FORCED Review

BetaDwarf, a video game company based out of Denmark, has released their first video game named Forced. 

Forced has players take control of a character who must fight in a gladiator-style arena with the goal of winning their freedom.  The good news is that you will have a Spirit Mentor named Balfus who will aid you on your quest for freedom.

Balfus is also the key to completing the puzzles that Forced throws your way and learning how to use his powers will be critical to mastering the game.  Balfus can activate shrines that help complete the objectives, shrines that give players health and other bonuses and can even use a shrine to become an explosive.  Balfus moves at the player’s command and choosing when to use his powers will take some time to learn.

Let’s take a look at some of the finer points of Forced:

The Story:

As I wrote earlier, each player will fill the role of a gladiator who has trained their entire life and now must compete in the various Arenas.  Each area has five Arenas and there is one boss in each area that must be beaten before moving on to the next area. 

Each Arena has three Crystals that can be earned by completing the Trial, the Challenge and beating the posted time for that Trial.  Crystals unlock new powers for all the playable classes and will help in both the Story Mode and the Survival Arena Mode.  So completing the Challenge and the Time to Beat will help each player as you progress through the game.

Gameplay:

Forced is labeled as a “one-to-four player co-op arcade action RPG with puzzle and tactical elements,” and two different game modes to play.  Players can choose to play through the Story Mode or the Survival Arena Mode, and each will offer their own challenges. 

One interesting portion of combat in Forced revolves around placing “marks” on your enemies.  Every time you hit an enemy with a basic attack, they will receive one mark, and marks enable your special attacks do more damage to an enemy.  You can place a total of five marks on an enemy and that will allow you to a powerful special attack.

The other important thing to note about “marks” is that a mark you place on an enemy will combine with those of other players.  For example, if I hit an enemy twice and another player hits the enemy once, then that enemy will have three marks and either of our special attacks will do more damage.  Which is another reason for you to work together with other players!

Also, each Gladiator class has several different special attacks at their disposal that are unlocked by gaining Crystals.  Before each Arena, it is important to check which special abilities you have equipped to make sure that you are prepared for the upcoming Trial.

Forced does not focus entirely on the combat either as players will need to solve various puzzles in many of the Arenas.  Luckily, Balfus guides the player along the way but most of the puzzle-solving is left to the player.  Learning how to solve the puzzle can be a game of trial-and-error (for me at least), and it is a nice way to complement the in-game combat.

Some of the puzzles are difficult…and some will even kill you!

Overall, I really like how the game plays out so far and is something that feels fresh.  There are games that have similar styles to Forced but the puzzle-solving combat helps differentiate this title. 

The Gladiators

Forced allows players to pick one of four different classes before going into one of the Arenas without being stuck as that class for the rest of the game.  This system works really well as players can experiment with the different classes and pick the one best suited to the challenges of each Arena. 

Personally, I have been a fan of the Gladiator with the shield because the shield will block incoming attacks.  Which can be an advantage against ranged enemies as well as any close-range enemies.   

Oh, and did I mention that this Gladiator can throw the shield at enemies and have it return like a boomerang?  And before you ask, yes, it is as awesome as it sounds!

The other class that I have become a fan of is something like a Rogue or Assassin-type Gladiator who has a higher attack speed compared to the other classes.  The high attack speed makes this Gladiator good for dealing damage and placing marks on enemies quickly.  Also, this Gladiator has a Strafe move that makes it easier to avoid enemy attacks which is invaluable against some of the tougher enemies.

This is one enemy where the Strafe move is invaluable.  That axe hurts…a lot!

The third Gladiator is the one with the warhammer, and this player will focus on heavy-hitting, slow attacks.  The warhammer takes longer for it to hit enemies but it inflicts significantly more damage during basic attacks.  Also, this Gladiator’s special attacks revolve around fire-based attacks that vary from slamming the ground with the hammer causing an explosion to calling down a meteor to strike a specified target. 

And finally, the last Gladiator-type is that of the archer.  This is the only ranged class that Forced offers right now and is a class that works best in a group.  Your basic attacks are stronger if you charge them and that takes time, so while you are charging your attack your target is closing in on you.

Facing two Brawlers while being the Archer-Gladiator is a tense situation…

My best recommendation for people playing Single Player (since that was what I was limited to at the time) is to go with either the Shield or the Rogue-esque Gladiator.  They offer abilities that will making solo-ing Arenas a tad bit easier than the other two classes, and it should make your solo experience with Forced more enjoyable.

Overall:

I have really enjoyed Forced so far and it will be a game that I continue to play.  The story behind the game and playing through the various Arenas has been a lot of fun.  I am hoping that maybe some day soon I will be able to get some friends online and maybe record some multiplayer Forced to show how the game plays with more than one person.

I only have one gripe with the game, and that is with the keyboard and mouse controls–because the mouse controls where your character looks while WASD controls your movement.  That is pretty typical setup, but the characters of Forced turn their whole body in the direction that the mouse is pointed. 

While that does not sound like much, I often found it kind of awkward to navigate the map, especially when I started to get attacked.  Playing with a controller mitigates the feeling a bit, but it is still a little awkward.  However, this by no means affects how I feel about Forced because I am impressed with BetaDwarf has accomplished with the game.

Some of the BetaDwarf team.  I want to wish them the best of luck on future endeavours.

Forced officially releases on Steam today for $14.99 and I recommend that you check it out if you have not already.  From my article earlier this week, BetaDwarf has had a long road to get to this point and I applaud them for sticking to their goals.