FORCED SHOWDOWN

FORCED SHOWDOWN
67
Metacritic
82
Steam
74.465
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$4.99
Release date
29 March 2016
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
82 (472 votes)

Deckbuilding empowers this challenging bullet hell adventure! Each character is a unique experience: Choose a deck of unlockable cards to boost you in new ways every battle - "My whirlwind shoots fireballs!?". Battle hordes of brutal foes to become a superstar in C-SAR’s ever-changing game show.

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FORCED SHOWDOWN system requirements

Minimum:

  • OS: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10
  • Processor: Intel Core i3, 2.4 Ghz or equivalent
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia Geforce GT 240 or equivalent, minimum 512 MB of VRAM
  • DirectX: Version 10
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 6 GB available space
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Shittoagen
Shittoagen

Found this game through the discovery section. Wow, what a gem! Making decks and using them in an action rpg is such a fantastic and addicting idea. Fights are really well balanced and challenging. I have just scratched the surface but I hope developers tries to focus on this game a bit more and release a couple more heroes. It's much better than their other games.

If you are looking for something unique and different give this game a try!

wezelton
wezelton

I have to be honest; I frickin love this little game.

CONS: As a lot of reviewers have noted, there is a lot of repetitiveness once you get through the main game. That and with no new DLC on the horizon (or at least new card packs and expansions), the game, as of now, is rather tired.

PROS: I just can't get enough of it. I love deck building and arena action and F:SD does a great job blending both. I honestly find it worth the price. Plus the gang at Betadwarf have an awesome company story which adds to the game's charm. I do, indeed, recommend this one :D

Random_Killer312
Random_Killer312

Easily the best single player game on Steam, the cards themselves make it extermely replayable. I've put tons of hours in and am maybe halfway through unlocking ONE of the character layouts? It's fun. They've been pressured into making this co op but because they didnt origionally design it to be co op they've decided not to. Bad call in my opinion but it's a good game none the less.

Cloudy
Cloudy

The biggest draw of the first game was the multiplayer/synergistic aspects. It was very fun and unique to play an arena brawler/bullet hell/moba style game that challenged me when I could build my skills with friends and we could struggle together. But this game doesn't even have multiplayer! Refunded.

noe
noe

The premise of the game is interesting but the way it's been carried out is just extremely unenjoyable.

First of all, there's only five characters. Was expecting at least ten to twenty considering how simple each is and how grindy the gameplay is. But no, there's only five to pick from. That alone is a huge immediate stunt to the entire game is that there's barely any player choice, you have to just pick from one of five generic characters and if you don't like any of them then that's your problem.

The gameplay itself is literally grinding. Players fight through randomly generated, inconsequentially designed maps and kill fodder enemies who often only deal damage by hitting players when they aren't looking or with their overbearing capabilities. That is the whole game, is killing fodder in a box, over and over. Alright, you made the boring grind mode players have to endure if they want more currency; now where is the actual game.

The world design itself is generic but the maps are just unappealing. Flying pirate rat place, floating human medieval garden place. They look so stupid and abrasive to the eyes it's like one of those bad three dimensional cartoon childrens games, badly thought out fantasy that just isn't cool as a concept.

The difficulty is not there, as said it mostly comes from arbitrary things; there's little real challenge. In the end, defeat is decided by the player gradually losing pieces of their health overtime across all the stages; and then if they don't have enough to defeat the boss then game over restart it all again. Which wouldn't be a problem if the gameplay wasn't so generally boring and grindy. There's no challenge or strategy or structure at all.

And as a side note, certain allies players can spawn are actually capable of hurting them. There's one-way friendly fire between the player and mob type ally enemies they conjure up. So you can die because your mob ally decided to fire out a wave of missles while standing beside you, and that literally happened one time and reset the entire thirty minute run.

Game doesn't even have multiplayer, which not only is what the game looks like it was entirely designed for but in its current state multiplayer is the only thing that would make it remotely playable.

Game should have been a free competitive and cooperative arena fighter and wave survival game with purchasable currency to buy more cards or one of more then five characters. What this is feels like a couple good mechanical concepts mashed into multiple different gameplay settings they don't belong in at all coupled with unstructured boring gameplay and little character diversity. This literally felt like a chore to play.

Gohrum
Gohrum

A very fun rogue-lite arena oriented dungeon-crawler.

At first has a very intense difficuly spike, but once you get the mechanics and start doing the "quests", you get permanent boosts and new cards and the game gets better and better.

The gameplay is fluid and precise, has several characters and all of them are enjoyable to play.
The decks are varied and have a heartstone-like deck builder where you can create new builds.

The graphics are pretty nice and there are plenty of variety of enemies and bosses.
Boss mechanics are well balanced, (except the tank, that is a little tricky), and the combats feel rewarding when you finally can kill them.

Noobmasser
Noobmasser

Well, it's 11+ hours played, and there's too much grind.

Card unlocks are too slow, this pace is more suitable for an F2P title. I wanted to make experiments and fun builds with awesome cards, but instead, I'm killing the same enemies in the same arenas again and again. About 1.5 hours of farm unlocks 5-7 random cards. And there are 100+ locked cards. Some are rare, some are supreme. Of course, the latter will require more time. I don't want to check if it's true - I'm done.

First, I liked the concept, but no matter how interesting it looks, I am afraid, that's a waste of time.

P.S.: I liked previous FORCED.

stabbyjones
stabbyjones

This fixes what I didn't like about forced.

Not that forced was bad. I jest feel more in control and don't feel overwhelmed with multi-required levels because of the single player focus.

Telarius
Telarius

This is not the type of game that appeals to everyone. As many reviews have stated, it is a game that attempts to incorporate many different features such as cards, but does not do so particularly well. There is a definite grind that will become very annoying to casual gamers, and having to unlock cards and characters can be frustrating as well. There doesn't seem to be any real cohesive theme to the game, which can make it rather confusing at times.

Nonethless, it CAN be fun at times, and I do recommend the game and DLC, but only if purchased during a sale. If you prefer "pay to own" games such as myself, and are looking for something a bit different, I highly recommend giving this game a try. However, if you are a fan of "Free To Play" games and prefer in-game transactions, you are likely to be displeased. Like all games, it comes down to personal preference. Being a more casual older gamer, the whole "Free To Play" model doesn't appeal to me whatsoever, it just ends up being a money sink.

In the end, I like the game, and feel it is worth the money when it is at least 50% off the original price. I find myself returning to it every now and then, enough that I'm glad I made the purchase. Though I'd like to see more content, I'm pleased with what is there.

SaberZX
SaberZX

Forced Showdown combines action and collectable card game into one. The end result is pretty incredible.

Players select one of five characters to go through staged battles. Each character uses a deck of cards which players can modify in order to provide upgrades/consumables for use in battle. Cards are limited by a mana system which increases as players advance through the stages. Most stages are altered by one or more mods which makes this game fun and challenging. Coupled with different combinations from the cards, every playthrough is something refreshing and new.

The game does have certain areas that require improvements. As many others have pointed out, this game is extremely grindy. You get one card for every card pull, two in very rare cases. This feels unnecessarily stingy especially for a single player game. The challenge does not come from the limitation of card choices, so I feel it's missed opportunity for allowing players to experience more card combos. I was also disappointed to find that there's no co op mode for this game as I had a lot of fun playing Forced with my friend.

Overall, following the huge enjoyment I got from Forced, BetaDwarf has done it again. This game is nothing short of excitement. Be warned that it is very challenging.

Four Out Of Five Doctors
Four Out Of Fi…

Cards on the table, this game has problems. The biggest of which is you'll keep wishing for co-op that just isn't happening. Also the voice clips get annoying pretty fast.

But I want to say that this game is a pretty good time. Each of the heroes has a distinctly different flavor, the cards as powerup system is wonderful and opens this game up to a lot of interesting strategy, and the game handles very well.

Think of this as an action RPG that trims the fat of a typical Diablo game (exploring a largely empty map, busting open every barrel you see for a few pennies, constantly swapping equipment for slight benefits) and gets to the good stuff in a hurry. The good stuff being using your wits and your items wisely to blow mobs of mooks to red mist and taking on bosses with challenging patterns.

There are some things to warn you about though. Cards are everything and the only way to get more is getting gold through the rounds (win or lose) and feeding said gold into a slot machine. Thankfully that costs in-game money, but know that the process of getting your deck into solid shape will take time. Early game tip, keep the card "Paranoia" in your deck, since a one hit shield that keeps coming back each round is more valuable than you'd think.

Try it yourself and I think you'll know right away if this is your jam or not. Because if this is up your alley, it scratches very specific itches and it does it pretty well.

Mashee
Mashee

Best single player application of a previously multiplayer engine and assets I've ever played. Really polished, intense, amusing, tactical short or long-play sessions. I frequently literally LOL while playing. An absolute must-try game.

Charlo Alberto
Charlo Alberto

It's an arena based roguelite with cards as gameplay modifiers and player boosters, played from a top-down perspective, and controls like hack'n'slash RPGs. It's loop is very fast and satisfying. The cards mechanic add some gameplay variety and strategy, and helps keep things fresh. It's a great game for fans of roguelites and hack'n'slash with RPG elements. At the time of this writing I am playing this with KB&M, but I believe it plays better with a controller.

benpatterson1
benpatterson1

Actually enjoy running rifts in d3? (as opposed to grinding them for their casino-style loot?)
Then give this a go.

Mostly a skill game. You'll 'git gud' quick. As you do, you'll get more cards that entice you into playing the other characters and this overall power creep is fun and feels appropriately enabling to try to go deeper each time.
The deck building element is fun, but less randomness would have been nice in order to "work towards" the cards you end up wanting -- its irrating to have randomness stand between you and trying a combination of cards you are eyeing.

Anunaki
Anunaki

As a card game and roguelike enthusiast, I approve this game.

Battle is fluid, card collecting is fun, and boy is it addictive.

Mylen86
Mylen86

Fun 1 player game!!
I purchased because I am a fan of another title of this company called Minion Masters.
I recommend this title for gamers who like deck building, action, strategy.
It is a game show themed game, which you have to choose a hero(master), build a deck, choose a companion and beat each level to procede, has a nostalgic feeling of an old game i used to play on nintendo called Smash TV(totally different game but just reminds me of it)
Great fun, easily worth the price, get in on sale and your laughing.

Wilfrid Wong
Wilfrid Wong

This game does not work on non-XBOX controllers, even though there is an in-game option to pick Steam Controller. The movement is incredible slow with a controller to the point that it is unplayable. I have looked up the forum and online and realize that this technical issue has been around for some since 2016. It is a pity though as I do like the first impression, even bought the DLC straight the way. But not able to play with a controller is a deal breaker for me. I have requested for a refund.

PS. This game crashes with my Win 10 too. I guess it has to do with their bug reporter program and my Windows firewall (I had a notification that I needed to allow access and then the game crashed).

fie
fie

An interesting take on the "aggressive gameshow" backdrop. The cards given allows one to make specific decks I would think, but I still can't get Boons to activate correctly in my games. That part is confusing and taking away the power of my characters.

All in all, still a fun game, but I will recommend getting it on sale.

Sembiance
Sembiance

Good: Graphics, sound, voice work

Average: Gameplay, Cards

Poor: No multiplayer, only 3 heros at start

It's weird that in this day and age a game like this isn't multiplayer. I usually prefer single player games, but a game like this really should be multiplayer. I myself won't play it anymore because I didn't really "connect" with the 3 starter heroes and no idea how to "unlock" the other two, so I'm done. I could nit-pick on about 30 other things that just don't feel right, but I won't. In the end I'll recommend this to those who are ok with some rather mindless single player action.

itsa me jacketman
itsa me jacketman

The game itself was smooth and has some decent achievements and rewards but I wasn't a fan. It felt to me like once you have played a few levels you have have played them all. Having said that it might be one of those games that you just click with. It has potential and if you like those types of platform battle games it might be worth a look.

All Knight Party
All Knight Party

GOOOOD GAAAME. I normally dislike games with cards in them, but in this game all of the card effects are very easy to understand, and each one has a tangible effect on the way your stats or abilities. Deck building provides a fun level of customization in a way that you wouldn't get with just character skins. The gameplay itself is stellar, action combat, twin-stick shooter style. Each character has 3-4 abilities, one of which is always damage mitigation/avoidance allowing you to get into really hectic situations and come out unscathed as long as you're being strategic with your skill usage. No mana, all cooldowns, just how I like it.

Combat feels excellent, there's a great roguelike feeling of reaching the end of an arena set much more powerful and tuned than you started. There's a great sense of rivalry with the boss of the arena as he will draw his own cards every turn and play against you to get you nice and softened up for the boss battle at the end. You feel like he's there fighting against you even before you see him in person. Extremely fast-paced, an entire set of arenas can be finished within ten minutes or so, but even though things move fast there is a definite density of enemies and combat choices. Takes little time, but gives you a lot of satisfaction because of the bullet-hell styled action combat. It's all about playing as well as you can, gradually powering up with cards, and executing it all with as much speed as possible, and it leaves you feeling exhilarated and powerful. Unless it's a hard arena set, the game definitely gets harder and much more unforgiving. Great fun and challenge.

Six
Six

As a kid one of my favorite Nintendo games was Smash TV. The simple idea of taking the concept for The Running Man and making it into a video game was fun. This game is a lot like that and is a good time to be had. This is not an overly complicated game, but it is challenging. I am quite impressed with this.

Zoja
Zoja

I must say it is one of the best roguelites I have ever played. I love the rogouelike element, but it is combined with a LOT of skill, both factors have a very huge impact on your runs and I love it.

The idea is very well executed. If you like roguelikes and skill based games, than this is a MUST HAVE.

KipofMudd
KipofMudd

Could use multiplayer. Whether it be online or couch co-op, it'd definitely make this game better

Needs to rework the card system completely. It's almost good, but not quite there. However the Dev's have moved on so that will not be happening.

3 of the 5 characters are ranged. So I'd say this is a twin stick shooter with 2 melee characters, one of which has an insanely high skill floor but looks like he would be OP if you put the time in.

My biggest gripe with the other people's reviews are:
1) Not having that much time in a rogue like. Rogue likes are suppose to have hundreds of hours in them. Or at least dozens. Most of the top reviews are sub 30.
2)A large amount of reviews state this is a fast pace. It's not. This game is super slow, especially at the start when you do your first run. I'd recommend just dying immediately to be honest. Will let you see the 2nd unlocked character and will let you just see the bigger picture. Not sure how to explain that but just ending your first escapade it throws you in to is best.

More about the game issues I have seen in about 6 hours would be roughly:
-the modifiers each Battle (chapter sort of) have to be looked up or guess upon as there is no description in game
-you spin a wheel to unlock cards... why not just use boosters to unlock cards like every other game ever?
-it's pretty slow at the start. by arena 4 (each chapter Battle has 8 arenas you fight through) it's not as slow but that's a good chunk of your playtime being slow and clunky and boring
-encountered a few shitty hitboxes from bosses
-visual clutter can get bad. 2 characters have a shield/invincibility ability and if you go into the fray to end some enemies you can get ass blasted from all the aftermath
-not that many bosses it looks like. same like 3-4 per area it seems
-unlocking cards is super slow. honestly i've unlocked cards faster in free to play games. you have my money already, not sure why the progression needs to be a grind. I can't pay you to get in game currency.....
-probably more

Remember, the dev's have moved on so if these negatives bother you then don't expect them to get fixed. I'm sure I'll edit this post if I see an update for this game.

Tablis
Tablis

Another good game ruined by terrible achievement design.

The only reason for which I started giving out ratings on Steam in the first place was to reward good (easy) achievement design and punish bad (difficult) achivement design. And over the... two or three years that have passed since, I've grown very soft. Mellow. I tried to be objective. Just. Fair. Faced with game after game after game where the developers peddled unreasonably difficult achievements in lieu of actual content, I tried to give second chances and look for the good. Well that ends now, thanks to this here masterpiece of terribleness. It's time to go back to the roots.

Yes, I know this is a roguelite. This genre is not exempt. No genre is.

FusionJay
FusionJay

Interesting and fun game for awhile

The only problem I have with it is the game show takes too long to complete. There's 7 stages before you fight the boss and going through the process to fight those 9 bosses can be very tedious. After completing it I have no desire to replay it again with a different character or with enhance difficulty. I also want to point out this game has a trading card element which becomes the deciding factor of winning or losing, so if you hate card games in general you should avoid it. It was on sale and I had no clue what the game had to offer but still it was able to sustain my interest for a awhile.

As a side note to the developers: The ravager champion in my personal opinion needs some sort of buff or an upgrade card that makes him more viable.

Taco Bell
Taco Bell

A smooth blend of bite sized deckbuilding mixed with a fast paced bullet hell ARPG. The mechanics are buttery smooth and so far each character has been unique enough to enjoy playing. Dope.

ALMIGHTY ZEUS
ALMIGHTY ZEUS

Okay, like... Yeah, if you buy this game now you're officially Late to the Party, but it's still totally worth heading here.

Think Smash TV, but without the cash... and lots of extra silliness. Pick your character, with a companion, and run THE GAUNTLET to try and get to the end. Each stage is randomized, and at the end of the stages is a boss to kill. You have a deck of cards that you spend energy on that you get in the game to buff yourself up as best you can. You get coins at the end of the run (win or lose, thankfully) that you spend to roll on the Wheel (Of! Fish! - okay, not of fish) to get more cards.

The game's a couple of years old and they are throwing more resources at their newer stuff, but the game as is, right now? It's pretty fun. Totally worth a buy, especially on sale.

Tricky Dick Nixon
Tricky Dick Nixon

Mediocre gameplay feel. Feels a bit sluggish to play. Like single player battlerite for kids with some roguelite stuff thrown in.

Mt Crushmore
Mt Crushmore

bullet hell game where the only difficulty is that some projectiles are actually hard to see. you have one health bar over 8 arenas and when you lose health you either don't know why or it was completely unavoidable. Easy game with a grind to unlock mechanic. Nice idea for a game but pretty shallow.

Sir Laffsalot
Sir Laffsalot

Don't know where to begin. I did not enjoy this one at all. They tried to incorporate humor that is salty and dry at best. It's a PVE tourny style game that's repetative and the storyline is ill. That's all I'm going to say about that. It just wasn't my cup of tea, though it may be yours.... there's only one way to find out. After all, most reviews ARE positive.

nwowitte
nwowitte

I really like this game. I would totally reccomend it too everyone if their devs cared about it. Really has a great format and I love the casual nature of PVE. A lot of skill goes into the gameplay, as it really rewards good movement and positioning. It is worth the buy if you like customazation and the MOBA format, granted it is pve.

Trivorx
Trivorx

Very solid top-down bullet hell arena combat game with a rogue-lite progression and card game aspects that fit together surprisingly well. You build a deck for 1 of 5 heroes using either neutral or hero-specific cards, then go into a "run" until you die or beat the final boss.

Every fight feels unique since each arena has random helpful and/or hurtful modifiers, the boss plays his own deck of enviromental hazards against you, and the cards you draw from your deck will not always give you the exact upgrades you wanted.

What is not random however, is the damage enemies do, and their patterns. This is a fully skill based game where every enemy hit on its own can be dodged, just be careful to not be in a position where multiple attacks overlap.

One downside(minor IMO, but still a downside) is that it lacks some polish, especially in the combat sound design. Most attack just don't "feel" impactful. If you can get over that, the game mechanics and overall gameplay loop are very solid and offer a lot of replayability and customizability in play style.

Lacuna
Lacuna

A strange little shmup game, but a good one. Heavily roguelite influenced, though it might even defy that label.

Mosvicious
Mosvicious

Wow! What an unbelievably fun game. This is the kind fo game I wouldn't look twice at but it was on sale and I figured i'd give a shot and am just amazed that there are still games out there that are truly an ejoy to play.

NightStriker
NightStriker

Game was never finished - devs just moved on. Plenty of game breaking bugs remain (such as being unable to climb stairs in the arena, locking you from progressing).

Additionally: hitboxes are bad, movement is floaty, and there is a complete lack of balance in how challenging battles can be (complete joke to nearly impossible) with very little input from the player.

Thulsa Doom
Thulsa Doom

2 hours of fun on record but I'm done. It doesn't give me the chill, repetitve gameplay I was looking for. The game does not have difficulty settings, and after beating the first couple bosses, it rises in difficulty quickly. The format of the game is to play through many, tiny, pseudo-random maps, with a boss occurring every 8 maps or so. I'll repeat that the maps are tiny and non-distinct from each other (aside from a few different base-map skins). I don't think the game is inherently bad, it's just not for me, and lacking clear progression and objectives, I think it won't be for a lot of people. I would play this game if you're looking to spend a lot of time perfecting the skillset required to succeed at the gameplay.

I enjoyed the ease of getting into this game, but after 2 hours it's beginning to feel repetitive without obvious advancement. This game lacks both the story and progression of typical single player games, as well as the nuanced difference per game that makes actual card games fun.

Myth
Myth

A game that doesn't vie for your time, in a good way. Its well polished and great to hop on and quickly get in a match or two between other things you might have going on.

Get_Wet
Get_Wet

Very amusing game,for 5,99€ it's a steal.
The card system makes it even more fun and kinda strategic.
Overall a great fast-paced game

Moostar
Moostar

a fun little twin stick shooter with cards you can grind for when you win or lose a match. its a bit grindy for my taste but i can see the major replay value to those that taken a liking to a game like this. 7/10 ^^

Schlongbeard
Schlongbeard

Such a unique game and genre! So simple yet complex gameplay. If you love top down shooters and card games this is for you!

YoshinoNanjo
YoshinoNanjo

I just completed my first program run and really enjoyed it. Brief review: first of all this game runs really smoothly without any issues whatsoever, secondly mashing deck building together with rogue like elements is a pretty good idea since the player can kinda choose his/her own style without having to rely on RNG completely, moreover, the combat feels satisfying and the graphics is still awesome to look at in 2019. Also, unlocking new cards (power-ups) is really exciting and makes me wanna keep playing.

I think the game really worth its pricetag but if you can get it on discount, then definitely try it out!

PS. I don't know how to get the season/daily challenges work, game would be more awesome if I can access those

Edit: restarting the game made daily accessible for me

Rossoul
Rossoul

So this game tries to combine rogue-lite, deckbuilding, and arena battles. That sounded AWESOME when I saw it. However, just because something sounds good on paper, doesn't mean it's actually good when you have to play it, ESPECIALLY when ALL the mechanics are done poorly.

Seriously, every single mechanic has a glaring problem:
• Deckbuilding: This is how you primarily upgrade your character and progress in the game. The game is divided into "shows", which are further divided into "arenas", which are further divided into "battles". Each arena has 8 battles. Before every battle, you draw a card and can choose to play one of those cards to benefit your character in some way. In the 1st battle, you will have 1 mana, and in the 8th battle, you will have 8 mana. This all sounds really cool and it's really fun when you do it for a few times, but then it quickly becomes boring.
○ This is because getting cards is slow as hell. You get like 1000 gold for beating the 1st show (I am being a little generous with that estimate). 100 gold only buys you ONE card. Not even a pack. Just one fucking card. And the 1st show takes like 60 minutes to complete. So after an hour of play-time, you can buy 10 cards. This is completely random so you might not even get a card that you want to use in your deck (I mean hell, you could get cards for a champion you don't even want to use). So I feel like this game was balanced around you playing the game for 30 + hours as far as collecting the cards, which is way too slow progression for this game.
• Arena Battles: So combat is done in a small arena. You have to kill all the "normal" enemies before you can move on to the next arena. There are also "summoned" enemies that appear at set intervals in random areas of the map. These enemies you don't have to kill in order to progress. There are 2 main problems with the combat
○ Each character has a "defense" ability. However, that defense ability has like a 10 second cooldown. In this game, especially in the later arenas, things can get hectic FAST. If you ever come into a situation where you need to use the defense ability but it's on cooldown, get ready to lose around half your health. That's really annoying. The developers should've given the defense ability like no cooldown but nerfed it (think Enter The Gungeon's dodge-roll). The problem is that the overall game isn't designed well-enough for that. That's because you can just get absolutely swarmed with enemies (remember, enemies are continuously being summoned into the arena). Therefore, you NEED a defense ability that lasts a while (e.g. 2-3 seconds). So yea, because the game's primary difficulty stems from simply overwhelming the player with numbers, if you ever need your defensive ability and you don't have it, GG.
○ When fighting bosses, enemies continue to be spawned. This isn't that bad for the first few bosses because you can tank a little bit. However, for the 2nd final boss, it's definitely a problem. See, this boss is shielded from all damage and can only be damaged if you attack one of her orbs so that it flies at her and hits her. The problem is, these orbs are ALSO shielded, spawn in random places, and follow you around and if they hit you, they do a lot of damage and disappear. ALSO, summoned enemies are continuously being spawned. So the entire arena is just a clusterfuck of enemies, bullets, and orbs, and you are still expected to dodge the orbs and attack them in a certain direction so that they hit the boss. Yea….. No. This game is not meant for precision. It's far too chaotic for that.
• Rogue-Lite: This is the worst part about the game by far. The other 2 issues wouldn't be so bad by themselves, but the rogue-lite aspect of this game absolutely ruins the experience.
○ This is because while the game is a rogue-lite, any upgrades you give your character through cards are RESET after an arena. And in a show, you have to beat 6, 9, and 12 arenas. That's so god damn infuriating. So if you're stuck on the final boss of an arena, you're basically wasting your time completing all the previous arenas since they don't help you on the final boss at all. The game has basically forced you to wait around 60 minutes before you can fight a boss you're stuck on. Imagine if in Dark Souls, you had to wait 60 minutes each time before fighting a boss. Sweet Mother of God.
○ Also, because this is a rogue-lite, the developers felt compelled to introduce RNG mechanics into the game. So each arena has modifiers. For example, you could have a modifier that increases enemy movement speed or damage. There are also more creative modifiers that randomly cause the cost of your cards to go up or down by 1 and other effects that change your deck. The problem here is that some of these RNG mechanics can absolutely destroy your run. This is on top of getting a bad draw of cards (e.g. imagine getting a hand full of 5, 6, and 7 mana cards). While the game gives you the option of picking 2 out of 4 arenas, as you face later arenas, the number of modifiers increase (i.e. the 1st arena might have 1 modifier, but later arenas have like 3-4 modifiers) so it's much more likely that you'll unavoidably face a modifier that will destroy your deck. While there are positive modifiers, who the fuck cares? If you get a positive modifier, you win the arena and then lose the positive modifier because everything gets reset. If you get a negative modifier, you LOSE the arena and have to start the run all over again. Come on man.

This game should NOT have been a rogue-lite. I understand that this game came out when rogue-lites were all the rage and it serves to increase replayability / play time, but the game is sacrificing FUN for replayabiltiy / play time. Sure waiting 60 minutes to fight a boss increases play time, but it's not exactly fun. Sure adding RNG effects that can potentially destroy your run creates replayability, but it's not fun.

And that's what this game is: not fun. It really could've been though. Fuck the dividing shows into multiple arenas where your progress continuously resets. Each show should've been 1 giant arena but with unique enemies and mechanics that encourage particular decks. For example, perhaps one arena encourages playing an "aggro" deck with small cost cards and high draw. Perhaps another arena a discard deck would be useful. Still in other arenas you need to have a high health pool, or in another arena you need high damage. That would've forced players to create multiple decks and possibly try multiple characters.

Meh. Not much point in thinking about what could've been. You gotta deal with what you got, and what you got here is a very frustrating game that's not really worth your time.

Siyano
Siyano

This is not even close to a card game in the general sense
you character progression is just based of an amount of point you can allocate on random skill you draw from a deck that a specific cost.
Obtaining card is atrociously grindy and random.
It a fun game thought

shrewdlogarithm
shrewdlogarithm

On paper, this sounds like my sort of game but in reality it's a lot of ingredients which aren't mixed properly - it feels unfinished in places too

The core issue is that the actual combat - the meat and fun of the game - is hidden behind a lot of noise and clutter and isn't really much fun even when you find it AND you'll be repeating the same stuff over and over and over. This is fundamentally why I can't recommend it.

All the deckbuilding and progression is just layers of noise - the graphics are over-busy with too much fluff - the sound is a barrage of limp cultural references and irritating effects - everything is just a bit of a mess.

It's a migraine disguised as a game - basically.

JustCallMeTommy
JustCallMeTommy

Fast pace, with deck building and strategy elements rogue like game. Fun in both the gameplay and the idea of making the arenas a reality show. The more you play, the more combos you can make with your deck, extremely entertaining trying the various possible combinations among the multiple characters and the unic cards made for them. Graphics are good, sound is satisfying. The only problem is that it takes too much time to craft/find all the cards.
Rewards skilled players by adding difficulties on already cleared dungeons.
Great game 9/10. Perfect for killing time.

[MHT] Agua
[MHT] Agua

This is my favourite single player game. Its an action "RPG" top down twin stick shooter with deckbuilding mechanics. Yup! you heard that right, and the best part is that it works! It is awesome, you can play for hours and still have fun. Don't mind my hours, steam doesn't log the offline hours.

The difficulty is medium-high to very, very hard. But it feels fair, each time you get hit its your fault. Controls are responsive and the replayability is endless. It lacks the co-op the original forced had, but it improves all other aspects + adds a deck wich you can tune and play cards to improve your character on the arena or get different effects. The game its a blast and the best part is that you can play 5 min and leave it there to continue later. And trust me, those 5 mins are worth it!!

DuRag
DuRag

A reasonably grindy experience, but the core game play loop of CCG meets top-down shooter is novel and a lot of fun. This is one of those odd titles that's 10/10 for concept but more like 6/10 in terms of implementation. I definitely had enough fun to recommend, but it's probably one to pick up A) on sale, or B) when you need a time sink.

Pork-Slice
Pork-Slice

A twin-stick Shooter type arena fighter with light deck building and a whole boat load of charm.
Easy to sink hours into, looks good, plays good, well worth the price.

Only gripes I have are that I would love to see a co-op and/or horde mode in it but that would really just be icing on the cake.

XiaoJyun
XiaoJyun

From the makers of Minion Masters. Comes a Roguelike experience.....but with actual progression even after death. And i love it.
Its a singleplayer game with deckbuilding and fun, short battles. It is one of the few roguelikes that isnt insanely difficult (like enter the gungeon) and feels rewarding enoguh even if you lose. You gain currency after every win (or loss) and this lets you acquire cards to fine-tune your decks.

While online servers and events have been discontinued, this game is still fully-functional as basically 90% of the game is offline (including card acquistion, deck making and quests). It is a true gem and a great singleplayer experience. May get a tiny bit repetitive eventually, but by then you already got your money´s worth.

Don˝t forget to check out F2P Minion Masters if competitive multiplayer 1v1 battles similar to Clash Royale (but with insane ammount of depth and no P2W) is your thing.

A truly well-made game made by good devs. Althogh for some reason early on the game felt kind of meh.

Dee Dee the Spy
Dee Dee the Spy

THE ONLINE SERVERS FOR THIS ARE PERM DOWN

It is a single player game, just you don't get any of the online features or twitch intergration. You can do the spin to win and earn money and all that through the game. It looked like they had a cash shop but got rid of it. Its a fun little random arena generator. It is some challenge to it and the deck building aspect is cool. Its too bad there is no coop.

Rakini
Rakini

Fun arcade game, good pick up and play. Good with a controller or without, so works well as TV game.

Extrawald
Extrawald

The gamepad issues have not been fixed since 2016, meaning you have to play this game with mouse and keyboard even though it playing basically like a twin-stick shooter.
If you try to move with the joystick, the character moves at about 1/20th the speed of the same input via WASD.
Trash game, DO NOT BUY.

Annyhilater
Annyhilater

One of the best games I've ever played. Perfect balance between skill, strategy and reward system. Just the right amount of complexity, not too much not too little.

Ninjacookie
Ninjacookie

Forced Showdown combines action roguelike and deckbuilding elements very successfully into a unique experience.
You fight your way through shows of varying difficulty composed of randomly combined arenas, bosses and gameplay modifiers in your deadly quest for becoming briefly famous on space TV. The available upgrades are chosen from a deck you create from around 300 cards which allows you to experiment with different playstyles and combinations.

It’s pretty easy to get into and quite fun to play ever after a long time.

The main flaws of the game would be the weird way to unlock new cards which often gives you cards you already have and then turns them into shards. It just feels like it was made with microtransactions in mind but they were taken out or something like that. Also there could be a bit more variation in the world you have to fight through, especially if you don't get the Drone Invasion DLC.

Overall a pretty solid game with fun gameplay that can entertain you for quite a while.

Skilliard
Skilliard

The game is decent and has potential, but the developers have abandoned it. A lot of the online features such as daily quests don't work anymore and there are no updates. I'd recommend getting it on sale as its pretty fun but not worth the full price.

Will update my review to positive if they actually update the game.

OoieGooie
OoieGooie

100+ HOURS. Its one of those quick arena games you will return to or play between those big games you play more often.

Just wish there were more characters and bosses but its fine for what it is. Card system works great allowing lots of flexibility in combat. Love it.

TheyCalledMeMad
TheyCalledMeMad

The tutorial is maddeningly difficult: use a slow-moving character to chase down and kill monsters, some of whom have ranged weapons. You are too slow. You cannot dodge the ranged weapons. Perhaps, with luck and cleverness, you can dodge behind a corner. Perhaps not. That slow tutorial character is FAR too slow to be effective.

If this is what the rest of the game is like, I'm out.

Jesster
Jesster

Probably one of my favourite games.
Really enjoyable setting up decks that decide how you're going to go into combat.
The unlockables and progression keep things interesting.

SoulReaperX89
SoulReaperX89

this game is fun for a few hours but comes repetitive and stale. combat isnt that satisfying and the rng is annoying. the pros is the game idea is pretty cool. the graphics and enemy designs as well as the level environment and attention to details is cool but not much there to keep playing just feels like an incomplete lacking game. at least for me not my type of game 6/10

anxnop
anxnop

the gameplay itself is good but it feels so empty and soulless. Why am I even playing this game or caring about these arenas? I wouldnt even call this a roguelike game, the buffs you accumulate only help you during a single arena. I mean that's not what roguelikes are about, you're supposed to constantly ramp up and up and up until you become ultra strong. This game never ever gets that feeling, it's more like a fixed arena game where you have to win with a certain amount of buffs. I dont like it that much

Bmeist
Bmeist

Lot of fun, modern day smash TV.

AimHit22
AimHit22

Best BetaDwarf game so far.

What I like
- It's super fun!
- The replayability
- The pace of the gameplay
- The champions variety

What I don't like much
- The time required to unlock all cards
- The pets, found only one useful enough
- The quests system

FoolishSage
FoolishSage

The game requires a full restart between launches or it will crash at startup over and over.

Dunny Doora
Dunny Doora

I see no flaws, only means of more complexity for veteran players.

Feloxyde
Feloxyde

(Please note I didn't play the game super long)

This game is a good idea, I like the principle of combining ARPG with deckbuilding. However, it seems like old flaws of deckbuilding games are still there : farming to collect card.
I like deckbuilding game (and RPGs) for theorycrafting and trying out builds, but :
- This game has not a lot of classes/spells available, so basic build crafting is a bit limited.
- Process for getting new cards is pure RNG, so you have to farm a lot to get them.

If you like both deckbuilding and ARPGs and have time and like to farm, you will probably like this game a lot. Since I don't like farming and I don't have time for it either, I'll just pass.

ChaosRavenWing
ChaosRavenWing

fun bullet hell game though the cotrols are a bit wierd

wifflum
wifflum

This has to be one of the most fun roguelites out there. It has a focus on humor and this bombastic announcer, but that isn't anything and it's just kind of a flair in the background. The action is good, more than serviceable and actually enjoyable by itself, but the main element is that you're building your character up RPG style, though much more rapidly, with cards. Each level in the gauntlet, which there are many and more get unlocked as you go, you get more "mana / land cards / whatever the resource is for a card game" than you did the previous level, and can spend them using cards that you draw at random from a deck you've been building up throughout the game. You can also spend your "mana" on healing yourself if you need to and lucked into having drawn that card, or some other "right now" things you might want. There's a wide variety of cards and your character can get pretty powerful if you get some lucky pulls or build your deck so that always happens.

I played as the Ravager most of the time who has a quick dash ability and a long-range leap attack. It was kind of like choosing the Interceptor as your Javelin in Anthem-- it is clearly the option that is the most fun. As you can see in the video the other options are much more plodding and cautious, while Ravager is your dodge-flip-massacre character like Interceptor was. It's probably not as pronounced of a difference as it was in Anthem, where Interceptor was so much more fun than everything else that if you played it is was actually an exceptional game, instead of dog ****, but if you're really not feeling the game I would recommend going into Ravager heavily before you give up on it.

I always have this game installed because it left such an impression that I regularly want to come back. I haven't because I always have to buy something new instead of playing what I have in that first-world-consumer short-attention-span way, but it's always nice to have a good fallback game sitting around.

Viridium
Viridium

Forced was a neat indie Coop-game and Minion Master WAS a long time favorite of mine before the battlepass changes. Forced Showdown looked very promising combining the best of Forced & Minion Master - or so I thought. Sadly the game is unplayable on controller and thus also on steam deck because any directional input from a controller gets somehow slowed by 80% or so.

The game has neat ideas but bugs like the input lag won't be fixed because the devs abandoned the game quickly after launch. Thus online features like daily quests don't work anymore making the progress in the game extremely sluggish. Loading times are silly long even on a quick NVME. The game has some neat ideas but ultimantly it was abanonded before it was really finished. Even not worth your time and money on a sale imho.

Eins Zwei Spamurai
Eins Zwei Spamurai

One of those games I just had to buy twice (I have 30+ hours on GOG). It's an amazing action game combined with a card mechanic and works great, similar to the rogue-lite genre. It doesn't have a story or anything like that, its just pure top down melee/ranged intense combat. A MUST have for anyone who enjoys some good old fashioned arena brawls.

MangoMadness
MangoMadness

I actually really enjoy this game