Forgotlings

The action-adventure game Forgotlings comes from the Danish studio ThroughLine Games in Copenhagen, an indie studio best known for the excellent Forgotten Anne from 2018. Forgotlings takes place in the same universe as Forgotten Anne and is, in fact, a prequel to that very game.

Forgotlings is a beautiful, story-driven 2D action-adventure set in The Forgotten Lands, the realm where lost and forgotten objects end up when they're cast aside from our world. These are called "forgotlings," and this magical world is inhabited by everything from talking boots, living baking weights, a slightly overcautious bucket, floating alarm clocks with motorcycle goggles, a charming corkscrew with a soft hat, and many, many other fun characters.

You take on the role of Fig, a former mannequin/posing doll who, compared to most of the other characters, is a bit dull, and who has also ended up in The Forgotten Lands. After a few detours, he falls into the clutches of a group of slave traders who specialise in selling newly arrived Forgotlings to the highest bidder at auctions, but he eventually escapes and actually becomes captain of the proud, though somewhat worn, ship Volare (which is also alive). He now sets out into the world to unite the five rival tribes in the land, in order to form a united front against a greater threat to the land.

Just like with Forgotten Anne, the primary focus in Forgotlings is the story, the characters, and the magical world. The first thing you inevitably notice when you start playing is the truly stunning visuals. I don't know exactly who or what inspired the designers at ThroughLine Games, but they've created a completely unique visual style that draws on something familiar yet is hard to pinpoint exactly. It resembles old classic cartoons in the very best way.

All the animations look hand-drawn, which gives the game a very special feel, and it's wonderful to see, in this age of AI, that someone is still practicing such solid, old-school craftsmanship. The design of the many amusing characters is truly polished and simply in a class of its own and it's been a long time since I've seen characters as well-designed as these.

The gameplay is a bit simpler. After a somewhat slow start, the game picks up speed, and you're introduced to a relatively simple combat system with some stealth elements. Hidden behind the impressive packaging is a fine 2D platformer, where you typically move from left to right (and vice-versa), jump and dash from platform to platform, climb ropes, push around crates, and sneak around under washbasins, just like Solid Snake under a cardboard box. However, it's also possible to move in and out of the screen at select points, which adds a bit of depth to the levels.

There are no skill trees, no upgrades, or a ton of different gear to find here, as the game has been stripped down to the bare essentials. You'll spend quite a bit of time solving simple puzzles or tasks and talking to the various characters you encounter along the way, and in the dialogue, you can choose different dialogue options using a slightly clunky wheel in the lower-left corner of the screen. The focus simply isn't on razor-sharp gameplay, but rather on the story, the many entertaining characters, and the absolutely magical world.

The voices for the various characters are provided by a number of renowned voice actors, including actress Amelia Tyler (Baldur's Gate III, Hades II, Starfield), actor Jay Britton (Frostpunk 2, Horizon Forbidden West), and actress and film director Rachael Messer (System Shock, Genshin Impact), among many others, and several of them are reprising their roles from Forgotten Anne.

As mentioned earlier, the protagonist Fig comes across as the most boring and least charismatic character in the entire game, and it doesn't help that the voice actor playing Fig sounds like he just couldn't be bothered that day. Perhaps this is intentional on the designers' part, but it's genuinely hard to warm up to Fig when he pales in comparison to the many other outstanding characters surrounding him.

Forgotlings is a fine adventure game and a clear and solid step up from Forgotten Anne, both in terms of its visuals, its fantastic world, and the truly delightful characters we encounter along the way. As a game, one might have wished for slightly deeper and tighter gameplay, but it works and is offset by a beautiful presentation and the wonderful world in which it all takes place.

If you played Forgotten Anne and want more of that world, then Forgotlings is exactly what you've been waiting for, just don't expect tight gameplay or a razor-sharp combat system. Forgotlings is all about the story, and so should you be if you dive into this new Danish game. Forgotlings is already out on PC and has just been released for Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.