The elements are chipping away at the blocks of cut stone lining the walkway, and grass is starting to spring up through the cracks. It’s easy to imagine that the massive monument would have made an impression when it was first erected, but its worn, cracked platform currently conveys only long-faded grandeur. With the game’s unusually expansive female cast, this system raises a few concerns, but it’s difficult to say how the final game will execute the idea. “Much like how in Ancient Egyptian and Babylonian societies decorating and adorning one’s nails was part of the culture, it’s very much the same with Athia,” Mitsuno says. This, according to Mitsuno, is where the developers got the idea for stat-boosting nail polish. Raio Mitsuno, Forspoken’s creative producer, explained that the team was interested in weaving ideas from our world into Athia’s. Its shape recalls an Egyptian Ankh, pointing to one of the game’s real-world cultural inspirations. In the preview, we checked out the Monument to Strength. On your travels through Athia, you’ll occasionally find lofty memorials that offer Frey the chance to increase her stats, called monuments. A good thing, because the developers confirm there is fall damage in Forspoken, so be careful not to plunge over a precipice without the necessary magic! Frey launches off the stories-high roof, activating a handy, gravity-defying spell to cushion her fall before actually hitting the ground. After climbing several flights of stairs to the top, we see that getting down is even more fun than the journey up. Larger than the Refuge, this multi-storied tower houses rows of books, scores of crafting resources, and even unexpected enemies.Ī group of scholars once graced this location’s halls, and by rummaging in their abandoned research, Frey discovers clues connecting to the lore of her own quest along with more points of interest to explore. This work is evident as we watch Frey bound across the landscape and, in a matter of seconds, reach the façade of an imposing stone building. According to the game’s co-director Takefumi Terada, the developers put a ton of effort into perfecting the fast-paced and fluid movement abilities. The magical parkour system really shines along the way as Frey leaps up and over a handful of steep cliffs in style.įorspoken’s traversal system truly seems like one of its biggest draws, and the open world is a perfect playground to revel in Frey’s enchanted dashing. Flagging it on the map prompts a floating icon to appear in the world, making the Guild easy to locate. It may lie outside the critical path, but the tower-looking map marker proves too intriguing to ignore. Not far from the Refuge, the map shows an unexplored structure called the Lutetia Guild. This system seems like a really good way to give players an idea of what to do out in the world without requiring them to stumble blindly through the Break. Probably the most intriguing data gleaned from the Refuge’s manuscripts are the locations of various other shelters in the nearby area, all of which are automatically populated on the player’s map so Frey can venture out to find them later. The information is neatly tucked away into a menu tab that players can access later if they want. A helpful note on the table across from the workbench details the world’s lore, including information on Athia’s once-benevolent but now Break-corrupted rulers, the Tantas. The crafting options include brewing healing potions and increasing the carrying capacity for the medicine and materials pouches. Players can upgrade their gear or craft new items here. The building’s roof is missing patches, and its stone foundation is starting to crumble.Įntering the shelter, the game notifies us that the structure is now a fast-travel destination as Frey heads towards a cobwebbed corner with a workbench. Now, however, those images are fading and shrouded by ominous mist. This suggests Athia was, at some recent point, a thriving culture with a rich artistic tradition. Its exterior is plastered with images that evoke the ecclesiastical imagery of our world’s Medieval and Renaissance periods. The retreat we saw, Water Garden: Central Refuge, reflects Athia’s current state. As the name suggests, Refuges scattered throughout Athia provide Frey a space away from the ever-looming fog and the hostile creatures under its influence.
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