Forced Showdown

Developer: BetaDwarf
Steam Release: Mar 2016
Hours Played: 6.2
Similar To: Leap of Fate / Meltdown / Nex Machina / Ruiner
Rating: 4/5 Parsnips

GAMEPLAY

Forced Showdown is an isometric, arena-style, twin-stick shooter/brawler set in a futuristic world where your fight to survive serves as a source of entertainment on TV screens for the masses. From your starting hub or chamber you select to fight in two of four arenas each consisting of eight battles and ending in a mini-boss fight. Win two arenas (16 battles) to earn the right to fight a further seven battles and another final boss and hence carry on into the next chamber. Once there, you'll repeat the experience again. Battles are short but intense affairs lasting around a minute or two and involve clearing the area of half a dozen to a dozen enemies. In short, this is a quick-paced shooter much in the style of Assault Android Cactus but with a lot less enemies and not quite as mad or frenetic. 

BALANCE & PACE

Prior to each battle the camera pans across the small battlefield and zooms in on your character while inviting you to buy cards. The cards, bought with mana, confer various passive abilities upon you like extra damage or active abilities like extra missiles which need activating during the heat of battle. The cards themselves come from a deck which you create before the first battle commences. At present, with just two characters unlocked, the battles are exciting and taking down mini-bosses is a satisfying delight. However, with cards not seeming to make a huge deal of difference and with a constant need to restart a game after being certain I'll succumb to the final boss if I ever manage to get that far, there sometimes exists the draining feeling that it all feels just a little repetitive and pointless - which is actually a great shame.  

PRESENTATION & DESIGN 

The battles themselves, with plenty of destructible objects littering the environment, are the strength of the game. Enemies are varied, sounds ring out nicely and the sense of atmosphere - that you're in a mad futuristic world - comes through effectively, especially with the help of those crazy announcements. However, some games can certainly get overly-busy and I did detect the odd hit to the framerate once in a while, albeit on my mid-range system. Another big negative has to be the appalling home page which is dominated by adverts for DLC and expansions plus information on updates and links to Twitter and Facebook. This stuff is practically given a full page spread with links to the actual game filling a small strip of space along the bottom. It's tacky and terrible. 
 

PROGRESS SYSTEM

FS is about fighting through battles and clearing six arenas in each of the three campaigns but the progress system is what really hurts the game. Gold is the currency that you pick up but this can only be used in a fruit machine type game where you win more cards of seemingly similar strength to the others. You unlock two characters early doors but have no way of knowing when the others will be made available. So... you fight the battles, possibly win against the odd mini-boss... but, inevitably lose versus some overpowered power-house. Personally, I seem to be on an endless loop that I cannot get out of. Now I may be using wrong cards or just be plain bad at the game but it's really hard to see beyond getting my arse whipped and starting those battles all over again.

CONCLUSION

Again, as per the first Forced game there is plenty of shiny promise here. The characters handle well, the gameplay is crunchy and satisfying and the announcer gives a good vibe to the game. Unfortunately, just like their first game which turned out to be too tough for the single player and more geared for co-op play, I was ultimately disappointed and left unfulfilled by its progress system. Sure, the battles are fun but there are too many things that are just "off" in Forced Showdown. Perhaps a score system as in Assault Android Cactus may have helped to alleviate the disheartening progress system or including levels along the lines of a Crimsonland. Still, with great battles in themselves, it's a case of dropping the ball methinks with this one.