Forspoken: Release Date, Gameplay, Trailers, And More

Of all the upcoming role-playing games from Square Enix, Forspoken looks like one of the most interesting. The Forspoken release date was revealed during The Game Awards 2021, and the new movement-based action RPG isn't far away. Excitingly, it's in development by the same team that made Final Fantasy XV, and it will utilise a fully next-generation engine. For all the information we know about Forspoken, including the release date, gameplay, and story, read on. 

Forspoken: Release Date

Forspoken currently has a locked in release date of January 24th, 2023, after several long delays. The game was originally announcement during 2020, and considering the team is relatively fresh off Final Fantasy XV, we thought it would be a little longer until we saw the game release. Thankfully, January isn't that far away, and the wait will fly by. 

Forspoken: Trailers

There are three main trailers for Forspoken so far. In March 2021, the Official Title Announcement was dropped, which changed its public name from Project Athia to Forspoken. It didn't show much except for a little scene with the protagonist Frey, played by Ella Balinska, where she hid from a dragon.

The next trailer came at the PlayStation showcase in September 2021, that finally revealed more about the game's story. It begins with the character Frey living in modern day New York, lamenting her misfortunes, before she is suddenly transported to a different world. She then strikes up a conversation with her magical cuff, who acts as a companion in the experience, before some gameplay is shown.

It highlights the movement-heavy gameplay, that focuses on fast and fluid terrain traversal, as she seemingly glides across rooftops, through ruins, and across entire vistas. We also get a glimpse into her personality, as she acts excited about her newfound powers and blasts out a few quips.

The PlayStation Showcase trailer ends with some more story information, where we learn of the matriarchs that rule over the land of Athia, and the most powerful of all, Tanta Sila, who acts as the foremost tyrant for Frey to overthrow. 

Lastly, there is The Game Awards 2021 trailer, which, aside from revealing the release date, displayed a little more about Frey's story in Athia. It also gave us another look at the traversal and combat gameplay. 

Forspoken: Gameplay And Story

Forspoken's gameplay is very movement and action heavy, punctuated by the most recent trailer that gave us the best look at combat yet. You'll have a bunch of different spells at your disposal, such as a huge shockwave, magical Gatling gun, and a sword that appears to be summoned. It's confirmed there'll be a weapon wheel for these abilities, but we don't know how many Frey will be able to make use of.

There are also a tonne of movement options in the game, with the trailers highlighting water surfing, floating across the sky, and summoning invisible stepping stones. This only scratches the surface of the movement and combat, but there looks to be plenty of different methods to play your Frey. 

It's also worth noting the importance of Forspoken's Luminous Engine. The engine has allowed the game to look truly next-gen, with ray-traced lighting effects, and procedural generation for the huge landscapes. 

The story of Forspoken will follow Frey, who lives in modern-day New York but is suddenly transported to Athia on her 21st birthday, and her quest to travel back to her own world. The land of Athia is dangerous and unpredictable, full of strange creatures, magic, and a tyrannical group of matriarchs led by Tanta Sila. Along the way, you will meet other characters who can help or harm you on your journey, with a scene in one of the trailers showing Frey chained in a court. 

Forspoken: Platforms

Forspoken will launch on PlayStation 5 and select PC storefronts. The game will be a PS5 console exclusive for two years before it can be released on other consoles.