Forspoken Is Being Relentlessly Roasted for Some Awful Dialogue
Forspoken is one of the most anticipated game titles, but the newest trailer is being roasted for its dialogue, making the release seem far shakier.
Square Enix’s marketing team shared a tweet about the company’s upcoming Forspoken title, along with a series of bullet points about the game and a 30-second gameplay trailer. However, what should have been a forgettable exercise in gaming promotion, took a turn for the worse and the internet is now relentlessly roasting the game over the trailer’s awful dialogue. Before we dive into the core of the matter, allow us to share this visually appealing trailer:
Despite making fantastic first impressions on gamers when it was first revealed, the latest trailer for Forspoken isn’t faring so great on social media. According to PC Gamer, the content of the game’s most recent trailer looks stunning; the main protagonist is moving fluidly through the fantasy world using some sort of magic combat-parkour to ward off dragons and other magical creatures. She’s portrayed as incredibly powerful and capable of scorching entire landscapes with her magic. However, the downside is that she narrates the entire trailer as well, and the dialogue isn’t as great as the visuals.
The entire dialogue (monologue, to be more precise) in the Forspoken trailer is delivered in a “well, that just happened” style, and the fandom response is less than stellar. Not only does it look similar to something Joss Whedon would write while narrating every possible MCU release Disney’s so hell-bent on pumping out of the franchise, but some have even called for Square Enix to fire its entire marketing division, altogether with those responsible for making the trailer. Others took a more comedic approach to this otherwise fine piece of short cinematic art.
Users all over social media — but mostly on Twitter — took it upon themselves to parody the Forspoken trailer’s ridiculous voiceover by using the style and tone to describe the synopsis and plots of other gaming releases. These include and aren’t limited to 2018’s God of War, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2, Yakuza 2, Bloodborne, and many other gaming releases. It’s hilarious, to say the least, and considering just how toxic Twitter can be as a virtual environment; this showcases some of its brighter sides.
It isn’t uncommon for gaming protagonists to talk to themselves; most of the time, they’re revealing useful information to players without breaking the fourth wall — something 2013’s Deadpool game wasn’t so great at. At other times it ranges from unobtrusive to annoying. Still, Forspoken trailer took it to another level so that it feels more like a poorly executed TikTok voiceover or a poorly made YouTube short.
Ultimately, we wouldn’t agree with anyone who would call this a failed marketing exercise. The Forspoken trailer elicited a massive response and is currently trending on social media — though not for the reason Square Enix had hoped for — which is the end goal of any marketing campaign. In addition, Square Enix delayed Forspoken for 2023 approximately a month ago, and now it can take that time to polish up the game and its dialogue and monologue sequences, which were previously characterized as overstuffed by the game’s fandom.
