance that you can see. It helps believe that the web is elastic and it's that elasticity that helps Spider-man swing. Frey's weight or gravity is hard to decipher. She moves quickly, but it's hard to figure out why she's fast. In some moments it looks like she is using magic on her feet to move quickly, but in other times she looks like she is levitating off the ground and she's just floating across the land (all with the same speed).
It's like you're never supposed to feel like you have control of Frey, frey is just too powerful for her own good and that's why she jolts, slides, runs, at a very inconsistent way. Like she's a god.
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