Forspoken hype starts to die down with worrying first impressions days before release

After multiple delays, Forspoken is finally coming out in less than a week. But some early warning signs are popping up that are making players who were excited about the game take a giant step backward.

Several worrying signs popped up today on social media that are causing players who were going to pick up the game on day one re-evaluate their plans to buy the expensive new title.

First was multiple games journalists reporting that their outlet was not selected to get a game review. While this doesn’t necessarily mean that the game is bad and that they are trying to limit the number of bad reviews, it does cause concern for players who are looking for expert opinions before they drop $70 on a game that might not even take them that long to play.

Speaking of game size, there was a now-deleted tweet from PlayStationSize that claimed the game will take only six to 10 hours to play. The post was deleted to clarify that the game might take longer based on playstyle, but the initial reaction to both the lack of reviews and the report of a short game sent shockwaves through the community almost immediately.

To make matters even worse, the game was advertised to content creators and they were invited to apply for a code, but the game will get to creators’ hands at the same time it comes to everyone else. This practice is common in the gaming industry but bundled with everything else happening, fans are concerned that all of these signs point to Square Enix trying to cover up a bad game.

Searching through social media, it’s difficult to find people who are actually excited about the game. Many believe that the hype has now died just a few days before the game’s release because of the warning signs.

The biggest concerns seem to be over story and performance. Many commented that the demo was a little shaky, but they normally chalk those kinds of things up to the game still being in development. Now, the demo is being looked at under a magnifying glass to see why Square Enix might be so hesitant to give out review copies.

The game comes to the PlayStation 5 and PC on Jan. 24, and players will need to shell out the up-and-coming new price point of games: $70. Now that there are so many red flags attached to the game, players will just have to wait until more people get their hands on it to decide if they want to make the purchase or not.