![]() ![]() But where Forspoken mainly excels is in its various RPG progression systems and its combat. What I've seen of the story and its writing so far falls a bit flat, especially since I didn't get to see the foundations of Frey's story, which inevitably invites questions about her as a character - such as how her past shaped her and why she handles situations in the way that she does. It does at times, though, fall into the realms of feeling a bit empty. Frey herself comments on a town in an earlier part of the game and notes that everything looks broken because of this miasma. To be fair, ruins and no signs of life speak to the devoid nature of Athia and the aftermath and ongoing effects of this mysterious corruptive force. To this point, all I've seen of Athia seems a bit grey and lifeless, and not terribly exciting. Prior to coming into the open-world space at large, I find myself fighting against zombie-like foes that were once citizens of Athia, illustrating the corruption that grips this fantastical setting. ![]() Dusty landscapes stretch out before me, with some ruins dotted here and there. The first open area I step foot in is known as the Barren Plains, and as the name suggests, it's certainly not brimming with life. ![]() While the initial opening chapter I play is quite linear as it sets up Frey skills, chapter 3 allows me to step into the open-world proper after an introduction to Cipal - a city in Athia where survivors of the Break have taken refuge. If the conversations lessened in combat especially, it would certainly be less noticeable (I later learned there appears to be a setting to address the frequency of the chatter in-game that I didn't get the chance to use). Cuff is pretty chatty generally - even when I stand idle for a spell, it makes a remark about my inactivity. This is pretty harmless in itself to begin with, but as the session progressed, I became more aware of lines that I'd heard before. While the talking bracelet does have a practical role to play in combat - by alerting you to attacks that are about to take you unawares or highlighting what direction an unseen foe is coming at you - more often than not it says one liners that don't contribute much at all. The only downside to combat so far is Cuff, who has a habit of commenting on my moves, with some lines repeated here and there. On normal difficulty, beating the Tanta is no small feat, but along with an easier setting to take it down to, there is a sense that hopefully more time and practise with the spells would make it more forgiving. With three different stages, the fight gets progressively harder and my dodging skills are put to the test once again. Having made my way through a castle area filled with enemies, I have a finite amount of healing potions when I go up against Tanta Sila, one of the major villains in the world of Forspoken, and my second boss battle of the session. With some of the development team having previously worked on Final Fantasy 15, the cadence of the boss battle feels familiar, with the spells lending it a different spin.īy the time I reach chapter 5, there's a noticeable difficulty spike that I struggle to get to grips with. Using magical parkour to dodge out of the way, the battle feels very much like it's putting my dodging skills to the test more than anything else - with me continuously trying to get out of the line of fire until the large beast pauses so I can send out more bursts of magic at the weak spot on its belly. Compared to the bear-like creatures I've faced previously, this fight feels fast and chaotic, but I relish the chance to fire out punchy spells against the giant fire-breathing foe. After my quick escape, I'm soon thrown into a boss battle against a big dragon. While it serves as your way of exploring the landscape, magic parkour also comes into play in combat. It gives the skill an extra oomph as I make my way over a ruin, and I'm left with a desire to discover how other additional actions may elevate the skill and affect the feel of using it overall as you advance through the game. ![]() But a little further along the way, I unlock a leap which helps me kick off a wall to climb higher. At this early stage, I'm not immediately as invested in the means of traversal as I am in combat in terms of how it handles. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |