One intriguing aspect that fans have been commenting on prior to the game’s May release is Forspoken’s apparent similarities to PlatinumGames’ canceled action RPG Scalebound. While the full details of Scalebound’s plot and gameplay were never fully released before the plug was unfortunately pulled on its development in 2017, from what was shown of the game there are some interesting points of comparison between the third-person fantasy epic and the upcoming open-world RPG Forspoken.
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Forspoken’s World Of Magic And Monsters
Forspoken is very much untested ground for the studio, with the exploration of a new IP and all of the risks that it entails. The story follows orphaned New Yorker Frey Holland after she is mysteriously transported to a harsh and fantastical world called Athia. The mythical new world she finds herself in is vast, with dangerous creatures and tyrannical leaders in the form of matriarchal Tantas for Frey to battle against. Players will be able to freely explore the varied environments, with fun and interesting traversal options as they uncover various abandoned and crumbling settlements around Athia and return to the NPC-populated hub town of Cipal.
In addition to the focus on traversal, Forspoken will have many classic RPG elements like character progression as players level up Frey. With a wide number of different spells at her disposal, Frey’s combat is very much centered on her magical abilities. The moves that have been revealed so far show the flexibility of the combat, from spells that set explosive traps to ones that immobilize enemies, which will hopefully be as impressive and fluid as they look in early gameplay glimpses. Frey’s moves also utilize elemental aspects, no doubt more effective against some enemies than others, so players will need to approach combat carefully and ensure they’re using the right moves.
While Forspoken has a large and stunning open world for players to explore, there is also a focus on narrative throughout the gameplay. Frey’s fish-out-of-water situation will be familiar to many, but could also provide some potentially amusing and effective contrasts between the bad-mouthed New Yorker and the more traditional fantasy setting and its inhabitants. While some players have already criticized the slightly clunky dialogue featured in trailers and gameplay demos that were released ahead of the game’s launch, it will be interesting to see how these elements match up once gamers can play through the whole of Forspoken.
Similarities To Scalebound
While players were never able to get their hands on Scalebound, everything released over the game’s development did start to paint a picture of what the title would look and play like. Although there are plenty of points where the two games vary, there are still some surprisingly similar elements between Scalebound and Forspoken. For example, both Scalebound’s Drew and Forspoken’s Frey are plucked from the real world and thrown into fantasy realms with magic, monsters, and mysterious antagonists. The reasons for both of these events are unknown, but the fact that each protagonist has all the sensibilities of a modern, seemingly normal person only to be thrust into an environment filled with threatening and mythical dangers is a striking coincidence. Both also seem to gain new abilities upon entering the alternate realities, helping them to overcome the new challenges they face.
While Drew’s dragon companion Thuban is a large and obvious advantage, Frey isn’t without her own AI helper. Where Drew has his winged friend, Frey has a sentient bracelet named Cuff which similarly helps her navigate this new landscape. While not much is currently known about Cuff and the help he provides Frey, some game footage has shown the two of them in conversation, highlighting a focus on the building of the relationship similar to Drew’s with Thuban. Both games also feature fast-paced and flexible combat, with multiple approaches to handling different situations and reliance on magical abilities.
Both Scalebound and Forspoken show off combat with mythical creatures large and small, with players able to take on the giant beasts that occupy the vast open-world environments. With the relationships between the player character and their AI companion shared through Drew and Thuban and Frey and Cuff, both titles maintain a more human and emotional core amidst the frenetic action and magical elements to the gameplay.
Forspoken releases May 24, 2022 for PC and PS5.
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