How bad is Forspoken?

While “bad” might be too strong a word in some cases, Forspoken certainly underperformed relative to expectations and has drawn significant criticism. Critics of the game highlight strong concepts but inconsistent execution: for example, one review states the game “should have been the start of a great new original IP … unfortunately … its enjoyable gameplay is marred by terrible dialogue and an obnoxious protagonist.”
Player sentiment is mixed; some feel the traversal and combat are fun, while others complain the open world is empty and the story/characters don’t land. For example:

“For $70, this game is extremely sub-par … it’s an okayish RPG game.”
Another viewpoint:
“Forspoken may not excel at anything in particular, but it’s a game that does everything reasonably well…”
So, in summary: Forspoken isn’t universally terrible—but for a big-budget AAA game from Square Enix, it fails to hit the high bar many expected. Key flaws include dialogue, side-activity design, and a sense of unfulfilled potential.

How big is Forspoken?

There are a couple of “size” metrics we should separate: file/download size, and world/scale size of the game.

• On download size: The game is reported to be approximately 87 GB on PS5. For the PC, the file size is significantly larger—some sources estimate it to be around 150 GB.
• On world/scale size (which overlaps with “how big is the map”), the game is described as “undoubtedly huge in scale”.
  Thus: If you’re asking “how big” in terms of storage, it’s substantial. In terms of play/scale, it offers a large, open world and plenty of traversal options.

How big is the Forspoken map?

Drilling down into the map question: The game’s world, the land of Athia, has been measured by fans and analysed by outlets:

• One measurement indicates that Athia’s playable area is about the size of Manhattan.
• A site tracked running/sprinting across the map, showing that traversing from one edge to another could take 47 minutes or more on foot/sprint.
• The map contains numerous “points of interest”: one article says there are 186 points of interest (monuments, photo spots, ruins, side-quest nodes).
  So: The map is large, possibly comparable to big open worlds, though “size” alone doesn’t guarantee density or quality of content. Indeed, many reviewers argue that empty zones or repetitive tasks undermine the large size.

How good is Forspoken?

Assessing “how good” the game is requires looking at its strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths:

• Traversal and movement are widely praised: the magic/fluid parkour system gives a sense of speed and freedom.
• Visually ambitious: the open world has appealing vistas, and the size/ambition of the world are often noted positively.

Weaknesses:

• Narrative/characters/dialogue have drawn intense criticism: some reviewers cite “terrible dialogue”, a protagonist that some find obnoxious, and story pacing issues.
• Side-content and open world filler: while the world is large, many side missions/tasks (“detours” in Forspoken) are described as uninspired or repetitive.
• Technical/optimisation issues: at release, some players reported PC version frame rate issues and other performance problems.
  Verdict:
  Forspoken is good in parts—if you enjoy speed, magic traversal, and want a large open world to roam, you can find fun here. But if you expect a top-tier narrative, dense side content, and flawless polish, you’ll likely be disappointed.

How is Forspoken – Forspoken Review?

The reviews for Forspoken reflect its “mixed” status. On Metacritic, the critic aggregate is “mixed or average”. Specific outlets:

• Tom’s Guide labelled it “a huge PS5 let-down” despite praising specific gameplay mechanics.
• LevelUpTalk wrote that, despite its flaws, the game “offers compelling mechanics” and that the harsh negativity might be somewhat rushed.
• Many user reviews reflect the split: some enjoy it more than critics, while others feel that the flaws are too significant.
  Review Themes:
• Initial impression weak: Many say the early game is slow or underwhelming, and it improves later.
• Good ideas, mixed execution: The ambition is recognised, but execution doesn’t always match.
• Commercial and critical under-performance: Sales were described by Square Enix as “lacklustre” and posing “considerable downside risk” due to the mixed reception.
  In short, the review consensus is that Forspoken is mediocre to decent rather than excellent.

Forspoken “Starter” Save File / Save Game Info

If by “starter save file” you mean a save file from the beginning of the game or one that gives you a head-start or 100% completion, here are some notes:

• Guides exist that explain where save files are stored on a PC, e.g., C:\Users\\AppData\Local\FORSPOKEN\Steam\\ savestorage\gameplay.
• There are community uploads/mods for “100% save files” (storyline completed, all content unlocked) for Forspoken.
• Using these can skip large chunks of content or allow you to explore the world freely, but you’ll miss the original progression experience.
  So: yes, there are starter or full-game save files circulating in the community, and you can locate your own saves in the folders above.

Conclusion

Putting it all together:

• Forspoken is large—both in terms of download/installation size, as well as map/scale size.
• It is good in some areas—especially movement/traversal and visual ambition—but also falls short in many others (story, side content, polish).
• It is not terrible, but given its AAA status and publisher reputation, it is underwhelming for many players and critics.
• The map size and world are impressive on paper, but a large world ≠ is a great world if the content isn’t as deep.

• • Save game options exist for players who want to bypass or alter the experience

The above content is compiled by ModeZone, a fashion and entertainment magazine.