I know in the remake it knocks enemies back.

But in this game, it's weaker than the Fire Dart spell you start with. So is there a point?

Only if you want to raise your skill in it. Throughout the series, not just in this game, Force Bolt is a spell that costs slightly more and hurts slightly less than Flame Dart. So generally, there's no point in using it over Flame Dart in combat unless you're under water or the enemy is resilient to flame. But I don't know much about enemy resilience throughout the series. (I just know it exists here and there)

Funny, I didn't really notice. I think it was put there for more 'practical' uses, like knocking stuff down (like the boulders, the candle, etc). It actually makes sense in that case that it would do less damage since flame dart is supposedly combat exclusive and force bolt is multi-purpose.

Till next time stay cool