The combat players have seen in theForspokendemo so far has shown that the game might be less of a generic JRPG and might instead fit into a niche that publisher Square Enix has recently been trying to break into. That is to say that Luminous Productions could be slipping a Soulslike under the radar, in the vein of thestill updatingStranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Originsfrom developer Team Ninja.
WhileForspokenhasn’t currently been marketed as a Soulslike, nor is the game’s difficulty looking to bar progress for players who don’t master its combat, the basics of theSoulsborneseries are there. There is also a touch of some flashier, faster paced action titles likeDevil May Cry, but the core of dealing and avoiding damage falls right in line with the Soulslike genre.
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Core Concepts of the Soulslike Formula
The most common way to define theSoulslike formulacomes down to interconnected maps with shortcuts that open from the other side, a currency economy that leaves lost “souls” on the ground after death, and difficult combat. However, it isn’t always clear to fans what exactly makes the combat of the genre so difficult. One common trick, especially from theSoulsborneseries itself, is to remove animation cancels in order to force players to make calculated and deliberate use of every action. Another common part of the equation, though, is the use of stamina that further limits the actions players can perform.
It’s this use of stamina that leansForspokeninto the Soulslike genre. Therole of stamina in titles likeElden Ringis to limit the number of actions the player has access to at any point. This means that players can’t dodge, block, or attack forever, as losing all of their stamina will leave them unable to react to anything an enemy might throw at them. While the limits inForspokenaren’t as harsh as they are in other Soulslikes, the existence of the stamina bar shows how Luminous Productions wants players to engage with combat.
How Forspoken’s Cuff Enhances Combat
The current marketing strategy from Square Enix lately has been to putForspoken’s magical combatfront and center, with a specific focus on what Frey is able to do while using Cuff to throw spells at enemies. However, not much attention has been paid to the enemies that Frey fights and the different ways they can attack her from either melee range or a huge distance. Naturally, Luminous Productions has also given players a way to counter that incoming damage, namely by using Cuff to dodge attacks, run to new positions, or even reflect attacks as they land.
Fans of theSoulsborneformula might recognize this use of positioning, actively dodging, and parrying as three of the key aspects to how players can react in these games. So, asdynamic asForspoken’s magicis, the simple retaliatory actions tied to Cuff’s stamina are what could better define the overall combat beyond the gimmicks available through spells. Combine this with the beautiful open world and Luminous Productions could be setting itself up to surpassStranger of Paradiseby becoming the nextElden Ringinstead of the nextDark Souls.
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Health Recovery in Forspoken
Another key aspect of the Soulslike formula is the way that many of these games manage health, giving players a limited number of healing items to use during every excursion out from a bonfire. The archetype for these types of healing features is theEstus Flask fromDark Souls, which has been reinvented in most other games in the genre like the Vital Injectacble fromThe Surge. InForspoken, this takes the form of the Healing Draughts, which can be crafted at rest areas, but players are limited to how many they can carry with them.
The Healing Draughts do unfortunately come with the same limitations asBloodborne’s Blood Vials, with both requiring players to grind for materials or money to acquire more. However, these limits on healing do go a long way towardenhancingForspoken’s difficultyup into the realm of the Soulslike genre for players who don’t utilize accessibility features. So, it is really a combination of combat mechanics that could attract longtime FromSoftware fans to check out what kind of depth Luminous Productions is able to develop.
Square Enix’s Next Attempt in the Soulslike Genre
One reason to keep comparingForspokentoStranger of Paradiseis because theFinal Fantasyspin-off that released early in 2022 didn’t entirely live up to fan expectations. While many fans of the title fromNiohdeveloper Team Ninja did enjoy the game itself, it was mostly the performance issues that sealed the fate of the game early on. That being said, there were still complaints about the combat variety and a sometimes bland story that have since kept the game from becoming atop-tier Soulslike.
This failures ofStranger of Paradisedo act as a good reason for Square Enix to want to tread lightly with comparisons to theSoulsborneseries. Considering that it is also easy tocompareForspokentoFinal Fantasy 15, due to them both being built on the same engine, the game does already linger in the shadow of older titles from the publisher. All the same, finding the tag on Steam or introducing it to the genre for other online lists could still help draw in players who might appreciate the depth of combat on display.
In the current market of Soulslike shovelware cropping up all over online retailers, it’s easy for some games to be lost in the shuffle of so many titles that barely qualify for what they advertise as. So, it could be a good idea forForspokento advertiseitself the way it has recently, as a psuedo-Final Fantasywith fast-paced magic and parkour elements. Regardless, any fans of the FromSoftware formula should still keep an eye out for this game when it launches next year.
Forspokenis set to release on June 03, 2025, for PC and PS5.
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