Square Enix has plenty of long-running powerhouse franchises under its belt, from Final Fantasy to Dragon Quest. But every so often, the acclaimed publisher takes a chance on a new idea, and that looks like something we’ll be seeing more of thanks to the establishment of Luminous Productions.
Luminous Productions was formed for the sole purpose of developing new IPs, and for its first project, Forspoken, the studio wasn’t afraid to step outside of its comfort zone and bring in new talent, like Gary Whitta (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) and Amy Hennig (Uncharted), to realize its ambition. The open-world RPG transports a young New Yorker named Frey to a fantastical-but-dangerous land, where she gains magical powers to fight evil sorceresses, dragons, and zombies. Just like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Frey just wants to find her way home, but this is far from your typical fairytale.
For our 14-page cover story, we got the lowdown from Luminous Productions about how this unique project came to be. We also saw close to 30 minutes of hands-off footage from the game, which included a never-before-seen region called Avoalet. During our time, we encountered the flashy moves Frey will use to traverse the world and get an edge in battle alongside the various spells at her disposal. We also learned more about the fascinating world of Athia, which is where the game takes place, gaining deeper insight into the various side activities within it.
And that’s only scratching the surface of our deep-dive on Forspoken, which up to this point, Square Enix has kept shrouded in mystery. You can get a look at our stylish cover below, which was created by art director Yuuki Matsuzawa, who also made Game Informer’s Final Fantasy XV cover. In addition, we’ll have a special Game Informer Gold variant with a different design that we’ll be revealing in a few days, so stay tuned!
The magic doesn’t stop there, though. This issue is packed with features, from our Spring Buying Guide to Game Informer’s picks for the best Pokemon of each type. We also dive deep into upcoming games, such as Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands and Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, with the latter having a special character reveal. In addition, Jill Grodt takes us behind the scenes of the making of action/adventure game Tunic, while Wesley Leblanc explores the Metaverse and gaming’s potential place within it.
Print subscribers can expect their issues to begin arriving in the coming days/weeks. The digital edition of this issue launches this afternoon for PC/Mac, iOS, and Google Play. To subscribe to either the digital or print version, click here.
For more on Forspoken, check out our coverage trailer below for a glimpse of what’s in store. And don’t forget to keep checking the site all month long for new features detailing the ins and outs of Forspoken.