Forspoken gameplay shows fast-paced spells, skill trees, and a magical grappling hook

Forspoken is poised to be one of the first big games of 2023, as it will teleport protagonist Frey to a mysterious magical world in late January. Thanks to a new preview from PlayStation, we have a better idea of how its magic-filled combat works.

The PlayStation Blog has the preview, complete with gameplay GIFs that demonstrate what we’re in for with Forspoken’s fast-paced combat. The fights are all about speed — or slowing down and trapping the enemy, in some cases. In the first gameplay clip, Frey creates a ring of fire that traps a large alligator-like enemy in close quarters, letting her slash away with her magical blade while the beast is unable to get enough ground for a charging attack.

The second clip shows her slinging small purple darts at some deer. We get a glimpse of two types of these spells: a burst shot that deals damage in a small area upon contact and a scattershot that fires quickly at close range. These purple spells can also have a secondary effect of binding the enemy in place. Frey fires them off quickly on her own, but they’re also tools for reducing the enemy’s speed.

The third gameplay clip shows off the game’s skill tree, with a fish-eye curvature to the menu. The cursor doesn’t linger on any one skill for too long, but we still get a look at a few different spells. There’s a basic shot, which can presumably branch out into the burst and scatter we saw before. There’s also a spell called Blade, which summons the sword Frey used to fight the first enemy inside the ring of fire. The third is a ranged spear attack called Blast Slice, which bursts with damage upon impact. Finally, Drag and Drop can grab enemies and pull them closer to Frey.

Along the same lines, the blog post concludes with information about Frey’s zip ability. This lets her slow down time and dash toward the enemy, but it can also be used as a grappling hook of sorts outside of combat. The last GIF shows Frey latching onto a point and flinging herself onto a cliff. Speed seems to play into both the exploration and combat systems in Forspoken.

We’ll be able to try our hand at all these tricks when the game comes to PlayStation 5 and PC next year: Forspoken’s release date is January 24, 2023. The game was previously delayed to that January date so the team could focus on the “final polishing stage.”