Square Enix was for a long time known as one of the premier Japanese publishers of RPGs and other similar titles. Over the years, and multiple acquisitions, it has also become associated with some of the most well-known Western game IPs. Upcoming title Forspoken seems to be blending many elements from both of these schools of game design. The recent PlayStation Showcase event included a fairly deep dive into Forspoken, and the impact of both elements of Square Enix's history seems to be on full display.
The recent PlayStation Showcase had generated a lot of excitement from fans. A new trailer for God of War Ragnarok bookended a presentation full of exciting new games coming to the PlayStation family of consoles. PlayStation has long had an intimate relationship with publisher Square Enix going back to the late 1990s and early 2000s. One franchise that is nearly synonymous with PlayStation is Final Fantasy, and its impact on Forspoken seems just as clear as those of Western fantasy like Harry Potter and Marvel's Doctor Strange films.
Blending East and West in Forspoken
A better-realized aesthetic of Forspoken was revealed during the recent PlayStation Showcase. Forspoken had already revealed impressive graphics, and the newest reveal did nothing but emphasize the beauty of the game. But a close look at the new gameplay and story trailer reveals some interesting facets that seem to draw from both sides of Square Enix's history. The publisher has become just as well-known for releasing modern Tomb Raider and Hitman titles and its flagship JRPGs like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. Forspoken showed off some artistic direction that feels like a solid mix of both.
It seems like Forspoken will be following a very literal version of the 'Hero's Journey' where the main protagonist is pulled from their normal world into one of high fantasy and powerful magic. A good visual representation of this is in the very terrestrial flannel shirt the hero is shown wearing at the beginning of the trailer juxtaposed against the traditional fantasy mage's hood and jewelry seen later in the trailer. Developing powerful magic and movement abilities along the way also cements that fact. Forspoken's blend of fantasy and reality isn't the newest concept for a game, but it's pulled off in a very Square Enix style in the new reveal.
The place this is most evident is in characters revealed later on in the reveal. The main villain is portrayed in noble dress and exotic armor that's very reminiscent of Sorceress Edea from Final Fantasy 8. It's also evident in the dragon design during one of the gameplay segments. Final Fantasy is also well-known for its magic users, and in Forspoken there seem to be elements pulled directly from FF. The protagonist is shown to use elevating levels of elemental magic in much the same way as the classic Fire, Fira, Firaga system familiar to Final Fantasy fans. That being said there's an interesting visual queue added to that familiar system.
Again referencing the powerful villain revealed near the end of the trailer, the player character is shown being overpowered by an onslaught of attacks. At that moment, the protagonist is shown defending with magical barriers that seem very familiar to MCU fans. While trying to defend against attack, the player character is holding up large circles of arcane energy that closely resemble those wielded by Doctor Strange in the MCU film of the same name and later in Infinity War/Endgame. This is just one clue towards the blending of Eastern and Western mechanics in the upcoming PS5 game Forspoken, and likely won't be the last before the game releases.
Forspoken is set for release in Spring 2022 for PC and PS5.