The Forbidden Arts
OpenCritic Rating
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
The Forbidden Arts Trailers
The Forbidden Arts - Full Release Announcement Trailer
The Forbidden Arts - Steam Early Access Trailer (March 2018)
The Forbidden Arts - 2017 Trailer
Critic Reviews for The Forbidden Arts
The Forbidden Arts is a game that feels like a relic from the past. If someone had told me this was a budget title on Gamecube and somehow got the HD treatment, I would believe them. It just lacks polish and interesting content to keep players interested. I doubt many people have heard of this title and even fewer will remember it. It is just a plain adventure title that never steps outside the boundaries of mediocrity.
Besides some technical issues and a slightly bland combat The Forbidden Arts is a very enjoyable game without a doubt.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The Forbidden Arts feels like a game from the early GameCube era, but not a particularly good one. Whilst the dungeons are vast and varied, and the platforming mechanics competent enough, the combat really brings the whole experience to its knees thanks to poor enemy AI and half baked elemental mechanics that make the entire experience feel very repetitive. Add to that the lacklustre graphics and empty overworld, and this is a game that only the most ardent of fantasy enthusiasts will enjoy.
The gameplay, art, and controls are all solid, the music is nice but an odd choice for a platformer, and the voice acting is good, but it's largely marred by the mashup fanfic plot. I found a few bugs, and there was some lag in controls, but they were largely incidental, and to be expected in a small team game this soon out of Early Access.
The Forbidden Arts is a nice indie studio entry for the Switch and good for at least 12 hours of gameplay. I say "at least" because if you play like me you will probably get a couple of extra hours out of it (refer to the finicky jumping bits above). It doesn't have all the polish of a big studio game, but it has heart.
The Forbidden Arts tries recreating games of old, but it manages to conjure flaws that should have stayed buried.
The Forbidden Arts had a lot of potentials to be a good platformer but because of many technical issues in different parts and aspects of the game, it is far from being good. There are very annoying issues in gameplay like sloping down from flat surfaces that could simply irritate anyone after some time and there are also some parts in the game that seem very incomplete and redundant. There are other issues in terms of sound and technical aspect of graphics. The game has a good overall level design and the artistic aspect of graphics is also very good with a beautiful style, but unfortunately, these are not enough to make this game a good choice to play, because technical issues affected every elements if the game.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Although The Forbidden Arts has a lot of potential, its gameplay is so loose and unsatisfying that it's hard not to be disappointed.
