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Of course, the opening scene in New York is good for establishing Frey's motivation.
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The first chapter eats up nearly a half hour and ultimately doesn't add anything, introducing characters that won't be seen again, establishing a setting that the player isn't going to revisit. Does that sound interesting? Well, don't get too invested, because that aspect of the story is never visited again. She's ultimately shown leniency by the judge, but it doesn't erase the trouble that she's in with some bad people. Players are introduced to a wayward homeless youth who gets caught up with the wrong crowd and is frequently in trouble with the law. There are several problems with Forspoken's narrative and it starts with the establishment of Frey's place in New York. It's a story that should be captivating, but one that never fully gripped me for various reasons. After learning that the cuff can both talk to her and grant her extraordinary abilities, she ventures to a nearby village where she learns that she may be this world's only hope. She finds a strange cuff in a pawn shop and is magically transported to the realm of Athia, an alternate dimension that is gradually being decimated by a twisted force called the Break. Can't go home againįorspoken tells the story of an everyday woman living in the streets of New York, struggling with her day-to-day existence. There's a foundation for something good here, but it sadly doesn't realize that potential. It's a shame, because Forspoken's terrible story and its unlikable main character largely bog down what's otherwise a competent action RPG. The result is a story that isn't anything close to Mark Twain. That's why the idea of Forspoken interested me so much, because the premise was to take a modern person from the real world and thrust them into a Square Enix-style magical kingdom, sort of like A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. It's the house that built Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, and curates many other magic-based realms. Square Enix has put out a lot of games over the years, but it's safe to say that the publisher has become the first that many think of when it comes to magical worlds.
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