An abrupt but action-packed prequel to Forspoken ties the bow with In Tanta We Trust.
There comes a time in every videogame generation that due to a slew of varying factors, some of them come under an unfair amount of scrutiny. Factors such as overhyping, under-delivering, or simply being utilized as a weapon for people with a certain agenda, particular games are chosen as if by chance to be rejected with no redeeming qualities or have an extremely divisive response from the gaming community. The Last of Us Part 2, Mass Effect Andromeda, Kingdom Hearts 3, just to name a few.
After the release and subsequent DLC of Final Fantasy XV, Luminous Productions, the developers of Forspoken, set its sight on a new IP, free from the reign but with the continued support of Square Enix as its publisher. It was only expected to have high hopes for what had a famous actress such as Ella Balinska as the protagonist and a story written by Amy Hennig, of Uncharted renown, and Gary Whitta, who has previously worked on Rogue One.
Luminous Productions had big shoes to fill when Forspoken was initially announced in the PlayStation 5 event called The Future of Gaming in 2020. Presented as Project Athia in its first showcase, it sported impressive graphics and groundbreaking combat in its debut. Naturally, as is the case with many of the games we create in our heads with CGI trailers and the discrepancy of the final product in our hands, Forspoken was decidedly not what was shown in that first trailer.
When Forspoken was finally released in late January of 2023, the less-than-stellar result sent shockwaves through the gaming journalism world. The first big exclusive of the year for PlayStation -and from Square Enix no less- becoming a letdown means a sign for the future? Alas, although the graphical downgrade was palpable, it made for a certainly commendable effort from the studio full of fast-paced magical combat and enjoyable traversal through the rugged terrain of the world of Athia.
Now that the dust has settled, the newest DLC to wrap up this gallant new IP called In Tanta we Trust, just shy of four months after the base game, is available worldwide. And it stacks up well as a solid adventure with main character Frey and her fish-out-of-water attitude and Cuff as the endlessly charming and equally annoying talking bracelet. Working with the already well-founded roots of Forspoken and its relentless gameplay and story highlights, In Tanta We Trust takes the best of what it has to offer and neatly packages it in a brief but memorable experience.
Forspoken ended with some stark revelations regarding the main character Frey and her role in Athia as her savior and an open-ended conclusion, letting players roam free in the open world to cleanse the world of the cataclysmic event known as the Break. In Tanta We Trust, accessible only from within the main menu of the game and not the open world, begins with a voice talking to Frey’s head to approach the area of Visoria if she wants to find the answer to how to defeat the Break once and for all.
What becomes essentially a prequel, Frey is then transported to a time long before the apocalyptic events of the main game happened in an effort to understand how it all came to be. Entering the body of a foot soldier named Thalia, Frey lives firsthand how the neighboring realm of Rheddig sabotaged Athia and left the kingdom in such disrepair.
With plenty of cutscenes before being let loose in the new area of the In Tanta We Trust DLC known as Old Visoria, it is clear to see this experience is more narratively focused than the base game. Unlike the main story which kept its cards close until the very end, Frey’s narrative beats as Thalia plays its elements strongest since the beginning.
Not long after Frey arrives in this unknown, hostile land, she is surrounded and knocked down by enemy soldiers when she discovers she is helpless without her own or Cuff’s magic. Luckily, when she wakes up in her cell and with the help of a magical process she has new powers and is able to free herself and fight her way through. This is where the first new abilities of Frey take center stage.
Unlike her previous powers in the present, Frey is only able to use one type of magic in the duration of the DLC, which makes the combat more grounded and streamlined. One of the complaints of Forspoken was the unfamiliar accessibility to the many different abilities Frey had at her disposal. In this prequel, something that works towards it being a nonstop action-adventure is that she only has one skill tree of powers and there is no need to be aware if the enemy is resistant or vulnerable to specific attacks.
One of the most important elements of In Tanta We Trust is Frey’s reunion and collaboration with Tanta Cinta, an important character in her story that many felt it was too brief of a meeting the first time around. Just as Frey is trying to escape her jailers, Tanta Cinta arrives in the nick of time on a flashy cutscene. It is as impactful as it is refreshing, as she does not know Frey is inside the body of this warrior and is just there to help. What ensues is one of the most interesting mechanics of the DLC.
The gameplay of Forspoken could feel empty at times due to the sprawling world without many NPCs or outside help. In this prequel, Frey has the help of Tanta Cinta since the start, which adds a layer of intrigue knowing their relationship and a much-needed protagonist to the character as the end of the original game barely scratches the surface of their relationship. Thanks to certain timed combat mechanics, Frey can call for help from Tanta Cinta in crucial moments, making the enemy encounters even more lively and active than ever.
Once the big boss is established, In Tanta We Trust takes no time to let you free in Old Visoria’s contained area. Taking a page from the original structure of the game, the sprawling map is littered with brief activities, mostly involving fighting the enemies and liberating prisoners offering a slew of rewards including experience and new magical abilities. It’s a relief that most of the activities include fighting because it could be argued that Forspoken’s greatest attribute is its fast-paced and flashy combat.
As In Tanta We Trust was released in such a short period since the base game when nowadays most DLCs take a minimum of one year, it is expected to be compact, though some could argue that it is a little too short. Certain abrupt fades to black and into cutscenes when finishing an open-world activity are also present from the base game that while they do not affect gameplay could be jarring for some. Lastly, my main complaint is that it would be nice for a few things of the DLC to carry over to the base game such as the new Thalia outfit.
Thanks to its impressive cinematic direction, In Tanta We Trust boasts a no-holds-barred, action-packed narrative that gives more of what people love in Forspoken. For its short runtime, it never lets up and offers a blockbuster-worthy adventure of Frey’s story, a huge climax, boss fight, and all. While the future of the series may be uncertain, In Tanta We Trust gives this daring new IP a deserved sendoff.
