This is a point that has become the trend for critiquing open-world titles, as the genre has grown more expansive with each new release. A title like Forspoken will be held up more by what it offers to let the player explore and discover, rather than what has been specifically put in place for the story to uncover. Even looking a decade back at Skyrim’s groundbreaking open world, it is better defined by the extra content than the journey of defeating Alduin.
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Main Quests Give Tunnel Vision
One major problem to overcome for developers like Luminous Productions that are trying to let players loose into an open world is making sure that the intended system of progression doesn’t railroad players away from side content. Especially when considering how Frey’s struggles with the Tantas is being billed as the core of the narrative of Forspoken, the main plot is expected to be given extra attention. However, if the focus of the narrative overtakes the freedom of exploration, then there hardly seems to be a reason for the game world to be built so open.
Some players have likely already run into the tunnel vision as the goals attached to Forspoken’s UI in the demo can lead into completing the short preview in about a half an hour. That being said, for players who don’t quickly check off the list of objectives right away, there are hours of content hidden in the demo on its own. So, it really comes down to how well Luminous Productions is able to incentivize players to actually take a break from the main objectives and explore around those surrounding areas.
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Some Destinations Need to be Worth the Journey
When it comes to incentive, one of the best ways to get players to explore a game’s world is to make sure that exploration is tied to improvements in some way. In the case of running into combat, Forspoken’s Spellcraft Challenges already give plenty of reason to run around and find as many combat encounters as possible. However, grinding up abilities and challenges doesn’t exactly do much for some players, as those can just as easily be taken care of in a small area right outside a Pilgrim’s Refuge or during the main narrative.
Plenty of other open-worlds have both succeeded and failed at this, with Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild being a perfect example of both by filling the world with chests, shrines, and korok seeds. This oversaturation of rewards can often make each new find becoming less important, as gathering collectibles like korok seeds don’t lead to much more improvement once a build has been established. With the history of the open-world genre in mind, Luminous Productions also has the opportunity to improve on these design problems by leaning in on Fospoken’s combat challenges as the reward instead of raw updates to character stats.
New gear, such as cloaks, necklaces, and nails to equip Frey with could all be an impressive way to reward players for going well out of their way to explore the open world. However, there is already another reward that players can even find in the current Forspoken demo on PS5 in the form of the magical familiars. The first familiar so far, in the form of the unicorn cat known as Saglan, doesn’t add anything to gameplay, but instead becomes a companion who will visit at any Pilgrims Refuge. It’s a smaller, decorative detail that rewards the player’s exploration with a more immersive experience.
Forspoken is set to release on January 24, 2023, for PC and PS5.
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