From what has been shown so far ofForspokenprotagonist Frey Holland, both in New York and in Athia, the character tries to come off as a cool, stylish young woman struggling through the realities and fantasies of life. However, as much as Frey frets about her shoes or her clothes, it’s strange that players can only seem to customize the magical items andmagic spells inForspokenin the latest public builds.
WhileForspokenis the type of AAA title that will most likely see visual customizations come in the form of DLC, there should hopefully be at least some ways to update Frey’s wardrobe in the base game. Similar to Frey’s style, Cuff is also a great place to implement some customization options, giving him different designs and color schemes based on areas and bosses that have been cleared.
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Forspoken Lacks Pure Cosmetics
At the moment, it is entirely possible to alter parts of Frey’s appearance, including her cape, necklace and nails. All of these items have cosmetic effects, but they also have a direct effect on thedynamic magic system ofForspokenby including ability upgrades and special skills limited to each piece of clothing. However, there aren’t any new clothes for Frey to wear that don’t have this direct effect on the combat. This means that the protagonist’s current style is directly tied to how effective she is during combat encounters and traversal.
In order to improve on the levels of customization that allows players to have unique gameplay experiences based on their own choices, Luminous Productions should look into non-magical clothes. Considering that Frey’s clothes under her magical cape and necklace is little more than a pair of jeans with a black shirt, there is a lot of room to alter her basic look. This could also tie directly into the adventure acrossAthia inForspoken, as new locations unlock new regional color schemes and outfits to help Frey blend in with her new environment.
Expanding Frey’s Wardrobe Beyond a T-Shirt and Jeans
More than a simple color swap, or trading out Frey’s plain black shirt out for one with aSquare Enix logo,Forspokenshould let the protagonist trade out the entire outfit from under her cape. As long as the styles feel like they fit the character, transitions from long sleeved thermals made for a New York winter to a lighter blouse when trekking through a desert would be a great way to make her wardrobe inform and be informed by the narrative. These new outfits could also mix and match to best visualize different magic builds.
On the other hand, not everything has to synergize perfectly with the regions, narratives, or even Frey’s personal style. Instead, a goofy outfit in the vein of the Cup Noodle hats fromFinal Fantasy 15could be a great give-and-take for players that don’t takeForspoken’s narrativetoo seriously. Players who want the grandiose, epic moments to stay as heightened as intended can ignore the more silly options, while others might embrace the ability to twist the experience with some funny, meme-worthy clothes.
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Forspoken Should Include a Transmog in its Endgame
Beyond simply being allowed to change the clothes that don’t affectFrey Holland’s spellcraft build, Luminous Productions should also look at allowing players to mix and match their preferred visuals with their favorite skills. This would mean being able to transmog gear like the capes and necklaces, so that their visual design isn’t completely dictated by their desired build. However, this is likely best left to the endgame, where narrative starts to build to epic conclusions and will likely include some impressive cinematics.
More than anything, Frey deserves to get to choose her outfit as she travels through Athia, based on both the skills her clothes give her and her personal style in the moment. Creating an expansive enough clothing system could even helpForspokenovertake comparisons toFinal Fantasy 15, especially if these outfits aren’t locked behind DLC.
Forspokenis set to release on May 24, 2025, for PC and PS5.
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