Forced Showdown

Forced: Eternal Arenas, Forced 2: The Rush

Release Date: March 29, 2016

RPG, fantasy, roguelike, card games, elements of strategy, indie games, co-op, action RPG, multiplayer, singleplayer, internet

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A sequel to an independent action RPG released in 2013. The original game was popular for emphasizing its co-op mode. FORCED: Eternal Arenas was developed by the Danish studio betaDwarf Entertainment. The story is set in an inter-dimensional fantasy world, and focuses on the deadly The Rush competitions, where survival is each contestant's exclusive goal.

Plot
Gameplay
Technical aspects

FORCED: Eternal Arenas for PC is a sequel to an independent action-RPG, which emphasized cooperative gameplay. The original game was released in 2013 as a commerical product born of a project developed by a Copenhagen-based group of students. The sequel happens to be created by the same independent Danish team, betaDwarf Entertainment.

Plot

The story in FORCED: Eternal Arenas for PC is set in an inter-dimensional fantasy world. The player participates in deadly competitions known as The Rush. The main goal here is to survive. At the beginning, the player chooses from several character classes which differ in skills. Then the player equips the character of their choice with a unique set of cards, symbolizing the equipment, spells and helpers. The player is taken to a randomly generated map then, where they encounter different monsters, deadly traps and powerful bosses. Depending on their choice, the player can either compete against others or cooperate with them to fight the hordes of monsters. Sessions end when the number of contestants on a given map is reduced by half. The remaining ones earn themselves the title of the winners, they are awarded prizes as well are given honors.

Gameplay

Despite the fact that the general formula for the gameplay remains unchanged since the release of the original game, many changes were introduced into the mechanics. Typical cooperation-oriented action-RPGs are supplemented with card game elements, which diversify the gameplay and implement the aspect of randomness into the experience. As the player completes subsequent challenges, they obtain new cards for their deck. Apart from that, these games use mechanics of the classic roguelikes, including randomly generated maps and the permanent death feature. FORCED: Eternal Arenas does not give second chances – each death means a conclusion to a playthrough and puts an end to the player's participation in the tournament in progress.

Technical aspects

In terms of the visuals, FORCED: Eternal Arenas for PC does not differ noticeably from its predecessor. The game is played from an isometric view, though the virtual environments are fully three-dimensional. The graphics bear a resemblance to comic strips. The game is a riot of color, and features some spectacular special effects as well.

Last updated on March 15, 2016

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