Forspoken is the debut adventure from developer Luminous Productions. Following the story of protagonist Frey Holland, the upcoming RPG sees you plucked from New York and hurtled into the fantasy land of Athia. With a team that includes developers who previously worked on Final Fantasy 15, writers from TV, films, and games were also brought on board to create the story of the adventure.
First revealed back in 2020, we've gotten to see more footage of Forspoken in action and even got the chance to try out some of the combat for ourselves in a hands-on preview. With a closer look at combat and traversal, we've seen how Forspoken will allow you to move around the landscapes using magical parkour and fight against enemies with a host of different spells and moves.
Below, you'll find everything we know so far about Forspoken, from it's expected release date to story details and more.
Forspoken release date
Forspoken is now officially releasing on January 24, 2023. The move to 2023 marks the second time Forspoken has been delayed after it was initially pushed back from its original May launch date to October 2022. Luminous Productions confirmed the new release date on Twitter, citing that the reason for the second delay is a result of a "strategic decision" after discussions with its key partners. The studio did however confirm all of the "game elements" are now complete, and it's now in its final polishing phase.
In terms of platforms, Sony has the exclusive on the console front, so it won’t be coming to either Xbox One or the Nintendo Switch. A video from Sony that highlighted Forspoken among other upcoming PS5 games includes this in the fine print: "In development for PS5. Also available on PC. Not available on other consoles until at least 24 months after release date."
Forspoken PlayStation Showcase trailer
We got an extended look at Forspoken during PlayStation's September 2021 showcase, and there's a lot to take in. We learn more about Frey Holland (and her adorable cat), and how she ended up in Athia (through a portal). We see how her power derives from a set of gold cuffs that can speak to her, and that these cuffs offer her some incredible magical moves that help her make easy work of foes.
We also know that Frey will end up face-to-face with a big baddie known as Tanta Sila, played by Star Wars Battlefront 2's Janina Gavankar.
Forspoken gameplay details
What we've seen so far of Forspoken showcases how Frey will be a particularly athletic hero. The main character has a skill known as magic parkour, which allows her to run fast, leap great distances, and use the environment to swing across gaps and climb vertical inclines.
The latest look at the upcoming adventure offered insight into how magic is at the center of everything in Forspoken, from combat to exploration. Frey is outfitted with a variety of magical spells and combat styles that you can use and adapt depending on your preferred style of play. From long distance powers to close range spells, there's all manner of magical attacks to experiment with.
With RPG elements such as crafting and upgrades, you can improve a variety of Frey's skills. Gear can also be equipped such as necklaces and capes to improve stats. In order to bring together realism with fantasy, Frey can use shards to paint patterns on her nails to make spellcasting more powerful.
In our hands-on preview with Forspoken, we got the chance to try out some of the the layered spells in Frey's arsenal.
Forspoken story details
Forspoken is a game about a young woman named Frey from New York City who is about to turn 21 years old. Before long, she finds herself transported to the world of Athia, "where fantasies and nightmares are suddenly very real".
"As the first video game I’ve worked on, it’s remarkable to see the incredible world and story of Forspoken come together, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy," said Balinska what she's seen of Forspoken so far.
"Frey as a character is real, she’s raw, she’s a girl who lost her way - both figuratively and literally - and is a character I immediately connected with, as I feel many people around the world will too when they set off on this adventure."
In this magical and dangerous world, Frey must learn to harness newfound magical powers in order to defeat monsters and the Tantas, who hold dominion over the land. Her magic derives from her "Cuff" a magical bracelet that can speak to her (and is voiced by Jonathan Cake). Frey must defeat the Tantas with the help of Cuff in order to have a chance of returning back to New York City - and her cat.
The team writing the story is being led by Gary Whitta, who has written for, among other games, Prey. Forspoken's writing team comes from across “the worlds of film, tv, games, and fantasy literature”, he said on Twitter. So far, we know that Amy Hennig, Todd Stashwick, and Alison Rhymer are among the talent involved.
Forspoken is said to have super fast loading times
According to Luminous Productions technical director Teppei Ono, Forspoken's load times are said to be very fast on the PS5. It's so fast, in fact, that it will supposedly take barely one second to load on Sony's latest hardware.
