Info about Forspoken:

Official game description:
In Tanta We Trust
=================
After bringing peace to Athia, Frey’s journey continues as she searches for a way to permanently rid the land from the effects of the Break. Amid her search, she follows a mysterious voice that leads her into the past.  
When she emerges, Frey finds herself surrounded by chaos and destruction. Injured and draped in blood-soaked clothing, she discovers a grim truth about her fate. The recently thriving Athia is at war, but why and with whom? Accompanied by Tanta Cinta, and a new set of magic, Frey must uncover the answers and save Athia once more – and attempt to save herself.
Digital Deluxe Edition
======================
**The Digital Deluxe Edition on PC includes:**  
*   Forspoken PC Full Game Download  
*   Forspoken Mini Artbook (Digital Download)  
*   Forspoken Mini Soundtrack (Digital Download)  
*   Prequel Story DLC ‘Forspoken: In Tanta We Trust’ (Summer 2023)  
*   Prequel Story DLC Early Access
Ultra Settings
==============
*   OS Version: Windows® 10 64-bit (After November 2019 Update) or Windows® 11 64-bit  
*   Processor: AMD Ryzen™5 5800X (3.8 GHz or better) / Intel® Core™ i7-12700  
*   Memory: 32GB  
*   Graphics: AMD Radeon™ RX 6800 XT 16GB / NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 4080 16 GB VRAM  
*   DirectX Version: 12  
*   Disk Space: NVMe SSD 150GB or more  
*   Additional Notes: 2160p 60fps
About the Game
==============
Mysteriously transported from New York City, Frey Holland finds herself trapped in the breathtaking land of Athia. A magical, sentient bracelet is inexplicably wrapped around her arm, and Frey discovers the ability to cast powerful spells and use magic to traverse the sprawling landscapes of Athia. Frey nicknames her new golden companion “Cuff” and sets off to find a way home.  
Frey soon learns this beautiful land once flourished under the reign of benevolent matriarchs, called Tantas, until a devastating blight relentlessly corrupted everything it touched. The Break  transformed animals into beasts, men into monsters, and rich landscapes into four dangerous realms. At the center of their shattered domains, the Tantas now rule as maddened and evil sorceresses.  
Unaffected by the Break and desperate for answers, Frey reluctantly agrees to help the last remaining citizens of Athia who see her as their only hope. Frey’s journey through this strange and treacherous land will take her deep into the heart of corruption where she must battle monstrous  creatures, confront the powerful Tantas, and uncover secrets that awaken something much more from within.  
**KEY FEATURES:**
The Odyssey of a Reluctant Hero
-------------------------------
Lead Frey on an unforgettable journey in her search for a way home after being mysteriously transported to a breathtaking, fantastical land. Unravel the mysteries of Athia as Frey travels through the calamitous Break and discovers how to wield an immense power.
A Beautiful and Cruel Open-World -
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Explore the sprawling realms of Athia, a striking land of remarkable vistas and otherworldly creatures brought to life through stunning graphics and cutting-edge technology. Venture deep into corrupted territories where a mysterious darkness defiles everything it touches.
Customizable Arsenal of Spells -
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Take on twisted monsters in magical combat with a wide range of powerful abilities catering to a variety of playstyles – from fast-paced and exhilarating to strategic and methodical.
Intuitive, Magic-Enhanced Parkour -
-----------------------------------
Scale walls, vault across canyons, leap from dizzying heights, and dash through vast landscapes. Frey's unique abilities allow her to fluidly traverse the open world with ease.

Release date: 24 Jan, 2023

Categories: Single-player Story, Open-World Exploration, Real-time Combat, Spell-based Combat, Parkour Gameplay, Character Progression, Character Customization


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Engaging Core Gameplay & Content (weight 0.5): Players found the general gameplay loop, combat, and parkour mechanics enjoyable, especially after an initial learning curve. The game offers substantial content, good progression systems, and a manageable story length, making it a fun and entertaining experience for many.
- Dynamic & Satisfying Magic Combat (weight 0.33): The magic combat system is highly praised for its uniqueness, fluidity, and variety. Players enjoy experimenting with different elemental spells and combos, finding the combat dynamic, visually stunning, and increasingly satisfying as new abilities are unlocked.
- Stunning Visuals & Art Direction (weight 0.31): The game is consistently praised for its beautiful graphics, art design, and visually impressive combat effects. Cutscenes are cinematic, and the world itself is often described as gorgeous and well-crafted, contributing to an immersive experience.
- Exceptional Traversal System (weight 0.27): The magical parkour system is a standout feature, allowing for fast, fluid, and enjoyable movement across the massive open world. Players appreciate the seamless integration of parkour into combat and exploration, making travel a highlight rather than a chore.
- Compelling Story & Twists (weight 0.23): Many players found the story interesting, immersive, and well-told, with unexpected and surprising plot twists. The narrative is described as engaging, with a strong emotional journey that improves significantly after the initial chapters.
- Strong Protagonist & Voice Acting (weight 0.15): Frey's character, including her sarcastic wit and emotional growth, resonated positively with many players. Her voice acting is consistently praised, and her personality is seen as relatable and fitting for her background, enhancing the overall narrative experience.
- Engaging Boss Battles (weight 0.07): Boss fights are generally well-received, described as balanced, challenging, and requiring different strategies. Players found them visually impressive and satisfying, with the final boss battles being particularly intense and rewarding.
- Improved DLC Experience (weight 0.07): The DLC is often considered an improvement over the main game, offering a more linear and focused story structure, compact combat, and valuable lore expansion. It provides answers to base game questions and is seen as a strong conclusion to the experience.
- Enjoyable Companion Dialogue (weight 0.06): The banter and dialogue with Cuff, the protagonist's companion, are frequently highlighted as amusing and entertaining. Cuff's sarcastic comments and the dynamic between the two characters added a layer of humor and enjoyment for many players.
- Underrated & Unique Experience (weight 0.04): Many players feel the game is underrated and did not deserve the negative reception it initially received. They found it to be a unique and enjoyable experience, especially when purchased at a discount, and believe it offers elements not found in other titles.

Common complaints:
- Overpriced for Content & Quality (weight 0.91): A significant number of players feel the game is not worth its full asking price (often 70-80 Euros/USD), citing the lack of content, technical issues, and overall low quality as reasons for this sentiment. Many suggest it should be priced much lower.
- Significant Performance & Technical Issues (weight 0.79): The game suffers from severe optimization problems on PC and consoles, leading to frequent crashes, stuttering, low frame rates, and long loading screens. Many players found the game unplayable or significantly hampered by these technical flaws, even on high-end hardware.
- Empty & Repetitive Open World (weight 0.76): Players consistently report that the open world feels vast, empty, and lacks meaningful content or reasons for exploration. Side quests and activities are described as highly repetitive and formulaic, contributing to a sense of boredom and a lack of long-term motivation.
- Excessive & Disruptive Cutscenes (weight 0.7): The game is heavily criticized for an overabundance of cutscenes and forced dialogue sequences that constantly interrupt gameplay. This contributes to poor pacing, a slow start, and a feeling of being an 'interactive movie' rather than a game.
- Poor Story & Character Writing (weight 0.68): The narrative is widely criticized for being mediocre, cliché, and poorly paced, with a slow start and a rushed ending. Characters, especially the protagonist Frey, are frequently described as unlikable, annoying, and lacking depth, with cringeworthy and repetitive dialogue.
- Clunky Parkour & Traversal (weight 0.57): Despite being a core mechanic, the magic parkour system is often described as clunky, inconsistent, and frustrating to control. Players also note that the world design frequently hinders effective use of parkour, making traversal a chore.
- Repetitive & Unengaging Combat (weight 0.3): While some initial enjoyment is noted, combat quickly becomes repetitive, chaotic, and lacks depth due to limited enemy variety and similar spell effects. Many players found it easy, mind-numbing, and eventually started avoiding fights due to boredom.
- Unrewarding Progression & Loot (weight 0.07): Players found the crafting system pointless and exploration rewards (chests, materials) to be of little value. Upgrades to gear like cloaks and necklaces often felt insignificant, leading to a lack of motivation for engaging with these systems.

Gameplay feedback:
- Repetitive Core Gameplay Loop (weight 0.13): The core gameplay loop, involving exploration, clearing locations, and fighting repetitive enemies, can become monotonous over time. While the open world is large, some side activities feel unimpactful, and the early game combat is criticized for its simplicity and lack of variety.
- Customization & Progression Systems (weight 0.03): The game includes various progression systems, such as gear upgrades for cloaks, necklaces, and 'nails,' as well as the ability to unlock and improve spells. These systems allow for character customization and power progression throughout the game.
- Adjustable Difficulty Settings (weight 0.02): The game offers various difficulty and accessibility settings, allowing players to tailor their experience. While some find the game easy, others note that hard mode may not be well-balanced, and the combat experience improves significantly in the mid-to-late game.

Performance notes:
- Beautiful Graphics, Demanding Visuals (weight 0.19): Many players praise the game's beautiful and spectacular graphics, noting its high visual quality and impressive animations. However, this visual fidelity comes at a high performance cost, contributing to the demanding system requirements and optimization challenges.
- Mixed Optimization Quality (weight 0.16): While some players report a stable and enjoyable experience, particularly after patches or on specific configurations, a significant portion still criticizes the game's poor optimization. This leads to inconsistent performance across various setups, with some experiencing smooth gameplay while others face severe stuttering and low frame rates.
- Fast Loading Times (SSD Recommended) (weight 0.05): The game generally boasts very fast loading and fast travel times, especially when installed on an SSD, thanks to technologies like DirectStorage. However, players using traditional HDDs report significantly longer loading times, making an SSD installation highly recommended for a better experience.
- Unstable Camera Issues (weight 0.01): Some players reported issues with the in-game camera, noting it can be unstable, jittery, and prone to clipping through objects during combat and parkour sequences, even when frame rates are otherwise stable.

Recommendations:
- Wait for a deep sale (weight 0.51): A significant number of players recommend purchasing the game only when it's heavily discounted, often suggesting prices around $20-$30 or 50-80% off. Many feel the full price is not justified due to various shortcomings.
- Mixed reception, but worth a try (weight 0.36): Despite its flaws and mixed reviews, many players found enjoyment in the game, especially its combat and magic systems. They suggest giving it a chance, particularly if bought on sale, and forming one's own opinion rather than relying solely on negative press.
- Refunds and uninstalls common (weight 0.2): A notable portion of players expressed strong dissatisfaction, leading to refunds or uninstallation. Reasons cited include high price, technical issues, and a perceived lack of engaging content, particularly early on with excessive cutscenes.
- No sequel is a disappointment (weight 0.04): Some players expressed sadness or disappointment that a sequel will not be developed, indicating they enjoyed the game enough to want more of its world and story. This contrasts with others who hoped for no further development from the studio.
- Consider trying the demo first (weight 0.03): Players advise trying the game's demo to assess both hardware compatibility and personal enjoyment before committing to a purchase. This helps manage expectations regarding performance and gameplay style.
- Better on PS5 or with controller (weight 0.01): For those considering playing, there's a suggestion to play on PS5 or use a controller, and to be cautious about performance on platforms like Steam Deck. This indicates potential platform-specific issues or preferences.

Other player notes:
- Unlikely Sequel & Missed Potential (weight 0.08): There's a strong sentiment that a sequel is highly improbable, which is a disappointment for players who saw potential in the game's creative ideas and wished for further development. Many believe the game could have been significantly improved with a second iteration or if it had been designed differently, perhaps with a smaller, more focused world.
- Purchased on Sale or Free (weight 0.05): A significant number of players acquired the game at a discounted price, often 70% off, or received it for free, frequently bundled with new graphics cards. This suggests that many did not pay full price, potentially influencing their perception of value.
- Music & Sound Quality (weight 0.02): The game features atmospheric and generally good to epic music and sound design. However, some players noted that certain music tracks can be repetitive, despite the overall quality being acceptable or even an 'earworm'.
- Not a Perfect Game (weight 0.01): Players generally agree that while the game has a certain level of quality, it is not outstanding or perfect. This indicates a moderate overall assessment, acknowledging its merits without elevating it to a top-tier title.
- Player Preferences Noted (weight 0.01): Some reviewers shared their personal preferences, such as enjoying difficult action games, repetitive games for background play, or anything magic-related. This context helps understand individual biases but is not a direct critique of the game itself.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.25): Players expressed disappointment primarily due to the game's unfulfilled potential, citing a bland, cliché, or short story, unlikable characters, and a repetitive, empty open world with unengaging side quests. Technical issues like poor optimization, outdated graphics, and performance problems, especially on PC, also significantly contributed to this feeling, often leading to a perception of poor value for the game's full price.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.23): Satisfaction stemmed from the game's core gameplay mechanics, particularly the enjoyable magic parkour and fluid combat systems, which many found unique and engaging. Players also appreciated the beautiful graphics, diverse world, and the sense of power progression, often finding the overall experience rewarding, especially when purchased at a discount or after patches improved performance.
- Frustration (weight 0.21): Frustration was frequently caused by the game's technical issues, including constant crashes, poor optimization, and inconsistent performance, making the game unplayable for some. Other major sources were the slow, tutorial-heavy early game, excessive and often repetitive cutscenes, an annoying protagonist with cringe-worthy dialogue, and repetitive, unrewarding open-world activities.
- Excitement (weight 0.06): Excitement was generated by the game's dynamic magic system, fluid combat, and engaging parkour mechanics, which many found to be a fresh and enjoyable experience. Players also expressed excitement for the captivating story, stunning visuals, and the overall fun gameplay, often leading to a desire for a sequel or more DLC.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.04): Enjoyment was derived from the game's core loop of magic parkour and combat, which players found fun and engaging. The overall game experience, including the story, character development, and even specific elements like gathering cats, contributed to a positive sentiment, often despite acknowledging the game's flaws.
- Joy (weight 0.03): Joy was experienced through the freedom and speed of traversing the open world with magic parkour, the emotional impact of the story's ending, and the overall fun and amusing combat mechanics. Players also found joy in the game's beauty, engaging exploration, and the presence of cute cats.
- Annoyance (weight 0.03): Annoyance was primarily directed at the protagonist's personality, described as unlikable, whining, and obnoxious, along with repetitive and awkward dialogue. Excessive cutscenes that frequently interrupted gameplay, poor controls, and specific gameplay quirks like magic parkour not activating correctly also contributed to this feeling.
- Anger (weight 0.03): Anger arose from severe technical issues, particularly unacceptable frame rates and poor optimization, leading to the game being unplayable for some and feeling like a 'rip-off' for its price. Players also expressed anger at the game's perceived lack of innovation, repetitive content, and frustrating design choices, often feeling scammed or that their time was wasted.
- Boredom (weight 0.02): Boredom was a common sentiment due to the game's repetitive gameplay, empty open world, and uninteresting side activities. A monotonous story, unvaried magic, and excessive, drawn-out cutscenes also contributed to players losing interest and finding the experience tedious.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion stemmed from players not understanding the widespread negative criticism the game received, especially when they personally found the combat and graphics to be top-notch. Some also expressed confusion regarding the game's poor optimization on specific hardware or illogical story elements.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Surprise was generally positive, with players unexpectedly enjoying the game despite low expectations or negative reviews. Specific story twists, enjoyable exploration, and the quality of the DLC also contributed to pleasant surprises, though some were surprised by the high GPU requirements.
- Defensiveness (weight 0.01): Defensiveness arose from players feeling the game was unfairly underrated, review-bombed, or received undeserved hate. They often dismissed criticisms as unfounded, particularly those related to 'woke complaints' or from players who only experienced a short portion of the game.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): Sadness was expressed over the game's perceived failure, undeserved negative reception, and the resulting lack of a sequel or the closure of the development studio. Players felt the game's potential was wasted and lamented the cut short future for the series.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Appreciation was shown for Square Enix's effort in creating the game, particularly for a different and relatable character. Players also appreciated the game's respect for their time, providing a complete experience, and the clever controller key combinations.
- Regret (weight 0.01): Regret was primarily associated with purchasing the game, with players feeling they wasted money or time. Some expressed regret over pre-ordering or even activating the game key, vowing not to make similar purchasing decisions in the future.
- Disagreement (weight 0.01): Disagreement was expressed by players who believed the game did not deserve the extensive negative criticism it received. They felt that many criticisms were unfair or exaggerated by an 'outrage mill,' advising others not to trust negative comments.
- Hope (weight 0): Hope was centered around the desire for a sequel, ideally with a better development team or improved execution. Players also expressed hope for future updates, bug fixes, or a definitive version that would allow them to fully enjoy the game.
- Mild disappointment (weight 0): Mild disappointment stemmed from the open world feeling empty and sparse, with repetitive gameplay and formulaic side activities. Some also noted a lack of fluidity in graphics or an imbalance in the usefulness of different skill trees.
- Skepticism (weight 0): Skepticism was directed at the game's value, particularly at its full price, and initial doubts about its quality based on other reviews. Players also expressed skepticism regarding Square Enix's business practices, such as cutting content and high pricing.
- Love (weight 0): Love was expressed for the game's world, gameplay, and lore, indicating a deep positive emotional connection. Players particularly loved the visuals, character movement, story, and the magic system.}