After many reports, the Square Enix studio finally presented its latest product to us this week: The prophesied. After devoting more than ten hours to it, the conclusion becomes obvious. While his ambitions are obvious – and very honorable – they are unfortunately too big for his own good.
Nothing is going well for Frey Holland. In fact, life has taken on the nasty habit of getting in the way of him since he was born. Abandoned by her parents when she was just a baby, then tossed from one foster family to another, our heroine goes from galley to galley, narrowly avoiding prison time and time once more.
While a lenient judge graces him with a lightened sentence on the eve of his 21st birthday, Frey will try to flee New York to rebuild his life elsewhere. But at the turn of an evening, she will find her bad habits once more and will switch to a fantastic world called Athia.
In this parallel universe, her only ally will be a sentient bracelet giving her magical powers and superhuman physical abilities to help her move around in combat. Because the road to the house will be strewn with enemies and challenges for the young woman (and, therefore, for the player as well).
Photo courtesy of Square Enix
Exclusivity
The bar was high for this first PS5 exclusive of the year 2023. And obviously, Square Enix has put all the gum to go following its ambitions. Or, rather, to try to go following his ambitions. Because the bet launched by the studio is not entirely won.
As soon as we dive into The prophesied – first in his New York, then his Athia -, we immediately notice the obvious attention to detail, such as the richness of its environments and its innovative combat mechanics. It’s beautiful, it’s welcoming, it’s downright refreshing. A thunderbolt ? Not exactly, but almost.
The first slights are indeed exhilarating, intoxicating and modern. But following a few hours, they quickly become redundant, in addition to being particularly difficult to operate. Aiming aid – crutch that we usually categorically refuse – seemed to us to be the only viable option at various times in the game as it becomes difficult to aim and align your shots towards the targets.
And this is probably where the shoe pinches the most. Because with risky orders and its convoluted fights, we sigh more than we get carried away following a few hours. An even longer gestation would perhaps have made it possible to better calibrate this element of The prophesied and, also, find a more distinct guideline for it.
Photo courtesy of Square Enix
A little bit of everything
Both in the context of main and secondary quests, we surveyed lands dotted with enemies, fought hordes of zombified villagers, learned various spells and incantations, made magic concoctions… but also followed stray cats, fed sheep and granted a few minutes of our precious time to songwriters in need of attention.
Short, The prophesied casts a wide net in its missions. A little too wide, even. Because we come to lose the common thread of this plot, just like the personality of the game with the different flavors (sometimes light, sometimes more heady) ofAssassin’s Creed, Elder Ring or Horizon Forbidden West. But rare are the occasions when this new offering from Square Enix does not surpass the games it tries – voluntarily or not – to emulate.
Fortunately, all the same, that one instantly attaches to Frey Holland, its nuanced, three-dimensional and entirely human heroine. It’s incredibly easy to identify with her and side with her following all the hardships life has thrown her way. And this is the main strength of The prophesied : its human and universal dimension.
The prophesied is therefore not a bad game, far from it. But it’s easy to be upset to see him exploiting only a part of his obvious potential.
- The prophesied ★★★☆☆
Available on PS5 and PC
