Forspoken’s story and dialogue have no chill

From the moment Frey set foot in the medieval Gensokyo Asia, force spoke full influence.

She runs and crouches under the broken walls of an abandoned castle with a giant dragon chasing her. She gets a nasty talkative companion named Kafu, a gold bracelet who literally speaks. Then, after narrowly avoiding danger, she gets a dramatic bird’s-eye view dominated by massive stone landmarks arching into the sky.

The game seems to be screaming: It’s a JRPG! This is another world! There might be some glorious anime bullshit here! Even details like the stone landmarks reminded me of the Gaur Plain from Xenoblade Chronicles. But despite initial promise, much of Frey’s time in Asia unfolds without the whimsy or necessary amount of levity. It strikes a uniquely serious tone that is difficult to put up with.

Luminous Productions imbues Athia with a kind of pervasive sadness. This mostly stems from the “bubonic plague vibe” it’s going for. There’s no real plague, but there’s a dark, stormy cloud that envelops the entire town and kills all living things there. Abandoned It also relies on a photorealistic graphic style that, despite some of the vivid magic in combat, isn’t overly colorful. Even its flowers look a bit sad and colorless.

Then we have Frey’s story, which is also very sad! She is an orphan who was abandoned by her parents at birth. She lives in poverty in New York City, and the day she finally saves enough money to move and live a better life, her house is burnt down by a gang. She finds her newfound confidence in Asia, but she still lives her lonely life. On her journey, she is not joined by a band of her peers who fill cutscenes with romantic monologues about the power of her friendship.

She’s an outsider in Atia’s world, and (without spoiling anything) gets a burn when she opens her mind a little.

Frey’s magical parkour abilities allow her to fly around the world untethered. But outside that mechanism, Abandoned Like many other “serious” games, it lacks the lighthearted moments that allow players to endure the long, sad and sometimes arduous journey. No silly cacti popping up to make you laugh. No overly cocky friends standing by your side. There is no whimsical moment when you can take a break and recover from it all. Probably the closest thing is a cute little side quest to feed the sheep, but even then, the black screen text just says you fed the sheep, so actually seeing Frey feed the sheep It’s a little boring because you can’t

Image: Luminous Productions/Square Enix via Polygon

There’s a reason comic relief is so common in blockbuster movies and video games. This will give the audience a breather before the next exciting yet stressful set piece. Abandoned The apparent seriousness in its overarching narrative makes the dialogue too heavy to bear. Some popular AAA games are stocked with bad jokes and stiff self-narration, Abandoned It’s not a world where silly things happen and people talk in bizarre and unbelievable ways, so when they fail, they seem to get even more depressed. It doesn’t feel like a self-condemnation.

Personally, I think Frey deserves to be enjoyed. She clearly enjoys the points. The first time she uses her magical parkour ability, she says. I’m catching some serious air! Her life and story don’t have to be completely goofy, but all sad medieval stuff could use some pushback. For me, it’s exhausting enough to push me away.