Frey & wristband Cuff's banter is endearing at times, & other times it's cringe. Frey screaming "fuck you, bitch!" as she final-blows an enemy is a riot, cause it's comes off as something I would say. But when she constantly repeats, "shit, shit, fuck, shit" it's a bit 🙄.
3/
Cuff quipping 'could you try not to get hit?', channels back-seat gamer vibes that made me feel like my older brother was in the room watching me play. Their relationship is very Eddie Brock/Symbiote as the two have to work together but are always taking shots at one another.
4/
The gameplay is stupidly fun & highlights exactly what the demo got wrong. Slinging spells never tires & coupled with the parkour creates a highly entertaining loop - you just need to be eased into it...like a warm bath.
5/
The world gives you every reason to play with your magics as there are encounters EVERYWHERE. Epic boss fights like this one I had with totally-not- a-Phoenix pop up w/o warning & put your skills to the test. #Forspoken#PS5
6/
On top of learning new spells, you can upgrade each one to make them flashier and more damage-ier, giving them different status effects.
7/
There's a fuckton of hidden labyrinths, mystical fonts, mana pools, and well-guarded barracks to plunder for stat-boosting relics, capes, necklaces, & nail polish designs that are as fabulous as they are fatal.
8/
The NPCs can come off a bit stilted and awkward at times, but Athia itself is a dense world full of lore & awe-inspiring environments. Luminous Engine is doing what it does best: bringing dynamic, imaginative universes to life just like it did for #FFXV.
9/
I totally get why #SquareEnix felt the need to make the demo as robust as possible: they wanted to show off all the things. But the systems the devs put in place aren't pick-up & go - they need to be doled out slowly as to give the player time to master them.
10/
I played the demo & it didn't wow me & that's because I felt like I was being tossed around like a rag doll while I made sense of spell casting/parkouring. It felt very foreign & frustrating - a lot like how Frey felt when she was sucked into the mysterious world of Athia.
11/
Once I got the hang of my dodge button, and knowing when to prime my attacks and when to evade, the gameplay was an absolute revelation. I've often referred to #Forspoken as Particle Effects: The Game, but BOY do things get pretty while you fuck shit up.
12/
Listen, I don't see #Forspoken getting any GOTY nods, & I really see the final scores setting in at around low-mid 7s. But I'm absolutely loving my time with it & I can't wait to dive back in. Sure it's got some flaws, but the gameplay is too good to ignore.
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