But, even dismissing the noise, Forspoken is a game that will make you sigh at the missed opportunity to create something truly special. It’s not the worst game ever made, and I encourage you to ignore the online discourse that has cherry-picked moments from its story to present them as out-of-context clout bait.

That said, Forspoken’s greatest strengths are undone by its uneven design, a running theme that forms a core part of its DNA. On the surface, Forspoken should be a slam-dunk win as a game that pulls plenty of inspiration from Isekai anime, gives you a rich tome of spellcasting powers, and features one of the most likable protagonists in recent memory. It has an elevator pitch that sounds fantastic for anyone who is jaded by the usual onslaught of sandbox games that look to monopolize the precious few hours a day that you have to yourself, but it also falls firmly into the camp of open-world games that are bloated with needless chores. Forspoken is a tough sell, a game that has so much going for it and an asterisk attached to every positive element in its design.

Forspoken credits