{"id":535345,"date":"2026-03-07T17:49:27","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T17:49:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/all-about-forspokens-reluctant-hero-frey-holland\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T17:49:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T17:49:27","slug":"all-about-forspokens-reluctant-hero-frey-holland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/all-about-forspokens-reluctant-hero-frey-holland\/","title":{"rendered":"All About Forspoken’s Reluctant Hero: Frey Holland"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Platform:<\/b> PlayStation 5, PC
Publisher:<\/b> Square Enix
Developer:<\/b> Square Enix
Release:<\/b>

Heroes come in many different forms, and stepping into the role isn\u2019t an easy decision. Sometimes it\u2019s done out of necessity, while other times, it comes down to a person\u2019s honor and virtue. In some instances, even greed and fanfare drive these desires. No matter the reasoning, it takes great confidence and courage to take up the mantle, and sometimes finding those attributes is what makes a hero\u2019s journey so interesting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Frey Holland, voiced by actress Ella Balinska (Charlie\u2019s Angels<\/em>), is the lead protagonist of Forspoken. For the most part, Frey is an ordinary young woman, but when she mysteriously gets transported from her home in New York to the magical land of Athia, she has to dig deep to find not only herself but also the strength to save this suffering world from the Break\u00a0\u2013\u00a0a malevolent arcane fog which has corrupted people, animals, and the land. For our recent cover story, we chatted with Luminous Productions about how Frey came to life, and she isn\u2019t your typical textbook hero. Read on to l<\/span>earn more about what to expect when you step into her shoes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Trouble Ahead<\/h2>\n

When Luminous Productions set out to create its leading character for Forspoken, the writers were tasked with crafting a flawed and believable character \u2013\u00a0someone who felt very human. \u201cWhen we meet [Frey], she isn\u2019t benevolent and worried about others,\u201d says writer Allison Rymer. \u201cShe\u2019s been knocked down every which way and is barely scraping by. We get to join her on a path of self-discovery.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Frey spent her early years in the foster care system and has had to grow up fast, fending for herself in New York City. When we\u2019re introduced to her, she\u2019s at a really low point in her life and feels very alone, with only her cat, Homer, at her side for companionship. \u201cGrowing up in Hell\u2019s Kitchen has been rough,\u201d says writer Todd Stashwick. \u201cShe feels no one has her back. She\u2019s tough and has been running as fast as she can in New York, for her and Homer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The scars from her past haven\u2019t faded, and Rymer says her backstory plays greatly into her identity.\u00a0\u201cFor Frey, growing up in the foster system hasn\u2019t been all bad, but it did leave her with a feeling of low self-worth and strong desire to fit in and have a family \u2013\u00a0which she\u2019s yet to find,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With no one to turn to except Homer, Frey is not making the best decisions in her life; trailers have heavily hinted she may be on her way to prison.\u00a0Like any human, she is making her share of mistakes, and\u00a0many times you won\u2019t see her say or do the right thing. \u201cShe\u2019s a good person, but in these desperate times, she has put herself in bad circumstances,\u201d Stashwick explains. \u201cShe may have hit a point of no return, physically and emotionally. Frey, at this breaking point, has put herself \u2018on trial\u2019\u00a0internally, judging her own life and direction. We extend that metaphor into her story and external situations. So that the hero can rise, she needs to start in a less than heroic place.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Entering The Fantasy<\/h2>\n

At her lowest, Frey just wants out of her current life, but Rymer reminds us, \u201cas the old adage goes, be careful what you wish for.\u201d Soon she is mysteriously transported to the fantastical and medieval-looking Athia, where she\u2019s imbued with magical powers, facing off against evil sorceresses and dragons. She\u2019s also unaffected by the Break\u2019s corruption, something she\u2019ll discover the reasoning to as she goes on her journey. Nonetheless, it gives her a special upper hand in saving this world, but she\u2019s not so quick to jump on board with helping. Similar to Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz<\/em>, she just longs to go home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Stashwick calls it \u201ca Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur\u2019s Court\u201d type of story. But even with such a big change of scenery and a lot of turmoil to distract her, Frey can\u2019t escape her problems from New York. Stashwick points to the clash between the grounded, modern sensibilities of Frey and the fantastical world of Athia in particular. \u201cFrey\u2019s feelings of abandonment and insecurities follow her from New York into Athia,\u201d he says. \u201cSo even though there are wonderous landscapes, magic, and dragons, she is processing and meeting it with all of her personal issues. She is acclimating to her new reality and enhanced abilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frey may have the power to cast magic, but she\u2019s not certain she\u2019s ready to have a whole world\u2019s fate on her shoulders. Nobody ever stuck their neck out for her, so why\u00a0should she jump to help a group of people she knows nothing about? While there\u2019s something inviting about the beauty of Athia, it\u2019s also downright dangerous and holds plenty of darkness, adding to her uncertainty and\u00a0desire to leave.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s also feeling everything on a much more amplified level in this strange land. \u201cAthia is also a very \u2018grounded\u2019 fantasy realm,\u201d\u00a0Stashwick says. \u201cThe conditions are harsh, the human drama and problems are just as real as in New York, even if the circumstances are heightened. The stakes now for Frey are more than just her own problems. It\u2019s life or death for a lot of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Hero We\u2019ve Got<\/h2>\n

A lot of the journey will be Frey growing into the role of hero and overcoming her own demons. \u201cFrey isn\u2019t totally onboard to be Athia\u2019s knight in shining armor from the get-go,\u201d Rymer says. \u201cFor starters, she\u2019s not so sure she wants to do the job or is even capable of it. Secondly, there are some Athians who would agree with her. But as she gets to know some of the people there, she realizes they might just be worth fighting for. And with her powers, she might just be their only hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

With so much on her shoulders, Frey will try to get by any way she can, and humor is often her weapon against the giant plight before her. Both Stashwick and Rymer point to humor as a way people often cope with situations as a way to deflect from the pain. To them, it felt truthful to give Frey quips as she contends with the world\u2019s over-the-top moments. \u201cIn order to realistically portray a modern woman who has found themselves in such an absurd situation, it was natural that some of her reactions would be humorous,\u201d Stashwick further explains. \u201cTo self-consciously avoid anything funny would have been a disservice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rymer is quick to add that while Frey\u2019s humor is one of her weapons against Athia\u2019s darkest days, she can\u2019t use it against everything, and it surely won\u2019t save Athia from peril. \u201cIt\u2019s like armor. Humor protects her \u2013 keeps her safe from feeling icky emotions. Like they bounce right off. But yeah, when s— gets real \u2026 Frey\u2019s weapon is rendered useless. A joke or two can\u2019t protect her anymore \u2013\u00a0she has to deal with what\u2019s happening head-on, and it won\u2019t be easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frey will face adversity from some unexpected places. For her conflicts, Stashwick teases: \u201cA Hell\u2019s Kitchen Gang. The New York legal system. The council of Athia. The evil Tantas. Her own self-doubt. Freaky beasts and a dragon.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFrey will also face xenophobia,\u201d Rymer adds. \u201cShe is an outsider in Athia. Some people will welcome her, but others, who feel threatened by her, won\u2019t. Frey will also struggle with her own insecurities. She\u2019s prone to put up walls and push people away.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Facing Reality<\/h2>\n

In Forspoken, fantasy and reality collide, because they have to, in order for Frey to become the woman she needs to be in her life. While casting big magical attacks and leaping through a fairytale-like world should hold much of the excitement, there\u2019s something to be said about watching a character become a different version of themselves.<\/p>\n

During our interviews with the writers, it\u2019s clear they\u2019re making a genuine attempt to say something about the human condition. As Rymer says,\u00a0\u201cThrough Frey\u2019s eyes, we wanted to tell a story about humanity. How even in the bleakest of times, there can still be hope and kindness. And sometimes it takes a little help to see that \u2014 sometimes it takes being thrown into a strange new world.\u201d<\/p>\n