above everything, Forspoken hit me with what it does between the main narrative. while exploring the world of Athia as Frey, you can connect to her journey more directly than what the outsorced main narrative affords. she was stuck in a practically inescapable homelessness situation in New York where she was shunned by almost everyone around her. in there, she could only use her athleticism to run away.
Frey had no connections other than her pet cat to sustain her will.
she then goes through her standard fare isekai initiation and ends up in Athia, learning powers that allow her to both fight back and extend her already impressive physical abilities to extraordinary lengths. by this point the parallels between the two worlds become really clear. is it basically the purest definition of escapism? maybe, but i'd say that much is lost by putting Forspoken inside a box.
Frey's journey in Athia is akin to one of struggling witch learning to accept herself. she's still socially shunned by the higher classes, but she doesn't have to depend on them like she did in New York (there isn't even a fixed currency system!). she gets her own pointy witch houses where she can craft potions, enchant robes and necklaces and take care of her (up to) 13 supernatural cats, each spiritually connected to Athia's mythology. Frey is frequently called a heretic for it.
ultimately, she needs to kill the four demigoddesses that used to rule Athia before losing their minds. she's initially disgusted even by their legacy, but nonetheless has to absorb their powers when she kills each of them. each time the player helps her do this, her abilities grow larger and more varied. they all help Frey explore and thus understand the world better, consequently growing fonder of the four women and spiritually becoming her own amalgam of ancestry and experiences. she isn't defined by them, but she learns to accept them. i don't really wanna spoil anything, so i'll keep from talking about the later stuff that expands upon this aspect.
you can choose to spend as much time jumping around the now almost-natural landscapes of Athia as you want. each open world chapter only asks Frey to go toward the dominion of a specific demigoddess and kill them. this objective is always located pretty far away, and there are these completely optional, game-length areas in here that you can explore while travelling. to appropriately explore Athia, you have to connect with the different demigoddesses by using their abilities; mainly Frey's mysterious first set of magic.
Forspoken is a journey defined by the moments you spend together with its vast land. the game allows you to do this without the need to directly cross over with the main narrative, which i didn't touch because i don't find it that interesting to discuss.
Athia is a rich, nature-heavy (due to the quasi-apocalypse it suffered) land with as many heigths as mundane locations that make it feel tangible, especially when you take a moment to absorb the space it shares with you. it only asks you to accept the connection.
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this review is a little wild, but it reflects my pretty weird experience with the game so i'll let it be.
Frey had no connections other than her pet cat to sustain her will.
she then goes through her standard fare isekai initiation and ends up in Athia, learning powers that allow her to both fight back and extend her already impressive physical abilities to extraordinary lengths. by this point the parallels between the two worlds become really clear. is it basically the purest definition of escapism? maybe, but i'd say that much is lost by putting Forspoken inside a box.
Frey's journey in Athia is akin to one of struggling witch learning to accept herself. she's still socially shunned by the higher classes, but she doesn't have to depend on them like she did in New York (there isn't even a fixed currency system!). she gets her own pointy witch houses where she can craft potions, enchant robes and necklaces and take care of her (up to) 13 supernatural cats, each spiritually connected to Athia's mythology. Frey is frequently called a heretic for it.
ultimately, she needs to kill the four demigoddesses that used to rule Athia before losing their minds. she's initially disgusted even by their legacy, but nonetheless has to absorb their powers when she kills each of them. each time the player helps her do this, her abilities grow larger and more varied. they all help Frey explore and thus understand the world better, consequently growing fonder of the four women and spiritually becoming her own amalgam of ancestry and experiences. she isn't defined by them, but she learns to accept them. i don't really wanna spoil anything, so i'll keep from talking about the later stuff that expands upon this aspect.
you can choose to spend as much time jumping around the now almost-natural landscapes of Athia as you want. each open world chapter only asks Frey to go toward the dominion of a specific demigoddess and kill them. this objective is always located pretty far away, and there are these completely optional, game-length areas in here that you can explore while travelling. to appropriately explore Athia, you have to connect with the different demigoddesses by using their abilities; mainly Frey's mysterious first set of magic.
Forspoken is a journey defined by the moments you spend together with its vast land. the game allows you to do this without the need to directly cross over with the main narrative, which i didn't touch because i don't find it that interesting to discuss.
Athia is a rich, nature-heavy (due to the quasi-apocalypse it suffered) land with as many heigths as mundane locations that make it feel tangible, especially when you take a moment to absorb the space it shares with you. it only asks you to accept the connection.
\\
this review is a little wild, but it reflects my pretty weird experience with the game so i'll let it be.