You are Alfre ‘Frey’ Holland. A lost teen on the mean streets of New York city doing whatever it takes to survive.

But young Frey (Ella Balinska), who’s parents are a mystery and was raised in foster homes, has gotten in with a bad crowd.

Living alone, with a stray cat she adopted, Frey has been planning her escape from the life she lives, after a recent brush with the law.

Things don’t go as planned. Frey soon finds herself alone, hungry, lost and homeless. Desperate… until fate steps in.

Finding a golden snake like cuff in an abandoned store Frey’s world literally changes forever.

Forpsoken is an ambitious and epic RPG set in a fantasy realm called Althia. A place that Frey was transported to once adorning the cuff.

There are, in fact, two characters in one. Frey and cuff, who’s powers you rely on to survive.

Cuff, or Vambrace as he prefers to be called has sass, a dry sense of humour and a well-to-do accent.

Throughout your entire play there will be chatter between cuff and Frey. At times vital, other times helpful and other’s annoying. but you can toggle the chat option to your liking.

The world of Athia is huge. Exploration is a must. There are literally so many goodies, hidden secrets and loot to be found.

Your enemies vary from beasts to zombies to larger than screen dragons and more.

As mentioned, your cuff (or Vambrace) is your unlikely best friend, albeit an annoying one.

It gives you the magical powers to parkour up vertical surfaces, quick dash out of harm’s way, fire upon baddies and more and can be upgraded.

Forspoken uses a skill tree much like many other RPG’s. It’s real simple to use and as you likely guessed it, as you gain Experience you will Level up and increase your skills and / or offense and defense.

There’s a lot to do in Forspoken. Asides from your main quest you may pick up side gigs here and there and you will end up in an unexpected brawl, especially if you’re exploring (which I fully recommend you do).

In villages or areas that have abandoned buildings you will come across crafting benches. It’s here that you can mix and build from components and plants that you’ve picked up throughout your play across the vast terrain.

Increase the defense and abilities of your cloak. Up your health stats and concoct life saving health remedies that you’ll most definitely need later.

Your main objective is to save the people of Athia, even if they are suspicious of you, an outsider.

Sometimes aided and other times impeded by NPC’s Frey’s journey as a hero and self discovery is an ever engrossing narrative that, for me, compelled me to play on.

From encounters with the Tanta’s, the overseers of Althia that are just as corrupt as the corruption they are spreading throughout the world, through to some adrenaline fueled parkour moments lifting you to a point of a breathtaking vista of the lands and surroundings.

In Forspoken, if you can see it in the distance, you can get there and explore.

RPG’s are my fav genre and this can make me critical of some that don’t quite tick all boxes. Forspoken is not one of those. There’s enough going on to keep you in game for a lot longer than you’d realize.

If, like me, you love a good RPG, one that gives you the freedom to play how you want, get back to the main story when you’re ready and has so much to do within the gameplay’s rich story, Forspoken is a must.

The post Forspoken (PlayStation 5) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Today, SQUARE ENIX and Luminous Productions revealed a new “Worlds Collide” trailer for their debut title, Forspoken.

New gameplay footage featured in the trailer showcases protagonist, Frey Holland, colliding with the world of Athia as she traverses around its sprawling landscapes. It also gives players a glimpse of the beautiful, yet deadly, enemies they will encounter and magical powers they will harness.

The new gameplay trailer showcases Frey’s newfound confidence as she rises to the challenge to save Athia and its people, and the trials she faces along the way in the unfamiliar world she has been mysteriously transported to.

Players are given a closer look at some of the magical abilities Frey learns along her journey. These powers include ‘Storm Dart,’ which enables players to emit electrical energy during battle, as well as the ability to command barriers of water with the “Eagre” move.

The moment-to-moment gameplay footage also introduces the devastating impact of the “Break” in Athia, a devastating miasma that corrupts everything it touches, including humans and animals.

Several corrupted creatures’ players can expect to go head-to-head with in the game are featured, including the earth-shaking Gigas, the flying Apsaravis and more. Players are also given a closer look at the fierce Dragon that “welcomes” Frey to Athia, in addition to Frey’s fast-paced magic parkour and combat skills as she evades the fearsome creature’s brute-force attacks during an intense confrontation.

Designed for PS5, Forspoken will harness the full power of the console and demonstrate Luminous Productions’ philosophy to provide a gaming experience like never before, fusing together the latest technology with creativity. Forspoken will launch simultaneously on PS5 and PC (via STEAM, Epic Games Store or Microsoft Store) on October 11th, 2022.

The Forspoken: In Tanta We Trust Story DLC will be available Spring 2023, following the game’s launch.

The post FORSPOKEN GAMEPLAY TRAILER | State of Play appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

SQUARE ENIX has now unveiled a new story trailer for Luminous Productions’ debut title, Forspoken.

The new footage reveals more details about the protagonist Frey, a directionless, gritty yet street smart young woman who has persevered despite her rough upbringing in New York City.

The new story trailer also gives fans a closer look at Forspoken’s magic-infused combat and swift, dynamic movement, playing a key role in gameplay.

Through the course of her journey, Frey will learn to cast and harness dozens of different types of magic and cast powerful spells as she traverses through the beautiful yet cruel land of Athia.

Frey’s quest in Athia will take her through a variety of diverse environments where she will use magic enhanced parkour. This dynamic and acrobatic movement, enhanced by Frey’s mystical abilities, enables her to magically flow, zip and float across the vast landscapes of Athia in a fast and fluid manner.

Other key characters in Forspoken are highlighted in the trailer, including Frey’s companion ‘Cuff,’ a magical sentient bracelet, voiced by actor Jonathan Cake (Stargirl), who helps her navigate the sprawling landscapes of Athia.

Players are also introduced to Tanta Sila, a maddened and evil ruler who is the strongest and most formidable Tanta, or matriarch, in Athia, as she and Frey face off in an explosive and action-packed battle. Performed and voiced by actress and musician Janina Gavankar (True Blood), Tanta Sila’s debut offers fans a glimpse of the formidable enemies that await in Athia.

Keala Settle (The Greatest Showman) and Monica Barbaro (Top Gun: Maverick) also make an appearance as Johedy and Auden, fellow Athians who befriend and assist Frey with her journey.

SQUARE ENIX and Luminous Productions worked in collaboration with Hollywood writer Gary Whitta (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), who conceived the original concept, and award-winning writer / director Amy Hennig (Uncharted series), who developed the story concept in 2019 (prior to heading Skydance New Media). T

aking the reins as Lead Writers on Forspoken’s story and script, talented entertainment writers Allison Rymer (Shadowhunters) and Todd Stashwick (Devil Inside) have crafted a thrilling tale about self-discovery and finding out where you belong in the world.

“Writing Forspoken has been a magical experience,” said Rymer. “The main character Frey is strong, complex and very relatable. I am excited for the players to connect with her.” Stashwick added, “Like Frey, it’s been a long, amazing journey for us. I’m thrilled to finally have people adventure through the story we have built. I’m so proud to be part of this team, giving a contemporary, fun, spin on the fantasy genre.”

SQUARE ENIX and Luminous Productions also unveiled that the score is composed by BAFTA award-winning composers Bear McCreary (God of War (2018) and TV series The Walking Dead) and Garry Schyman (Bioshock series).

Together, they set the unconventional tone of the game by immersing players into a world of twisted beauty while fusing contemporary electronic beats with a fantasy tone.

“We’re incredibly excited to be working together to compose the soundtrack for Forspoken. When we first read the script for the game, we were moved by Frey’s dynamic character and the contrasting themes of modern and fantasy that run throughout the story, which is something we wanted to reflect in the music we compose for the soundtrack,” said McCreary and Schyman.

Designed for the PlayStation 5 console (PS5), Forspoken will harness the full power of the console and demonstrate Luminous Productions’ philosophy to provide a gaming experience like never before, fusing together the latest technology with creativity. The game is being developed simultaneously for the PS5 console and PC (via STEAM Store, Windows Store and Epic Games Store) and is set for release in Autumn 2022.

The post Forspoken – Story Trailer appeared first on Shane the Gamer.