Fans of fantasy games are looking forward to Luminous Productions' Forspoken. It features a world of magic, exhilaratingly fast traversal, and of course, strong villains. The main villains in the game are the Tantas, who are malevolent matriarchs that terrorize Athia. Some of their designs have been shown, and while they do look amazing, they do appear to be one-dimensional villains that lack intrinsic motivations. Hopefully, when the game releases, more depth is revealed, as the Tantas have potential.

One factor working against the Tantas is the corrupting force known as the Break. Instead of being driven by their own goals, the Tantas have been corrupted by an external force. This makes it hard to empathize with the Tantas, and it could result in them becoming quite forgettable villains despite their flashy designs. Fortunately, Forspoken has a competent team of writers behind it, so there may be quite a few surprises in store.

RELATED: Forspoken's Traversal Can Learn From Horizon Forbidden West's Parkour Flaws

Forspoken's Tantas and the Break

forspoken-villain-tanta-syla

In Forspoken, Frey Holland is snatched out of her New York home and magically transported to Athia. It is a fantasy land that is usually peaceful and ruled by matriarchs known as Tantas. Each of the Tantas represents a virtue. For example, Tanta Sila is the Tanta of strength, while Tanta Prav represents justice. Unfortunately, when Frey arrives in Athia, it is corrupted by a mysterious force known as the Break. Everything the Break touches gets turned into a malevolent facsimile of itself, including the Tantas. For some strange reason, Frey is immune to the Break, though she still has to deal with its negative effects on Athia. This occurs, for instance, through the Breakstorms that she occasionally comes across, which have her going up against a gauntlet of powerful monsters.

The Tantas are also corrupted, causing them to represent twisted versions of their original virtues. Tanta Sila once used her strength to protect Athia, but she now uses it to oppress. Similarly, Tanta Prav once upheld Athia's judicial system honorably, but she becomes a cruel executioner who only trusts her own judgment. It will be interesting to see the various ways the Tantas become oppressed. However, they will need something more to make them memorable villains.

The Tantas Need Something More

forspoken-tantas

The Tantas are founded on an interesting concept, though players have yet to see the more human side of these villains and are wondering who they are beyond representations of virtues. They need an interesting backstory, one that gives them complex personalities beyond being driven by a singular virtue. Furthermore, there needs to be rhyme and reason for their evil, which is where Forspoken's Break may be limiting. The most interesting villains are those who have a cause they're fighting for. A villain with a meaningful goal is one that audiences remember. The Tantas, on the other hand, appear to be evil because of an external force - the Break. This is a lot less intriguing than having villains with intrinsically motivated goals.

With seasoned veterans like Amy Hennig on the game's writing team, there is likely still a lot to learn about the Tantas. The villains will have to be spectacular, as they will be facing some tough competition next year. Final Fantasy has two games on the calendar, and they will surely bring their fair share of memorable villains. From outside Square Enix, gamers can also look out for Insomniac's Spider-Man 2, which will feature the iconic villain Venom.

Forspoken is scheduled to release on January 24, 2022, on PC and PS5.

MORE: Forspoken Boss Battles Could Look Very Different From Normal Combat