Forspoken's Combo System Explained

After suffering a long series of ups and downs, the hype for "Forspoken" seems to finally be back on track. When players were first given a glimpse of the fantasy title back in 2020 (known then as "Project Athia"), the game appeared to be a revolutionary use of next-gen graphics and features. Then, Square Enix and Luminous Producions released a trailer so awkward that everyone said it was an instant meme. Thankfully, now that the devs have released an analysis of the "Forspoken" combo system, gamers yet again have reason to be excited about the upcoming title. 

According to Square Enix, the game's story follows Frey, a young woman from New York who is somehow mysteriously transported to the magical land of Athia. Frey finds she has magical abilities which, as shown in multiple gameplay trailers, can be utilized by the player to traverse the Athia landscape and combat the land's strange collection of creatures. This combat system seems to stand apart as especially promising, with IGN describing it as reminiscent of the combo-filled fighting of the "Devil May Cry" series.  

As Frey, players will be able to switch between a number of combat abilities, most of which appear to be magical spells, according to an exclusive combat preview from IGN. Stringing different magical attacks together as Frey takes on large groups of enemies will allow players to build up a combo meter. According to IGN, Frey has access to as many as 100 different spells and abilities, so players will have no shortage of combinations to try out.

Some of Frey's moves will serve as multipliers, ramping up the combo score even higher. This includes attacks specifically targeting enemy weaknesses and switching spells mid-attack, among others. Using Frey's parkour abilities to doge enemy attacks will improve the player's combo score as well. At the end of an enemy encounter, "Forspoken" players will receive a "Devil May Cry"-esque letter grade based on their combat scores.

Gameplay footage provided exclusively to IGN shows this combat system in action. Frey's set of spells includes the use of various elements, including fire, ice, and water. During the IGN clip, Frey starts an encounter by launching into an enemy with a fire-like shield in front of her. At another point, Frey traps several enemies in a giant bubble of water which she then pierces with a magical attack. A mix of close and long-range attacks appears to give players enough options to choose the style of combat that best suits them, all while building their combo meter. Mixing these attacks with Frey's unique traversal abilities — including an assortment of magical dashes and teleports — keeps the pace up during the game's frantic skirmishes.

Overall, the combat system in "Forspoken" appears to be an advanced one. Gamers looking to give the system a go, however, will still have to wait a while before they can do so. On July 6, Square Enix and Luminous Productions announced the game had been delayed until Jan. 24, 2023.