Forced
| Forced | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | BetaDwarf |
| Composer(s) | Fredrik Häthén |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows OS X Linux |
| Genre(s) | Action role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, co-op |
| Distribution | Download (via Steam) |
Forced is a local and online co-op action role-playing game developed by Beta Dwarf Entertainment, released in October 2013 for Windows, OS X and Linux through the Steam (software) platform.
Gameplay
Up to four players can work together to fight through the game's different challenges and boss encounters. Each player can choose one of four weapon classes: Vulcan Hammer, Frost Shield, Lightning Bow and Spirit Claws, each with 16 unlockable skills.
Balfus, a Spirit Mentor, is considered a 5th character that is controllable by all players at the same time by calling him to a certain position or asking him to follow one of the players. Completing the game's challenges and puzzles involves using the Spirit Mentor properly.
Plot
Players are cast as slaves in a fantasy gladiator arena, condemned to fight as gladiators to win their freedom. With the help of Balfus, a Spirit Mentor, they are able to fight their way through the challenges and Guardians at the end of each area and gain freedom for them and their kin.
Development
Beta Dwarf was formed by a small group of students, who moved into an unused classroom in Aalborg University – Copenhagen, in Denmark. It took the university 7 months before a lecturer accidentally walked into the room and realized that 8 people actually lived in one of their classrooms. BetaDwarf then decided to move together into a big house, where they made a successful Kickstarter campaign[1] and then released Forced after three years of development.[2]
Music
The entire soundtrack for FORCED was composed by Swedish musician Fredrik Häthén, who would travel several times to Denmark from his hometown in Sweden to meet with the rest of the team and learn in which direction the development process was moving.[3]
Reception
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Forced has received generally favorable reviews, with a Metacritic score of 74% .[5] Brittany Vincent of Hardcore Gamer gave the game a 4/5, calling it "a gleeful return to form for cooperative play"[4]
References
- ↑ FORCED by BetaDwarf on Kickstarter
- ↑ Forced Out, But Forging Ahead – The Incredible Story of BetaDwarf, retrieved from GameFront, October 4, 2013
- ↑ BetaDwarf developer diary #3
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Vincent, Brittany (11 November 2013). "Review: Forced". Hardcore Gamer. Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
- ↑ "Forced for PC". Metacritic. Retrieved 31 October 2013.