Forspoken magic combat trailer explains why the spells looks so good

When Forspoken’s launch was delayed to January 2023, Square Enix said it was so that the team could finish the “final polishing stage.” When it comes to game delays, “polish” can be a nebulous term, but in this case, the small details that make a big difference in Forspoken’s visuals have been made very clear.

The game’s new trailer takes a deep dive into its magic combat, though not every spell in Forspoken is meant to be used in a fight. Protagonist Frey can use her magic to attack enemies, support allies, and parkour around the environment. A lot of the spells play double-duty when it comes to these mechanics. Frey’s zip ability, for example, can be used to slow down time and close in on an enemy, but it also works like a magical grappling hook to help you get around outside of combat. All of these and more are shown off in the trailer, which looks quite good.

Ryota Nozoe, the lead visual effects artist on Forspoken, wrote a PlayStation Blog post to accompany the trailer, and it breaks down exactly why the spells’ visual effects look so sharp. “First and foremost, we wanted to stay away from having things like fire or rocks just suddenly appearing out of nowhere,” Nozoe explains. “We decided that every spell would share a common rule — it would start with magic energy and transition into natural phenomena like the aforementioned fire and rocks. Then, when the spell is cast, it would revert back to magic energy before fading away.” You can see the difference this design choice made when you watch Frey sling her spells: they really do look like they’re forming, firing, and fading in a logical manner. Whether it’s drawing enemies into a water vortex or summoning vines from the ground, a spell looks super slick when activated.

If all of this has you hyped for Forspoken, remember that you still have a few months to go before its arrival. The release date of Forspoken is January 24, 2023.