As a hardcore gamer and RPG fanatic, few 2023 releases have me more hyped than Forspoken. The trailers showing off its magical abilities and vibrant open world has my imagination running wild picturing the adventures that await.
But an essential question remains — just how many hours of magical battles, mystical creatures and captivating stories are packed into Forspoken?
Well strap in, because in this complete guide I’ll be breaking down everything that impacts completing Forspoken, from:
- Main campaign length
- Completionist playtime
- The key factors that expand or reduce playtime
- Details on all side activities
- How Forspoken compares to other big RPGs
After analyzing all the expert reviews and statistics, here’s the definitive breakdown so you know exactly what to expect from Forspoken before taking the plunge into this highly anticipated magical world!
Baseline Main Story Length
First, let‘s establish the foundation – how long does it take to complete just Forspoken‘s critical path main story chapters?
After poring over dozens of reviews and completion times logged on HowLongToBeat, the consensus seems to be around 15 hours focusing solely on the core narrative arc.
Image source: HowLongToBeat
However, that includes roughly 4-5 hours spent in non-interactive cutscenes and conversations.
So for players focused on the action-oriented gameplay, main story completion is closer to 10-12 hours.
Either way, as an open world RPG Forspoken lands on the shorter end for run time — but that’s not necessarily a bad thing!
It means the story stays focused without overly padding the runtime. And believe me, Forspoken still delivers hugely compelling lore and intricate worldbuilding fit to burst with magical mysteries.
Just don’t expect a sprawling 80 hour epic here — instead look forward to a tightly crafted adventure built for replayability.
Which brings us to…
Completionist Playtime
While the main campaign keeps a tight pace, Forspoken offers ample additional activities and challenges beyond the critical path for completionist gamers like myself aiming to 100% the experience.
So if you want to see all Athia’s magical realm has to offer, how many hours can be expected?
Based on completion times for all achievements from veteran players, 30-40 hours is needed to:
- Complete all 21 optional Detour quests
- Obtain all 107 fashion pieces
- Revel every point of interest and hidden treasure
- Defeat all 24 deadly Cipactli bosses
- Max out ranks in the various Arena challenges
- And much more…
That means there’s well over double the content available compared to just blitzing the main story chapters!
Plus, the Detour quests, challenging boss battles, and plentiful mysteries scattered about the lands teeming with magical energy had me itching to explore every corner possible. This isn’t filler content simply padded out to inflate playtime artificially.
Instead, it provides intriguing narratives expanding on the diverse characters, otherworldly enemies to overcome, lore to uncover and unique gear to collect that all meaningfully enhance the memorable experience.
In summary, Forspoken offers condensed but powerful storytelling for those wanting to focus on its core strength. Yet also layers on dozens of hours of captivating supplemental adventures without feeling repetitive or shallow.
Truly a magical balance fitting for any playstyle!
What Influences Forspoken‘s Game Length?
Of course, no two journeys through the wondrous realm of Athia play out the exact same. Your playstyle preferences and choices shape the adventure, either condensing or expanding it beyond the averages.
So let’s examine what key factors can lengthen or quicken your own completion timeline:
Viewing Cutscenes
As mentioned already, roughly 4-5 hours of Forspoken is non-interactive story sequences and conversations.
Players immersed in the narrative will watch all cinematics, naturally extending playtime further. I certainly plan to on my first playthrough!
But for those focused purely on combat, cutscenes can be skipped to save a significant number of hours.
Side Quest Completion
The 21 available Detour quests are optional, but provide valuable context and backstory to the world that I highly recommend completing.
These mini-adventures centered on specific characters add around 8 extra hours in total. Very much worth it for the enticing narrative payoffs!
Combat Difficulty Settings
Forspoken offers adjustable difficulty, from the relaxed “Story” mode, up to intense “Extreme” combat that pushes skills to the limit.
Naturally, choosing a higher battle difficulty leads to more frequent failures against the various vicious foes found throughout the fantasy landscapes.
Which leads to retrying fights and ultimately lengthier playtime. So picking an easier setting helps condense the experience for players less concerned with combat challenges.
However, I live for epic magical battles, so count me in on at least Hard mode! Bring on the pain!
Exploration Depth
As an open world experience, choosing to thoroughly scour the map to uncover all hidden grottos, mystical landmarks and off the beaten path locations adds hours naturally through travel time.
Where some may enjoy following critical path quest markers more directly, I love getting lost wandering the world and discovering surprises for that sense of true adventure.
So personal curiosity roaming the world can significantly expand playthroughs beyond the target 15 hour critical path.
Gear Upgrade Focus
Spending extensive time harvesting crafting materials and echo coins to fully upgrade weapons and outfits isn’t strictly required, but offers clear combat advantages.
However, the time investment to max out gear does inflate total playtime. Especially if battling challenging elite enemies or seeking out rare resources.
As a hardcore RPG equipment grinder, I enjoy this repeatable end-game preparation. But it definitely pushes closer to 40+ hour completion times and beyond.
Tips For Condensing Forspoken’s Length
On the other end of the spectrum, what if your goal is minimizing Forspoken‘s playtime by strictly following critical story beats?
Here are helpful tips to employ for the most efficient 15 hour experience:
Always Skip Cutscenes
Once seen already, avoid rewatching lengthy cinematics and dialogues. They account for 4-5 hours total playtime alone as the graphics below illustrate:
Image source: GameSpew
Lower Difficulty To Story
Trivializing enemies removes combat repetition that can pad playtime.
Ignore All Side Detour Quests
21 optional missions might offer compelling backstories, but skipping them saves 8+ hours easily.
Limit Open World Exploration
Stick closer to the critical path rather than wandering the landscapes chasing question marks or fighting tempting battles.
Don‘t Farm for Upgrades
Avoid collecting crafting materials or echo coins to upgrade abilities / outfits.
Combining some or all these condensed play strategies can shrink a Forspoken campaign down to focus just on its core narrative strengths in as little as 12-15 hours.
Great for players short on time, or those planning multiple repeat playthroughs to then see all optional content.
Comparing Forspoken‘s Length To Other Major RPGs
To put Forspoken‘s flexible 10-40 hour completion timeline into wider context, let‘s compare to several other influential open world RPGs:
The Witcher 3
- Main Story: 50 hours
- Completionist: 172 hours
Elden Ring
- Main Story: 38 hours
- Completionist: 102 hours
Horizon Forbidden West
- Main Story: 26 hours
- Completionist: 84 hours
Final Fantasy XV
- Main Story: 28 hours
- Completionist: 55 hours
As shown above, many contemporary RPG greats often exceed 50+ hours for main stories, and even 100+ hours chasing full completion.
Comparatively, Forspoken condenses its experience into a much tighter package, while still offering optional content to more than triple main story length.
Neither style is inherently "better" — some enjoy sprawling epic sagas, while others appreciate a more focused adventure not overstaying its welcome.
But based on comparisons to its peers, Forspoken smartly keeps bloat in check even within the expansive open world environment, while cramming in no shortage of magical variety.
Closing Thoughts on My Anticipated Adventure
Hopefully this comprehensive deep dive clearly sets expectations for investing (or losing!) yourself among Forspoken‘s rich magical fantasy landscapes teeming with allies, enemies and crashes of adventure.
I for one can‘t wait to master dazzling elemental abilities to aggressively overwhelm menacing mythical beasts, while also taking time to soak in delicate bioluminescent-tinged vistas streaming vibrant colors.
If Forspoken‘s trailers represent just a fraction of the sensual splendor awaiting exploration, then the 10-15 critical path will still dazzle the senses with eye-popping spectacle.
Yet I yearn to slowly unveil all hidden narratives layered across Athia‘s realm by completing Detours fleshing out backstories and bonds with memorable characters. Only then will I feel fully transported into this fascinating world, living among the incredible sorceress Frey struggling to wield unexpected powers gifting god-like authority.
Have any other burning questions about Forspoken before braving the magical frontier yourself? Let me know in the comments below! I‘m happy to further apply my deep RPG expertise to clarify the sheer scope of this enormously promising open world adventure.
Now if you‘ll excuse me, I must retreat back to feverishly dissecting videos frame-by-frame to extract any last juicy detail I can analyse before finally going hands-on…
The countdown begins!
