I had the great opportunity to ask BetaDwarf studios, Game Director, CEO and Co-founder, Steffen Kabbelgaard, a few questions about BetaDwarf upcoming game, FORCED.

PN: What was the idea behind FORCED and how did it come to be?

The core concept of FORCED sprung from a university project. The main idea was to find a way to induce co-op into a game, via communication, strategizing, etc. This has pretty much been the approach throughout the entire process of creating the game design.

PN: Can you tell us a little about the story?

You are cast as slaves in the toughest fantasy gladiator school of them all, condemned to fight as a gladiator and eventually win your freedom. However, you are joined by Balfus, your spirit mentor, who will guide you as you face deadly trials and huge creatures.

PN: Will there be different races or classes? If so, can you describe some of them?

In FORCED there are four different gladiators (classes), Spirit Blades, Volcanic Hammer, Frost Shield and Storm Bow. Each has 16 unlockable skills. So you can customize your gladiator to synergise with your teammates or to a more lone wolf type gladiator if you prefer,

PN: How will the PC point and click mechanics transfer over to the Wii U and the GamePad?

Since we started developing FORCED we knew this game would be suitable for “couch-playing”, so making sure the design were console friendly seemed like the logical choice. We have supported controllers almost since day one of our beta, so FORCED doesn’t really have a lot of ‘point and click’ functionality. We have instead tried to base our combat system around the twin-stick functionality of the consoles and we have taken a lot of inspiration from games like Lara Croft Guardian of Light and Alien Swarm.

PN: It has been mentioned that FORCED is “essentially Diablo 3 meets Left 4 Dead.” Is this a fair description of the game? If so, how does the game fit the description?

Well, L4D is one of the greatest co-op games out there, and we’ve used it as inspiration for the overall feel of working together as a team. In FORCED, as in L4D, you fail if you don’t work together. It also provided inspiration for the enemy hierarchy; a lot of small enemies with power-roles to challenge the players. From Diablo, we’ve drawn the top-down view, fast-paced combat and meaningful tactical skill choices. All with a twist, naturally ;)

PN: The PC version of FORCED will offer 1-4 players online. Will this be the same for the Wii U version? Any other online features like leaders boards, Miiverse?

We have just started working on the WII U version, so we cannot promise anything yet, but we will definitely be working for all the same features as for the PC and the other consoles, 1-4 player co-op local and online, leader boards, etc. With regards to Miiverse it’s still very early so we can’t really reveal any plans yet. :)

PN: Games like FORCED would be a perfect candidate for DLC. Has any thought gone into this?

As of now we are focusing all our efforts on finishing FORCED. But we have plans for the future and it looks bright ;)

PN: Because of the many different ways for player to interact with the Wii U, will Wii U players be able to play local Co-op?

We know we can support the Gamepad and the pro controller, but we will need more time to see if we can make a proper solution for the Wiimote.

PN: How has your teams experience been working with Nintendo? Does it have advantage or disadvantages over other outlets like steam?

Our relationship with Nintendo is really new so I don’t really have the most solid frame to evaluate them yet, but so far we we have nothing but positive feelings towards this partnership.

PN: I was looking at the development team and I think I possibly found some of the inspiration for the games art. You have to admit they look similar.

Capture Capture1

It’s actually me on that photo hehe, and yea, I have always wanted to be an inspiration for my team, I just never really imagined it to be that obvious ;)

PN: FORCED is set for release on October 24th for $20. Is that the same price and date for the Wii U?

Wii-U might not make it for the initial release, we will work on it during September, but we can’t promise it yet. In regards to the price, it will be that or maybe a tiny bit cheaper. We feel it’s a solid 12 hour+ experience with 20+ hours if you want to complete all quests, so it should definitely be worth $20 nevertheless, we want as many people to experience it as possible, hence lowering the price even more is being considered.

PN: I always end my interviews with this question. Describe to someone, in six words or less, why they should purchase FORCED?

It will boost or destroy your friendships :)