At the PlayStation 5 reveal event last June, Project Athia was announced as a narrative-driven fantasy adventure game from Square Enix’s new studio, Luminous Productions.
Gary Whitta, the writer behind Telltale’s The Walking Dead and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story , confirmed that he led the team of writers for the recently announced project.
After nine months, Square Enix has revealed the official title for the upcoming project.
PROJECT ATHIA GETS TITLE & MORE
During the Square Enix Presents showcase, Square Enix announced Forspoken , a new fantasy adventure game from Luminous Productions. The game is set to release on PlayStation 5 and PC in 2022.
Forspoken is the official title of Project Athia , which was announced last year at the PlayStation 5 reveal event.
The YouTube description of the game's trailer notes that the game takes place in a "beautiful yet cruel world. "
"Introducing Forspoken, the new narrative-driven adventure set in a beautiful yet cruel world.
Play as Frey Holland, an ordinary young woman who must harness her magical abilities to survive in the fantastical yet dangerous land of Athia.
Developed by Luminous Productions for the PlayStation®5 system and PC, Forspoken will take players on a magical and perilous journey."
Actor Ella Balinska will provide the voice of Frey Holland, the game's protagonist.
The trailer for Forspoken can be found below:
A NEW FANTASY GAME WITH MAGICAL POWERS
The trailer for Forspoken confirms that the lead character, Frey Holland, possesses some sort of magical abilities. The new footage shows her bounding, leaping, and sprinting through the open landscape of Athia, the land that Square Enix calls “dangerous.” Frey will likely have to use her abilities to defend herself against the gargantuan creatures in the game.
Given the involvement of Gary Whitta, who is a notable writer in Hollywood, it makes sense that Ella Balinska, a film actor, is lending her talent for the project. The trend of Hollywood actors migrating to video games has increased over the past decade, with Keanu Reeves recently playing Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2077 last year. The combination of Whitta and Balinska’s film backgrounds will surely be felt in this game.
The gameplay of Forspoken looks somewhat similar to Horizon Zero Dawn . In that game, players fight against large dinosaur-like creatures in a post-apocalyptic setting. The enemies in Forspoken seemingly serve as large threats that might require some level of skill and strategy to defeat. Unlike Horizon Zero Dawn , Forspoken is decidedly a fantasy game filled with dragons.
PLAYSTATION Writer