“Cringey” open-world game gets new trailer

Forspoken, which has a disastrous initial showing, came back with a gameplay trailer showing some impressive graphics and combat.

Forspoken, a new open-world action game from Square Enix, recently received a ten-minute trailer. The game was originally mocked and panned by people online due to its questionable dialogue.

When Forspoken’s last teaser trailer went live, users on Twitter immediately started making fun of the dialogue, calling it “Whedon-esque” and “cringe.” To quote the main character, Fray, “I’m somewhere that’s not what I would call Earth…I’m seeing freaking dragons, and…oh yeah, I’m talking to a cuff. Yeah, okay, that is something I do now. I do magic.” To say the dialogue needs some work is a little bit of an understatement.

Attempting to step away from the focus on its dialogue, the marketing team posted a new trailer on YouTube. The trailer showcases more of the gameplay, including open-world travel, magic, quests, and combat.

Fray will be able to slingshot and launch herself through the air to travel across the large stretches of land. In combat, plenty of different spells were shown off, including the ability to create massive firestorms, huge columns of ice, and spheres of water. Quests and shopping work like in many open-world games, with icons above each NPCs’ head to indicate what is available.

Forspoken’s open-world appears to be massive, with plenty of traversal options available to the player. Picture: Square Enix

While exploring the overworld, players will be able to find hidden locations that grant permanent bonuses, allow Fray to upgrade gear and heal, and discover rare loot. Uniquely, the game also features a combo meter similar to Devil May Cry, where extra bonuses for EXP and item drop rate are granted (as long as you maintain a combo chain.)

However, even though the dialogue in the game trailer took a back seat to the gameplay, comments on YouTube were divided. While some praised the gameplay for looking gorgeous and engaging, others noted issues with the dialogue and blandness of the main character.

Forspoken will be out on Steam, Epic Games Store and PlayStation 5 on January 23, 2023.

Written by Junior Miyai on behalf of GLHF.