I love a good challenge. It’s what drives me to finish a game, to gain a sense of accomplishment as I slay that final 10-headed laser boss on my 50^th attempt. FORCED provides such a challenge, where navigating its twisting corridors can lead to a brutal end for even the most prepared champion.

On the surface, FORCED is presented as a tactical arena game with a heavy focus on co-op gameplay. You assume control of an unfortunate tribesman who’s been cast into a sacrificial pit where the odds of survival are not in your favour. As you reach the bottom you’re greeted by a perky ball of light named Balfus who serves as your guide through the trials that await you. From here on you’re given access to a central hub which is separated into four different chambers. Each chamber offers five challenge rooms and a boss room that must be completed before you can move to the next chamber.

Think of this game as a gory take on the old 90’s TV show The Crystal Maze where each room presents a different themed obstacle for the players to overcome. This can range from something as simple as lighting all five torches within a set time frame, all the way to running like hell from an encroaching red mist that will consume you if you fall behind. It’s obvious from the start that the game uses simple goals to present a challenge, but as the game progresses these goals become more and more complex with various factors being added to screw you over just a little bit more each time.

You got a purdy mouth

The difficulty level maintained throughout the game is refreshing. In an environment where the average gamer is coddled and led by the hand, FORCED demands that you earn your victory each time with added bonus objectives up for grabs if you’re feeling brave. Unfortunately, this acts as a double-edged sword in which even the basic level completion tasks can be near impossible for solo play, sometimes even with two players. When all hell breaks loose, it can be difficult for a single player to juggle the various obstacles thrown at them. Some missions require you to take out numerous enemies whilst also micromanaging your spirit guide through several hoops. The co-op centred design is obvious throughout most of the game’s trials and it’s evident that this game was built with multiple players in mind. There is a slight ray of hope for solo play as each mission deviates a little based on how many players are in the game at the time. For instance, less enemies need to be killed or fewer beacons lit when you’re alone.

FORCED truly shines when playing with others so much so that I would consider it a completely different experience to the single player mode. When playing alone you are only accountable for yourself in the arena, but when multiple partners are introduced it becomes something more. You have to play as a unit, a squad working together to accomplish a shared task. This is accomplished by giving each team member control of the spirit guide Balfus. By linking several conditions to Balfus in each trial the game forces your party to communicate in an effort to control him. It’s as if he is another team member, only one that’s too lazy to move and likes to dish out witty one-liners at inappropriate intervals. In some cases, Balfus becomes a safe zone for the players, and those unlucky enough to get caught out of his circle are likely to turn into a juicy red stain on the floor.

No, not the blades! ARGH, THEY’re IN MY EYES!

Of course, this game isn’t just about challenges, and much of the trials will be split evenly between solving puzzles and fighting off hordes of monsters. To do this, you’re given the choice of four character classes, each fulfilling a typical archetype commonly found in most RPGs. The Rogue deals fast bursts of damage to single targets. The warrior deals steady AoE damage. The archer deals high ranged damage. Finally, the protector is able to absorb great amounts of damage and return it back to its source. Each class seems to have their own solution to the game’s trials, however, some are naturally more capable in certain situations based on their skill sets.

As you progress through the trials, you’ll unlock gems which give you a wider pool of skills to pick from, eventually allowing you to take multiple active and passive skills at the same time. The gem system encourages you to return to past trials to finish the bonus objectives in the hopes that you’ll gain the extra crystals to power up your characters. This is a brilliant idea for the multiplayer teams out there, but unfortunately this falls flat for solo players. This all circles back to the issues of difficulty when playing alone. Those who choose to do so will likely find that they are unable to get any of the higher-tiered skills because the bonus objectives are too difficult when playing alone.

The very essence of FORCED caters to a group of friends who are seeking a fulfilling and enjoyable cooperative experience mixed with a satisfying yet simplistic combat system and engaging challenges. Just make sure you bring a friend, otherwise you may just find yourself overwhelmed and unable to complete the trials that await you.

Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ 

What does this score mean?

FORCED is currently available for PC/Mac/Linux with a  WiiU version to follow next year. This review is based on the PC version.

This game was reviewed using a copy provided by the developer for that purpose.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if chess and the Unreal engine had a baby? (No? Just me?) Well, Rooks Keep gives you precisely that. There’s even a game mode in which you just play chess. But the real game – the real Rooks Keep - is a medieval fantasy arena battle. Like many modern multiplayer games you can play team deathmatch, free-for-all, and last man standing. Unlike other multiplayer games, you can also play a mode called ‘conversion’, in which all players are basically mercenaries working for whatever kingdom killed them last.

There’s also a ‘combat chess’ mode, where your ability to capture another piece depends on your ability to duke it out in a small arena. It’s not just a little animation of one piece killing another, like in Interplay’s Battle Chess; it’s an actual fight– a deathmatch– mano a mano. If I use a pawn to try to take your bishop, I’d better be a darn good fighter because your bishop is much stronger. It takes a bit of the strategy out of chess and makes it more about who’s the better gamer. I thought it was a great idea until one stubborn bishop fried my knight, my queen, and a pawn.

Conversion is my favourite game mode. In this mode, when you die you join the team that killed you. When a team is down to one player he or she becomes something called “the warlord” and gets a huge power boost to make things fair. I played four rounds in a row, losing myself in the carnage.

I did have a couple of problems with conversion mode. The concept itself is really cool, but I don’t know how well it will translate to multiplayer. If I keep switching teams, which team do I want to win? Am I rooting for the team I started on? Couldn’t some players purposely die to get back to their original team?

Also, it took a long time before I could tell who was on my team and who wasn’t. You’re coloured differently, but sometimes it’s hard to tell. And the power ups that turn players all red make it near impossible to tell what team they’re on. I spent a good while chasing my own teammates and the AI spent a good while yelling at me.

My teammate has had enough of me.

But, after an hour or so of playing, I obviously got the hang of it.

Oh, word?

Rooks Keep mimics the basic rules of chess. The characters you choose from are equivalent to pawns, rooks, knights, and so on. You get skill points for playing well, and you can either spend those for upgrades on your current character (like more damage or health regeneration) or you can spend them on a better champion (for example, upgrading from a rook to a queen).

Like chess, it’s a game that can be simple enough for newcomers but has a steep learning curve and a lot of subtleties. The need to balance offense and defense is made clear right from the tutorial. Parrying saves lives. It also opens up opportunities to strike.

I’m interested to see what happens when clan matches come about. When I played, the AI’s teamwork was the equivalent of button mashing. And so was mine. We all just ran to the centre of the map and whacked at each other until somebody was declared the winner. I started getting the hang of the hit-and-run as I played more, but imagine the strategies that clans will use.

I do take issue with the anti-camping mechanic that teleports you to a new location if the game thinks you’re staying in one spot too long. The problem is it thinks that a lot. I was accused of camping while running into battle and I was accused of camping while running away from battle.

Honestly though, I was invested in every match I was in and I found myself pulling the old “just one more round” a couple times.

Rooks Keep is now available to buy at runestorm.com/rook/buy, and as long as it gets enough players it will be worth it. I only played with AI and I had a blast. This is going to a be a scream-at-your-screen-when-you-die kind of multiplayer.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.