The internet won't stop roasting this new Forspoken trailer

Frey, dressed in modern clothes, kneels between guards with spears
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Forspoken, Square Enix's next big RPG, made a pretty positive impression on us when we checked it out in a December 2021 preview session. The tale of a tough young woman from New York City who falls through an interdimensional portal into the fantasy world of Athia promises a stylish blend of action, magic, and parkour in a dangerous open world, and while we didn't get to see everything, the bits we saw were "sick as hell." Alas, a trailer shared to Twitter yesterday has prompted a different sort of reaction.

The trailer shows off 30 seconds of Forspoken gameplay, which seems fine, but it also has lead character Frey Holland describing her new circumstances in a snarky, faux-disbelieving tone. "So let me get this straight," she says. "I'm somewhere that's not what I would call Earth, I'm seeing freaking dragons, and—oh yeah!—I'm talking to a cuff! Yeah, OK, that is something I do now. I do magic, kill jacked-up beasts, I'll probably fly next."

And then, of course, she flies. Well, jumps a long way.

Unfortunately for Square Enix, the edgy, "witty" dialog did not go over well. At all. Multiple replies call, with varying degrees of seriousness, for the writers, voice director, and/or marketing team to be fired; others say the dialog has dampened (or outright murdered) any enthusiasm they had for Forspoken based on earlier, dialog-free gameplay clips. 

Of course, it wasn't all bad. A handful of creative-minded respondents applied the formula to other games, with wonderful results:

Some who watched the trailer found that it reminded them of the quip-heavy style of Joss Whedon, the once-beloved writer and director of Buffy, Angel, Firefly, and a couple of Avengers flicks. One redditor in this thread, for instance, said Holland talks "like a Joss Whedon parody," while another complains that "every piece of dialogue so far is quippy, Whedon-esque tier crap."

Whedon is not involved in Forspoken, for the record, but several other high-profile writers of note are, including Star Wars writer (and way-back-when PC Gamer editor) Gary Whitta, Uncharted writer and director Amy Hennig, and veteran television scriptwriter Allison Rymer. That's an impressive collection of talent, which makes the cringe factor of this video even more remarkable—and, for followers who had previously been impressed by Forspoken's gameplay, frustrating.

The trailer botch is the latest misstep on a long, rough path for Square Enix in the West. Recent releases including Marvel's Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Babylon's Fall have stumbled, and in April, Sonic the Hedgehog creator Yuji Naka said straight-up that he doesn't think Square Enix "cares about games." In May, Square Enix offloaded Eidos Montreal, Crystal Dynamics, and Square Enix Montreal—and all their games, including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, and Legacy of Kain—to Embracer Group for $300 million, leading Eidos Montreal founder Stephane D'Astous to say in July that Square Enix's handling of the studio was "a train wreck in slow motion." Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda continues to be bullish on the blockchain, meanwhile, despite a strong pushback from Square Enix fans.

This new Forspoken trailer isn't likely to bolster anyone's confidence in Square Enix, but hopefully it's just some early voiceovers and a bad edit, and the game itself will still live up to our earlier hopes. We'll find out early next year: Forspoken is set to come out on January 24, 2023.

TOPICS
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

Read more
A man in a leather jacket with a crystal dragon on his shoulder
Lost Soul Aside, a spectacle fighter where your dragon pal turns into a hoverboard, is coming out in May
Aloy
'Creepy,' 'ghastly,' 'rancid': Viewers react to leaked video of Sony's AI-powered Aloy
The creepiest guy leans in front of an NPC mid-conversation in Starfield.
Starfield promises it still exists as silence drives fans to space-madness, but it mostly just annoys everyone: 'They are deliberately choosing not to communicate more'
Exodus trailer still - our intrepid hero throwing a little side-eye
Exodus, the new game being led by BioWare veteran James Ohlen, finally reveals some gameplay, and boy it sure looks like Mass Effect
Project C4 teaser still
It's another day of Disco Elysium-related announcements trying to kneecap each other: Studio ZA/UM has put out a teaser for its first new game since 2019, and it's not Disco Elysium 2
Four new Vault Hunters
Borderlands 4's new vault hunters get a mixed reaction from fans: some say they're 'bland,' others defend their excitement
Latest in RPG
Project C4 teaser still
It's another day of Disco Elysium-related announcements trying to kneecap each other: Studio ZA/UM has put out a teaser for its first new game since 2019, and it's not Disco Elysium 2
Monster Hunter Wilds - a player yells in despair with their arms out, kneeling on the ground.
Some Monster Hunter Wilds players are skipping the endgame weapon grind because they just freaking hate how they look
Art of a woman smoking a cigarette on teal background wearing leather jacket, challenging the viewer.
After suing a Disco Elysium writer to prevent him from making his own game, a tech CEO who's allegedly banned from the Disco Elysium subreddit is trying to crowdfund a spiritual successor
Atelier Ryza's protagonist, Ryza, looks surprised as magic flares around her.
Japanese game producer argues that thick thighs on anime girls are a natural byproduct of economic recession
Monster Hunter Wilds official art
If you've captured them for a minute, monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds are legally allowed to leave
A catgirl with long white hair and ears
At least it's not NFTs this time: The new Wizardry RPG is a gacha game
Latest in News
A hunter posing with an absurd Blangonga outfit in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Attention, fashion hunters: There's a Monster Hunter Wilds mod to disable all those obnoxious glowing buff effects that distract from your fits
Fallout New Vegas Key Art
The Fallout season 2 leaks continue with videos of the New Vegas set, including a sign for Mr. House's casino
Gallywix wears an uneasy smile as he's confronted by Xal'atath in WoW: The War Within.
World of Warcraft guild uses exploits to get world 'first' on the game's new raid, gets banned, puts its name backwards and does it again
Photo of BlizzCon 2023 main stage
BlizzCon 2025 isn't happening, meaning the event will miss its 20th anniversary, but it will return in 2026 to 'meaningfully elevate this iconic celebration'
Shohei Ohtani wearing Samurai Shohei outfit in Fortnite
The best baseball player alive is coming to Fortnite, and so is his dog
Mech in dry dock with person standing on catwalk underneath
How long can a live service game last? Theoretically, 'forever,' says Mecha Break developer: 'The last game I was in charge of has been alive and well for 16 years'