During Next Fest it’s quite common for me to sift through the hundreds of games available on the platform, pick out a few choice gems from my favorite genres, and then wait patiently for them to release later in the year. I’ve found a lot of great games this way, and I’ve always been happy to share them. For this Summer Next Fest round of games, I spent many hours downloading games, and spun a few up to see what they were all about, especially those on my most anticipated list. What I didn’t expect, is to find a game that really hooked me. It’s a game I didn’t see coming, and yet, I’ve spent every day during Next Fest playing it.
Next Fest is always an interesting experience. Often you’ll find hoards of Indie games that are dressed in their Sunday best, as they try to snag your attention. When you’re dealing in the volume of games that Next Fest provides, sometimes it’s really tough to separate the wheat from the chaff. However, the moment I laid eyes on MythForce by Beamdog, I was already intrigued.
While it’s clear that cel-shaded games and anime inspired art styles have grown more popular in recent years, MythForce’s art style was appealing in a way that I didn’t know I was missing. Self-professed as “Saturday Morning Cartoon” visuals, I found that watching the trailer was instantly reminiscent of playing Dragon’s Lair as a kid, more so than any Saturday morning cartoon I watched. Then when I read that the game was a co-op rogue lite, I knew that this was going to be a game that I absolutely had to try.
What was particularly peculiar to me, is that MythForce has actually been available on the Epic Games Store in Early Access since April of 2022, and I hadn’t heard anything about the game until it dropped unexpectedly during Steam’s Next Fest. In a way it’s a testament to Next Fest, advertising games that would otherwise fall by the wayside. Then again it might also speak to how little I still use Epic Games Store nearly 5 years after its release.
Mythforce’s demo features 4 characters. They have a mage, a knight, a hunter and a rogue. Each character has their own set of skills, which includes two abilities and an ultimate ability. Eventually, if you play tactfully enough, you’ll be able to also charge an overdrive ability, which drastically increases your damage and often heals your character, as there is no native healing without artifacts or potions within the game. Usually, co-op dungeon crawlers like Mythforce often limit the way you can play, but here, you have a broad range of weapons for each character.
In MythForce, you can transform your character from a swift rogue to a spell-slinging warrior by purchasing spell books. The game offers a unique customization experience, allowing you to upgrade weapons, and slot shards into your Constellation Tree to expand your character's abilities. The more you play, the stronger your character becomes, which also means that no play-through, no matter how short, is completely worthless.
The game's difficulty level escalates with each successful solo or group match, unlocking additional challenges that yield more Blood Gems, essential for weapon upgrades. You also earn gold, which can be used to buy emotes, skins, and voiceover options. MythForce's first-person gameplay is well-balanced, and the art style makes it visually appealing, with sharp outlines and colorful enemies to bash your way through. Initially, you face slow, clunky skeletons, but as you progress, the enemy density and variety increase, significantly upping the challenge. Random perks after each stage enhance your weapons and abilities, and you’ll have to strategize your perk options if you really want to create a successful build. However, as a rogue lite, losing a round means starting over, which means that teamwork is crucial for conquering MythForce's challenges.
Group play in MythForce is where the magic happens – sometimes quite literally! My go-to strategy in a group has been running a mage with Frost spells. Frost magic creates a massive freeze zone that can slow or stop enemies entirely. It's like dropping a localized blizzard on your enemies, providing crowd control, damage, and support for your melee buddies. While in a team you can resurrect fallen teammates, which can save you from having to restart a match while increasing the loot that you earn.
Luckily, joining a group is a breeze with the drop-in, drop-out system, letting you jump into groups that are already in progress. It’s created a very satisfying package for a co-op MOG, that combines a charming art style with fun, addictive gameplay that doesn't take itself too seriously. It's like a trip down memory lane, with nods to Teen Wolf and Masters of the Universe, among other pop-culture references.
MythForce’s demo also left a lot of features disabled, pointing to quite a bit more content on the way, including a new chapter called Crypt of the Necromancer. While I’m not entirely sure if I will pull the trigger on Mythforce’s 29.99 early access version on the Epic Games Store, when I can wait for the XBOX Series X|S or PlayStation 5 version later this year, it’s clear that it’s left just the right impression on me. I can’t wait to see what comes with the 1.0 release.
