Unfortunately for Luminous Productions, however, the promise of epic boss fights has been made before players have even had the chance to load up Forspoken for the first time. This is because the marketing and lead-up to launch began with rumors and announcements that focused on a new game coming from Luminous Engine, the software responsible for the development of Final Fantasy 15.
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Final Fantasy 15’s Boss Fights
Even though Final Fantasy 15’s bosses weren’t difficult by any means, they all managed to succeed at what Square Enix was attempting as far as scope and spectacle were concerned. This is what makes the fight against Titan so epic, as the cinematography and grandiose sequence has Noctis parry attacks from a stone giant, while the fight itself was little more than a few quick time prompts and some button mashing. The result is a series of impressive encounters that have the player flying through the air at warp speed as they take on monsters the size of mountains with the spectral weapons of past kings.
This is all well and good for Final Fantasy 15, a relatively successful title from over six years ago, but this could make things difficult for the development of Forspoken. Luminous Productions now has to compete with the bosses from Final Fantasy 15 since the two games are linked in the eyes of many fans. What this means for Fospoken is that Frey is going to need an enemy to fight that will be able to stand out among a crowd that includes Leviathan and Aranea Highwind.
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What has Been Shown of Forspoken’s Bosses
At the moment, there aren’t too many official screenshots or video clips of what most of the major bosses in Forspoken are going to look like, or even how their fights might differ from ordinary combat. Square Enix has shared a few pieces of information here and there, like mentioning the gaping fire dragon that appears to attack Frey a short time after she first arrives to Athia. However, most of what has been shown in any of the boss fights that have been highlighted so far have been quick showcases of Frey’s magic, rather than the fights themselves.
With so much still left obscure, this could be a good sign that Square Enix doesn’t want to spoil too many of the impressive set pieces or narrative moments in Forspoken’s advertisements. This means that Luminous Productions could still be hiding its best and most spectacular bosses until the game actually releases and players will be facing off against them. Of course, that still doesn’t solve the problem once launch day comes around, and the developer is going to need to make sure that the game’s bosses help it stand out among its contemporaries.
There is also a more optimistic view to take on the history of the Luminous Engine, and specifically for the bosses that acted as some of the most cinematic moments in the Final Fantasy series. That view being that it is possible that Forspoken’s particle-filled graphics might lead to even more impressive encounters than anything that Final Fantasy 15 was able to produce in 2016. So, even though the developer is Luminous Productions, its connection to Square Enix could mean that Forspoken will follow the trend set by other recent titles like Final Fantasy 7 Remake and deliver some of the most impressive bosses in gaming.
Forspoken is set to release on January 24, 2023, for PC and PS5.
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