The dark themes and story beats in Forspoken have been revealed in the game's PEGI age rating, which notes realistic depictions of violence and references to suicide. PEGI stands for Pan European Game Information and it acts as the rating board for video games in Europe, in the same manner as the ESRB in North America.
Spoiler warning: this article contains mild story spoilers for Forspoken.
Coming to PS5 and PC, Forspoken is an upcoming action RPG launching later this year. The game stars Frey, a woman from New York who is transported to the fantasy world of Athia. Frey arrives in the last city still standing, as Athia has been afflicted by a magical curse, known as the Break, which turns people into monsters, and has corrupted the minds of the powerful sorceresses who once guarded the land. As Frey is not a native of Athia, she is immune to the effects of the Break, and can venture into the wilderness to find a way to end it. With the aid of a sentient bracelet, Frey must learn the arcane arts of Athia and save the realm from destruction.
While Forspoken was delayed to October, it seems likely that it will hit its new release date, as its age rating is available on the PEGI website (via VGC). According to the PEGI listing, Forspoken has received an 18 age rating and has received the Violence, Bad Language, and In-Game Purchases tags. The rating reveals some of the dark themes and story beats contained in the game, with Forspoken including references to suicide, as Frey attempts to take her own life at one point during the story though is saved by a mystical presence. This act is referenced later in the game by one of the villains. Forspoken also contains strong language throughout, along with milder swear words.
The In-Game Purchases notice shouldn't come as a surprise. Forspoken will include microtransactions at launch, which will include early access to the upcoming prequel DLC, rare resources, and unique equipment. There will also be varying degrees of violence in Forspoken, ranging from fantasy battles, where Frey uses magic to slay opponents with spells, and more realistic depictions of violence, as the PEGI rating mentions a scene where a woman is beaten up by thugs and has a gun put to her head. Forspoken will also feature characters consuming alcohol, including Frey, which can negatively affect her stats.
The ESRB rating for Forspoken was revealed back in February, but the PEGI rating has a lot more detail about some of the darker elements in the game's story. The Forspoken trailers revealed so far have only offered glimpses of the overall narrative. It's unclear whether the content in the PEGI rating is something that will appear during the opening hours of the story and is sidelined once Frey reaches Athia, or whether it will be a major theme of the game.
Forspoken will be released for PC and PS5 on October 11, 2022.