FORCED SHOWDOWN

great game! played pirated version several years ago, now decided to buy it as a token of gratitude and couldn't help myself not to start playing it from the beginning =)

[b]TLDR - It's a fun action roguelike w/ a focus on deckbuilding. Great graphics despite its age. Catch it on a sale though.[/b] Great fun to be had in this one as it mixes a lot of genres together to give you a roguelike with deckbuilding tied to each character. Made by the same devs that made minion masters which is insanely popular. Somehow this one fell under the radar. Not sure why considering how fun it is. Really my only complaint would be to get cards faster and to simply have more of them. If you're having a good run you'll get pretty far and either beat the final boss or die. Then you'll be bombarded with rewards. That's not a bad thing. It's just to highlight the time investment for a run inbetween runs and getting rewards to get more powerful decks/plays. The first set of arenas is pretty easy to the point I had considered stopping after 15 minutes because I figured it'd get boring. However the characters are fun to play and each individual engagement is actually pretty short. Inbetween each fight you draw cards and can play them which will dramatically empower you. As you unlock harder arenas things get much more complex and challenging. For example the enemy will…

FORCED SHOWDOWN is an unusual blend of genres that combines twin-stick action, roguelite progression, and deck-building mechanics into a single package. Developed and published by BetaDwarf, the game takes place within a futuristic gladiatorial game show where contestants battle through increasingly dangerous challenges for survival and glory. Rather than relying on a traditional narrative-driven structure, the game focuses on creating a cycle of strategic planning and intense combat, resulting in an experience that feels distinct from many other action roguelites on the market. The gameplay revolves around navigating a series of combat arenas filled with monsters, traps, elite opponents, and powerful bosses. From the very beginning, the action is fast and demanding, requiring players to dodge incoming attacks while maintaining offensive pressure. Success depends heavily on reflexes, positioning, and situational awareness. Enemies often attack from multiple directions, creating battles that can quickly spiral into chaos if players fail to manage the battlefield effectively. This emphasis on skill-based combat ensures that victory feels earned rather than simply granted through cha…

HIGLY RECOMENDED FOR ACTION DUNGEON CRAWLER FANS. After playing tons of Minion Masters I've finally bought this game and it's DLCs. It's really great. The game loop is fantastic. Very unpolished in some aspects, but you can see it's made with a lot of heart and creativety. The most important factor to me is how fun the game is, and this game is very fun. If you can get past some annoying bugs, some minor slowdowns and the somewhat unpolished visuals and animation, you'll apreciate this Glauntlet-like game that improves on the tried and true action dungeon crawling formula. I wish there were more playable characters from Miniom Masters and more level variety. Besides some flaws, I really liked the overall experience and gonna play it a lot.

The game crashes (it's not new, so shouldn't happen) and I am not enjoying the experience 6/10

Hidden gem for sure