thebuttsatisfier

I have questions for you all further down in my post, but first I have to share my story. You guys have poured so much into this game that I figured sharing my experience would be worthwhile.

Okay. I was in a co-op dry spell when I saw the Reddit post regarding how Forced was developed. I thought, "What the hell, they seem cool and everyone likes an underdog," and bought a four-pack after telling my coworkers about it briefly. We admitted it sounded kind of neat and forgot about it.

That all changed when I got home.

I briefly told my roommate, who is also going through co-op withdrawal, about the random game I purchased earlier. He sounded mildly interested at first but warmed up when I said I'd give him a copy from my four-pack. We installed the game, figured out how to join a game (looks like Steam friend invites don't work?) and settled in. We shared a laugh when the spirit ball would ask us a question like, "Now are you ready?" and then immediately follow - literally no pause - with "Gooood" and settled in for a quick game.

Probably five hours later we were in a daze. We couldn't decide what our favorite classes were at first since they all seemed so balanced. Nothing was too easy or too difficult. At first we thought the game was just a point and kill game, but then the puzzles started coming in. We'd stop and brainstorm how to get past certain areas or complete challenges, and the teamwork felt more rewarding than any other game I've played. The catastrophic failures in trying to get past certain puzzles are almost so hilarious to experience, especially with Steam voice chat, that I look forward to them just as much as completing a hard puzzle. The game got even more awesome when we had two more friends join to complete the experience.

You guys have made a great game and it's an incredible pleasure to play it. Best on-a-whim purchase I've ever made.

--- Questions (and I've tried to avoid stealing from others) ---

1. How much has this title's gameplay changed since you first started working on it? Was this game just a co-op combat game that slowly evolved into having puzzle components?
2. What's your favorite gameplay mechanic? The combat, the teamwork, the puzzles, etc.
3. What was the most frustrating aspect of developing this game? Balancing the combat, level design, puzzle design, etc.
4. What other titles inspired this game?

You've absolutely earned it. My roommate and I would sometimes look at each other in disbelief when we'd completed a wild yet fulfilling challenge and talk about "how those developers came up with that". Seriously if you guys were nearby I'd love to buy you all a round of pints just to hear your story from start to finish.

Well, let's be honest: probably more than just one round.

Thank you for your response!

I had figured that the gameplay changed a bit, but that's impressive that you've held the project together through so many changes. Clearly the ambition paid off!

Balfus has been an incredible mechanic and it's probably my favorite one since it facilitates so many other mechanics: co-op, puzzles, everything. It's becoming my favorite mechanic too.