IGN

2022-08-26 20:30:46 By : Mr. Peter Wang

Forspoken will include over 100 spells and abilities - and you'll want to get to know how to use them in tandem, because it includes a Devil May Cry-style combo grading system.

In an IGN-exclusive Gamescom gameplay video, we see a number of combat encounters, showing the game's heroine Frey swapping between spells on the fly and using combos to take down groups of enemies. The game makes very clear you're being graded on the efficacy of your spell use - a meter counts up from rank D to A, with experience multipliers offered for doing well.

The game ups your grades on a number of categories, from using specific spells enemies are vulnerable to, stringing multiple spells together, evading enemies using parkour, switching spells mid-combat, and seemingly much more.

It seems as though there'll be a lot to work with, too. In an introductory video, Luminous Productions' Raio Mitsuno said, "The core of Forspoken's gameplay is built around exhilarating action. By mastering over 100 of Frey's different spells and abilities, you'll be able to enjoy robust combat, exciting and intuitive magic parkour, and various missions."

The gameplay itself shows huge numbers of combos, from trapping enemies in a floating bubble that you can burst with piercing attacks, to using a jet of water to boost into the air and sniping with fire attacks from above. There's also a shot of Frey seemingly using an ice surfboard to trick off of a waterfall, which isn't a combo, but I just really liked it.

After multiple delays, Forspoken is set to launch on January 24, 2023. The game takes place in the fantastical realm of Athia, and follows Frey after she is pulled from modern-day New York into this mysterious, magical world. In our hands-off preview last year, we enjoyed the "off-kilter take on the JRPG formula" even if the game is "maybe just a slight cringe."

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.