Forspoken Reviews Paint Title As Mediocre At Best

When it comes to surprises in video games, typically, it comes when a new game is announced that we never see coming or when we play a game, and the plot is something grander than we’d expect. However, there are such things as “bad surprises” in video games. Great examples include when a developer tosses out a game that no one wants or asks for or when a game launches in such a buggy state that it’s unplayable. For Forspoken, the surprise was more like, “I can’t believe how bad this game looks despite being made by Square Enix.” The reviews for the game have come out, and that surprise has carried over.

To be fair to Forspoken, the game does have some positive reviews, and its Metacritic rating is hardly the worst out there. However, its ranking on Metacritic is 69, which is not the score that someone nervous about getting the game will feel confident in and then decide to buy it. Multiple reviews even point out that you should wait for the “game to go on sale” to save money. That’s not a great endorsement, either.

Here are some of the main reviews for the game compiled by a gaming insider:

Forspoken Reviews

Gaming Nexus – 9.5/10
GamingTrend – 9.10
CGMagazine – 8.5/10
TechRaptor – 8/10
Game Informer – 7.5/10
GamingBolt – 7/10
Inverse – 7/10
IGN – 6/10
Shacknews – 6/10
GameSkinny – 6/10
ComingSoon – 5/10
Outerhaven – 4/10
Hardcore Gamer – 4/10 pic.twitter.com/29P6rj9Bj0
— Stealth (@Stealth40k) January 23, 2023

On the positive side, multiple reviews discussed the game’s magic system and the parkour elements and spoke about how they were the game’s best attributes. It feels satisfying to soar through the world and blast enemies with all sorts of spells.

But, when it comes to the story and the true “feel” of the game world, that’s when things grind to a halt. Numerous reviews pointed out how the game takes a “this is an open world RPG” approach and didn’t dare do much to go outside that standard. The story was called “contrived” by many, and others noted how “unoriginal” multiple game elements were.

Some even pointed out that certain systems could’ve been game changers, yet they were barely used.

Going back to Metacritic, most of its game reviews were in the “mixed” category and adding insult to injury, two were in the “negative” category. So if you like to look at reviews to see if a game is worth it or not, you’re likely leaning toward “not” right now.

This won’t be the kind of news that Square Enix wants to hear, and it’ll be curious to see the sales numbers for the title in its launch window.

Source: Twitter