Forspoken is a gaming oddity. It didn’t sell well and there are quite a few people with negative opinions about it (some formed before it was even released), but there’s undoubtedly potential within the action RPG, and it’s even enjoyable to play. Our own Izzy Parsons gave excellent insight into the main Forspoken game with their review. Now, players can return to Athia alongside protagonist Frey Holland in the DLC expansion In Tanta We Trust, but is it worth the return trip? While the DLC add-on is on the short side, taking roughly three hours to complete, I was surprised at how much I came to enjoy its story.
Players can purchase Forspoken’s In Tanta We Trust separately, though those who own the PS5’s Digital Deluxe Edition already have access to the expansion. You’ll need the base game to access the DLC, though you do not need to have played the main game before starting up the new content. Scroll down the main game’s menu to “Add-On Content,” and an entirely new menu solely for In Tanta We Trust opens up. Players can adjust their game settings here or immediately begin the DLC.
In Tanta We Trust begins after the main game’s events, with Frey still trying to figure out how to free the land of Athia from the scourge of the Break. After hearing a mysterious, disembodied voice calling out to her, Frey is thrust into Athia’s bloody past in Visoria when she approaches a nearby strange artifact. Suddenly finding herself inside the body of one of the matriarchal Tantas’ guard, named Thalia, Frey gets caught up in Thalia’s role during the conflict. To make matters more complicated for Frey, Tanta Cinta becomes Thalia’s traveling companion. Naturally, this brings up complex feelings for our protagonist due to their familial relationship. Can the Tanta of Love be trusted? What does Thalia’s past have to do with Athia’s present, and what is the truth behind the Break?
You play as Frey inhabiting Thalia’s body throughout In Tanta We Trust. Through a series of early events, Thalia begins to acquire magical abilities in the same vein as Frey does in the present. It’s a clever way to have the DLC reset Frey at the start from the more powerful, higher-level fighter she is at the end of the base game. At the beginning of the DLC, you’ll only have access to a limited arsenal of spells, which can impede how easily you get through fights. However, advancing through the side story allows you to acquire more abilities, so Thalia becomes a powerhouse fighter in her own right. Throw in Frey’s magic parkour moves, and Thalia flits about the screen in a bevy of fast-paced maneuvers. I find combat incredibly fun once you gain access to more spells and abilities! I especially like the feeling of damaging many enemies by using a massive AoE spell or lining them up for a magically charged rush attack.
Of course, the biggest draw of In Tanta We Trust’s combat is undoubtedly Cinta’s supportive aid. You can have Cinta perform powerful support magic in battle, and later on, she and Thalia develop fusion magic that can turn the tides against long waves of enemies or powerful bosses. The AI for Cinta gets nicely handled, too, as I always found her assistance in a battle to be a boon instead of a hindrance.
Outside of combat, there are game segments where you must sneak past foes in stealth portions that are surprisingly non-frustrating. There’s also a wide open area to parkour through to your heart’s content. I had a blast racing through Visoria, uncovering all objects of note marked on the trusty map. Late in the DLC, you use a specific swinging parkour move to jump and climb further up a gigantic tree in a thrilling segment. In Tanta We Trust is quite entertaining as far as its action RPG gameplay elements are concerned!
However, enemy variety is unfortunately lacking. Instead, you contend with hordes of the same enemy types repeatedly. I can count the different foes you fight on one of my hands: spearmen, archers, winged humanoids, and two giant beasts who initially have high resistance. That’s it for foes. Given how short the DLC is, I suppose it makes sense, but I’d love a few more enemy variations to test new combat strategies on!
As far as In Tanta We Trust’s story and characters go, I’m honestly impressed. Thalia’s tale is both heroic and tragic. While I don’t necessarily think her cussing like a sailor is necessary, Frey herself is likable throughout this side story as she faces what happens to Thalia head-on, reaching a more tentative understanding of Cinta. Cinta is a complex character, and I like her interactions with Frey here. The main antagonist is run-of-the-mill and unmemorable. I’ve already forgotten his name, but he is a good opposition to the heroes. I appreciate how the tale told here ultimately plays into Athia’s lore. I find Frey’s talking armlet, Cuff, is an acquired taste as, while Cuff’s reactions are understandable given their origin, they aren’t all that likable. This unlikability is a shame considering Cuff is the only other character interacting with Frey beyond Cinta for most of the expansion. I prefer Frey’s banter and conversations with Cinta to the ones with Cuff.
I’m impressed by the number of accessibility options available for the DLC. They range from setting up auto-evade, automatically using healing items, picking up items on the field without interacting with them, toggling levels of damage taken, camera options, and even a few subtitle options. You can easily tailor In Tanta We Trust’s gameplay to your personal preferences, aside from the standard difficulty choices the title gives you when you begin the DLC outing proper. There’s even a meter to raise or lower how much banter will play out between Frey and Cuff, something that’s also been patched into Forspoken’s main game.
The add-on’s script is excellently localized, and the gameplay is streamlined compared to what gets found in the base game. The English voice acting is impressive, as is how sound effects get utilized to set the DLC’s environment. The music score in In Tanta We Trust is well-done, particularly the pieces leading up to the final battles.
I think In Tanta We Trust’s biggest weakness is how short it is. Still, despite being only three hours or so in length, the DLC is a solid standalone adventure. It also ends by hinting at a future adventure for Frey and Cuff, which may or may not happen now due to Forspoken’s lackluster sales. It’s a shame, given how this DLC, in particular, highlights Forspoken’s inherent potential. While the DLC’s price isn’t high for its length, you still need to purchase Forspoken to play it. So, whether or not you want to double-dip into Forspoken with this add-on depends entirely on your enjoyment of the base game. Fans of Frey’s first adventure may find an excellent reason to return to Athia here, as In Tanta We Trust is a compelling prequel side-story to Forspoken.
