Square Enix’s upcoming game,Forspoken, has already gripped the gaming community with its beautiful visuals, a fantasy open world, and wonderful gameplay mechanics as seen in the gameplay reveal. However, the heart of the game itself may lie in its combat system that is seemingly based entirely on ranged combat with very few melee options available for the players.Forspoken’sstyle of combat system would be a perfect fit for any game focusing on mages and magic-based combat.
FromForspoken’sgameplay reveal, it is easy to see just how the reliance on various magical abilities can negate the need for melee combat. By providing a weapon wheel to select the different abilities and having a variety of faster rapid-firing magic and slower heavy-hitting ones, the player is equipped to tackle both close and long-ranged attackers. Included in these abilities are spells that look fantastic and affect the target in different ways, making it a perfect rendition of what magic combat should look like in gaming.
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Forspoken’s Magic Wheels
The backbone ofForspoken’scombat is the ability wheels, which are like weapon wheels in games likeHorizon Forbidden West. These wheels will allow Frey, the game’s protagonist, to quickly switch between abilities or spells. They serve various purposes, some as a trap tohelp Frey retreat from close-ranged enemies, some that deal area-of-effect damage, and others as a support ability that helps her recharge her magic and health. These abilities are used along with Frey’s quick-firing magic that serves as her primary means of attack and can easily be combined to let out devastating combination attacks. In a way, this style of gameplay is similar to the gameplay seen inInfamous, where melee combat does very little damage compared to magic or ranged attacks.
Mages are not master melee combatants, and while Frey does have the option to attack with a red magic blade, it will not be her primary attack strategy. Future games that also focus on magic should consider using a similar system with different ability wheels that provide different abilities to help minimize the need for melee.Complete removal of the melee systemwould also let games that focus on magic be more immersive and could give a unique combat system that has rarely been seen in gaming, with over-the-top magical abilities and lightning-quick primary moves.
Forspoken’s Abilities
Some of the most visually stunning moments often come from one of Frey’s many abilities, which can range from blast-producing giant crystals to a giant water bubble that levitates in the air and traps enemies within it. These abilities are basically over-the-top spells that can deal tons of damage, help Frey recover, and give her enhanced movement. They are seemingly ripped from one of the many fantasy books that have definedmagical systems such asHarry PotterandThe Lord of the Rings.
The visuals alone should inspire many upcoming games; however, theuse ofForspoken’scomplex and intricate abilitiesshould become standard for any magic-based game. Mages should be able to cast amazing spells rather than just a stream of fire or basic single-fire magic. Having these numerous types of attacks give magic-based games a real sense of immersion and the spells can also provide a lot of lore for the worlds.
As with most games,Forspoken’scombat system can only be called great after its release, especially since the only look at the gameplay so far has been a demo video. While the game is sure to look great, the success will be dependent on the combat and the story, both of which continue to be shrouded in a lot of mystery. From everything that has already been shown,Forspokenhas the potential to usherin a new style of magic-based gameplay.
Forspokenis set to release on August 05, 2025, for PC and PS5.
