Among the side content inForspoken, Locked Labyrinths stand out for offering a series of interconnected combat encounters and a few side paths to find useful items in. While many of these optional mazes go too easy on the actual labyrinthine structure, new additions to the existing concept could go a long way toward bringing new challenges toForspoken’s DLCand other future updates.
Given the lore already available in these Locked Labyrinths, it wouldn’t be too outlandish to fill them with different combat encounters related to bosses and enemies that might have not even appear inForspoken’s base game. Additionally, this could go beyond one or two new boss fights, and could take a solid turn toward a boss rush likeHollow Knight’s Pantheons from the Godmaster DLC.
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Forspoken’s Infinite Underground Space
Introducing new content into an open-world title can often be a difficult task given their game worlds are often crafted to be a play space with hard boundaries. This leads to titles likeFallout 4teleporting players to new locations, as in its Far Harbor DLC. Otherwise, there isBreath of the Wild’s Champion’s Ballad DLC, which used a combination of new landscapes and old combat encounters to shake things up. Adding toForspoken’s open worldhas a few different options.
This is where the Locked Labyrinths could come in as a way to introduce title updates or full DLC campaigns, using the underground segments that already exist inForspokento expand downward. Since these challenge dungeons already take place underground, seemingly warping Frey to an entirely different layer of space, they have infinite potential to be expanded outside the confines of theworld of Athia. The result could be structures that take advantage of the “Labyrinth” namesake with complex and confined locations for the player to explore and fight through.
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Forspoken Could Use More Boss Rushes
Thebosses throughoutForspokenrun the gambit from brutally difficult challenges to pushovers that can be swiftly tossed aside while exploring. However, there are a few areas where the bosses stand out as some of the most impressive moments of spectacle among both side and mandatory content. This includes many of the primary fights against the Tantas, as well as some of the Nightmares that appear during Break storms.
One moment in particular that uses many of these bosses successfully is toward theend ofForspokenwhen Frey is tasked with flexing her magical powers against a quick series of encounters. Another boss rush also appears during one of the Locked Labyrinths across Athia. So, the idea of pitting players against a series of bosses is nothing new toForspoken, even at launch.
More of these boss rushes could be key to expanding upon the challenges available inForspoken, introducing new Locked Labyrinths in order to give Frey additional encounters that test her magic skills. This concept has seen success in other games, such as in a more recentSekiro: Shadows Die Twiceupdate and the aforementioned Godmaster DLC. From developer Square Enix’s own historic catalog, boss rushes have become a staple for endgameboss content in theKingdom Heartsseries. This type of challenge would be a welcome inclusion to show off the impressive boss designs that already litter the world of Athia.
Forspokenis available now for PC and PS5.
