# Forced: Showdown

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***Forced: Showdown*** is a [top-down](/source/Video_game_graphics#Top-down_perspective) [single-player](/source/Single-player_video_game) [bullet-hell](/source/Shoot_'em_up#Bullet_hell_and_niche_appeal) [brawler](/source/Beat_'em_up)[2] developed by Danish indie game developer [BetaDwarf](/source/BetaDwarf).[3] The game was released in March 2016 for [Windows](/source/Windows), [OS X](/source/OS_X) and [Linux](/source/Linux) through [Steam](/source/Steam_(service)) as well as [GOG.com](/source/GOG.com).[1] The game revolves around Contestants fighting for wealth and glory in an ever-changing galactic game show. The gameplay mixes [roguelike](/source/Roguelike) aspects with a [trading-card game](/source/Collectible_card_game). It consists of selecting a champion, enhancing and empowering him and his abilities to battle through hordes of minions and dodging their attacks to survive.

## Gameplay

The player fights through a number of arenas, killing enemies along the way and playing cards. After 8 arenas, the player has completed a Battle, which is a small part of each campaign. Completing enough battles finishes the campaign. There are 4 campaigns in the game. Players have at their disposal 4 (5 with the Drone Invasion expansion) characters, each one with their unique set of skills, that they must choose before entering a show.

Deckbuilding is an important aspect of *Forced: Showdown*. Each deck must contain exactly 30 cards and at maximum 2 of each card. There are 3 types of cards : upgrade cards, spell cards and consumable cards. Each card has its own [mana](/source/Magic_(gaming)) cost, related to its power. At the beginning of each arena, the player will receive some [mana](/source/Magic_(gaming)) that he can use to play cards. The amount of [mana](/source/Magic_(gaming)) gained increases by 1 after each arena thus allowing to play stronger and more expensive cards.

## Plot

The players are cast as contestants, gladiators in a galactic game show in which they must battle their way through, defeat the Titans waiting for them and ultimately survive to earn fame, glory and wealth. CSAR, the Computer-Simulated Arena Referee, acting as the show presenter accompanies the player throughout the show. In the first program, or campaign, called The Crucible, the player faces Raff the Burninator, a large demon wielding fiery swords. In Frontline, the second program, the player must defeat the wealthy Ruby Von Wouthingtonne IV and her tank. Then, in The Grand Return, the mysterious Master opposes the player. Finally, in The Mentor's Maze (the campaign from the Drone Invasion expansion), the wise R3-KT will be the player's final opponent. Only by defeating all these enemies and their minions will the player become the next champion.

## Development and release

In 2013 [BetaDwarf](/source/BetaDwarf) started work on their next game *Forced 2: The Rush*. During development the game was renamed to *Forced: Eternal Arenas*, for which they ran another successful [Kickstarter](/source/Kickstarter) campaign. However, due to a lawsuit threat from a bigger company, demanding to change their new game's name, *Forced: Eternal Arenas* became *Forced: Showdown*.[4] A [beta version](/source/Software_release_life_cycle#Beta) of the game was accessible in 2014. After a little more than two years of development, *Forced: Showdown* was released on 29 March 2016. An [Xbox One](/source/Xbox_One) and [PlayStation 4](/source/PlayStation_4) version of the game are planned to be released later. The team released an expansion for *Forced: Showdown* on 31 July 2016 called Drone Invasion.[1]

In December 2016, BetaDwarf joined forces with [IndieBox](/source/IndieBox) to create an exclusive, custom-designed, physical version of *Forced: Showdown*. This limited collector's edition included a [DRM-free](/source/DRM-free) game disc, the soundtrack, an instruction manual, [Steam](/source/Steam_(service)) key, and various collectible items.[citation needed]

## Reception

*Forced: Showdown* received generally positive and mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregation website [Metacritic](/source/Metacritic) gathered an average rating of 67 out of 100 based on 14 critics for the PC version.[5]

JeuxActu commented that it “ is a clever little game that skillfully mixes action elements to a card game core, providing a lot of fun” giving it an 80%.[6] Areajugones gave it a 70 out of 100 describing *Forced: Showdown* as a “very solid, surprising and original” game.[7] [Destructoid](/source/Destructoid) criticised the game for its repetitiveness giving it a 55 out of 100[8] and CGMagazine described that “Nothing about it feels genuine” rating it a 50 out of 100.[9]

## Awards

- [Intel Level Up](/source/Intel_Level_Up) Award - Best Game with 3D Graphics in 2014 - *Forced: Showdown*
- [MomoCon](/source/MomoCon) - Indie Game Award in 2016 - *Forced: Showdown*[10]

## References

1. ["Forced: Showdown Steam page"](http://store.steampowered.com/app/265000/). 29 March 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.

1. Colin, Campbell (28 March 2016). ["Polygon article - Forced: Showdown out this week"](http://www.polygon.com/2016/3/28/11305684/forced-showdown-out-this-week). *[Polygon](/source/Polygon_(website))*. Retrieved 19 July 2016.

1. ["Forced: Showdown Official Website"](https://forcedshowdown.com/). 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2016.

1. Steffen, Kabbelgaard (24 October 2013). ["Forced the game - Story"](http://www.forcedthegame.com/story/). Retrieved 19 July 2016.

1. ["Metacritic - Forced: Showdown"](https://www.metacritic.com/game/forced-showdown/critic-reviews/?platform=pc). *[Metacritic](/source/Metacritic)*. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.

1. Pellegrini, Fabien (29 March 2016). ["TEST FORCED SHOWDOWN : LE JEU INDÉ QUI JOUE CARTES SUR TABLE"](http://www.jeuxactu.com/test-forced-showdown-sur-pc-103386.htm). Retrieved 19 July 2016.

1. Rodriguez, Victor (29 March 2016). ["Análisis Forced Showdown"](https://areajugones.es/forced-showdown/analisis/). Retrieved 19 July 2016.

1. Hancock, Patrick (15 June 2016). ["Review: Forced Showdown"](https://www.destructoid.com/review-forced-showdown-368410.phtml). Retrieved 19 July 2016.

1. Biordi, Jordan (29 March 2016). ["Forced Showdown (PC) Review"](http://www.cgmagonline.com/reviews/forced-showdown-pc-review/). Retrieved 19 July 2016.

1. ["Gamasutra- MomoCon Indie Game Awards Showcase Finalist Announced"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160411103933/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/269811/MomoCon_Indie_Game_Award_Showcase_Finalists_Announced.php). 6 April 2016. Archived from [the original](http://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/269811/MomoCon_Indie_Game_Award_Showcase_Finalists_Announced.php) on April 11, 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Forced: Showdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced%3A_Showdown) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced%3A_Showdown?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.