The Forbidden Arts

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.

It’s fair to say that the market has moved on a lot in 2 years. No matter what we are presented with, there is always room for a bit of nostalgia. The Forbidden Arts is a classic platform title with an exploration twist. The many routes that you can take, and the addition of new gameplay mechanics, makes this a title that will keep you thinking. Though very easy in some aspects, it will test your accuracy, timing and patience. It’s for these reasons that I recommend you play it. If you want a go on this unusual platform title, then buy it here! Can you help Phoenix rise from the flames and fulfil his destiny?

The Forbidden Arts is a mediocre action adventure platformer that looks nice, but doesn't bring much to the table overall.

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 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.

The Forbidden Arts has the potential to be great with its interesting world and premise, but the strange level design and problems with the gameplay keep it from igniting into something impressive.

I thoroughly enjoyed playing The Forbidden Arts. Though the controls and overall gameplay was simple, the premise was what intrigued me the most and encouraged me to keep playing.

Besides some technical issues and a slightly bland combat The Forbidden Arts is a very enjoyable game without a doubt.

To summarise – I did not enjoy my time with The Forbidden Arts. It feels to me like a game that could do with an extra 6 months in development to iron out some of my niggling issues. Though, that still might not help the uninspiring narrative.

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.