You know, I’ve played as a gladiator in games before. I’ve even watched Russell Crowe play as one. This isn’t a traditional gladiator game though, so all you former Roman Legion commanders best step aside and get ready to learn the rules of engagement in Forced.
At its core, Forced is an arena-combat game where players work cooperatively to take down waves of monsters. This sounds simple enough, but there’s an interesting twist. Players control a magical orb that interacts with pillars in the environment that have a number of effects. For instance, one pillar will create a healing aura around the orb while another may turn it into a floating bomb. The orb is absolutely vital to each stage and plays a significant role in a player’s strategy as they fight through the various stages. While I played solo for the purpose of this preview, it is clear that the orb provides a very intriguing cooperative element to the game, as teammates on opposite sides of a pillar can bounce it back and forth, triggering the effects of the pillar.
I think that’s why I am really excited about Forced. I’m excited about playing with all my friends and with my colleagues here. I firmly believe that coop gaming doesn’t get enough love, so its great to see it implemented in such a creative way. With that being said, it also drives me insane when coop is shamelessly tossed into a game to pad its feature list. There are too many games where coop feels rushed and not particularly well thought out. That isn’t the case here, as the developers are working hard to ensure that coop is an essential part of the experience. It is relieving to know that developers like BetaDwarf exist who are putting an incredible amount of effort into ensuring that their games play well in coop. There’s nothing better than playing a great game with great people. That’s what makes coop gaming so fun and I am glad that BetaDwarf feels the same way.