Just when Forspoken fans thought that the next-gen RPG was around the corner, Square Enix delayed the game until late 2022. That's certainly sad news for Square Enix fans, but it'll probably be for the best in the long run. If Forspoken simply wasn't ready to release yet, then a delay was the right choice. As a new IP, Forspoken needs to make a strong first impression if it wants to spawn a long-lived Square Enix franchise like Final Fantasy. The delay inspires hope that its creators are taking that issue very seriously. Handling Forspoken carefully will give it much better odds of getting a sequel someday.
With Forspoken far from release, it's hard to say for now what exactly a Forspoken sequel might look like. There's no knowing what becomes of Frey Holland, her allies, and the world of Athia until the game's release rolls around. However, a core facet of the game's narrative might already offer a pretty solid jumping-off point for a sequel. Forspoken is an isekai game, meaning that Frey has been transported from her homeworld of Earth to Athia by magical means. A sequel could do just the opposite, bringing the magic and monsters of Athia to Earth.
Reversing Forspoken's Isekai Narrative
As far as fans can tell, Forspoken will take place almost exclusively in Athia. It's possible that the game will feature some kind of prologue where players walk through Frey's life in New York City, but the game's core narrative is all about Athia. If Frey eventually goes home, it'll likely be at the very end of Forspoken. The isekai genre certainly seems useful for building the world of Athia. As a total stranger to this magical place, Frey is the perfect lens through which fans can experience Athia for the very first time. While there could very well be distant corners of Athia that Forspoken doesn't cover, odds are that players will have strong knowledge of Athia by the end of the game.
With that in mind, it would make sense for Forspoken to do the opposite in a sequel. Frey might find herself back in New York City with Cuff, where she tries to build a new life for herself in the wake of her experiences, but a magical incursion from Athia stops her from settling back into life on Earth again. In the process, Forspoken fans could watch Frey's closest friends and allies come to Earth and learn about Frey's world, deepening her relationship with them and opening up new narrative possibilities.
Building on the Foundation of Forspoken
Narrative elements aside, there are a lot of mechanical and aesthetic benefits to bringing Athia to Earth in a Forspoken sequel. Blasting dragons with Frey and Cuff's explosive magic while in Athia is one thing, but fighting these creatures on the streets of New York City or near other famous Earth landmarks would be an entirely different experience. Adding parts of Earth to the Forspoken overworld would also be a great way to expand on the first game's map without reconstructing parts of Athia or inventing other dimensions as well. The contrast between Athia and Earth could inspire all kinds of solid mechanics, settings, and characters.
Of course, rather than focusing on a sequel, it's for the best that Luminous Productions and Square Enix emphasize Forspoken itself for now. While there could very well be some ideas for a sequel floating around at Luminous already, the delay indicates that Forspoken needs work, so the studio will likely focus on the game itself as best it can for now. Forspoken has the potential to be the next big Square Enix IP. The deeper its magical multiverse goes, the more potential there is for successors. Above all, though, a reversal of Forspoken's take on the isekai genre seems like a particularly fruitful sequel option.
Forspoken releases October 10, 2022, for PC and PS5.
