Protagonist Frey Holland is an abrasive character who doesn’t have much time for anyone or the fish-out-of-water scenario she finds herself in.

The story is the age-old Alice in Wonderland/Wizard of Oz tale of a stranger being transported to a magical land and (presumably) leaving as their saviour. I’m holding out hope that it develops substantially and with greater speed, because in truth there was sadly little else about Forspoken that held my attention. It’s a battle system that does show genuine promise, and it left me with reasons to be excited about the possibilities of juggling different magic types and the effects combining spells can have on enemies. While I’ve so far been unable to use them, I’ve seen glimpses of extensive skill trees, filled with bigger and better abilities that tease evolving and exciting gameplay. It does like good fun, though, as we mentioned in our previous preview.

It wasn’t until the very end of my playtime that I unlocked the much more interesting fire magic, for example, which sadly meant I wasn’t able to wield it. I do fear that being restricted to these fairly basic abilities for so much of the start of Forspoken isn’t the best way to introduce its combat systems, as it offers barely a taste of its promised excitement. I had fun mixing these standard spells with much more interesting support skills, such as conjuring roots from the ground to tie down enemies and summoning a little plant turret friend to help out in sticky situations.Īll of these abilities belong to the earth-based magic skill tree, one of four different elemental types you’ll acquire over the course of the adventure. Once new unlocks start presenting themselves, however, it all becomes a whole bunch more interesting. That primary ‘fire’ can be toggled between Scatter, Burst, and Shield Shots, effectively acting as a magical assault rifle, SMG, and shotgun respectively. This can lead to early stretches feeling a bit one-note as you hold the trigger to fire chunks of rock at enemies while occasionally dodging an attack. There are over 100 spells to wield in Forspoken – many of which appear genuinely exciting in gameplay trailers – but you’re limited to an unexceptional select few in those first chapters. Its quick nature and the way it always keeps you on your toes as you juggle its many magical abilities harbours genuine tactical promise. Regardless of my defeat at the hands of more daunting foes, combat is where Forspoken is at its most engaging.

Forspoken impressions