Edmonton’s Beamdog feels nostalgic for Myth Force in the 1980s

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Getting up on Saturday morning and eating cereal while watching hours of comics on TV was a highlight for many who grew up in the 80’s. In the latest video game, Edmonton-based Beamdog took advantage of its nostalgic sugar rush to come up with the idea for Myth Force.

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Claimed as a first-person sword and sorcery, Myth Force borrows a lot of clean and colorful artwork from its beloved cartoons such as He-Man, Masters of the Universe, and Thundercats for its graphics. Also, in honor of the 80’s, it has its own cheesy theme song, full of thunder-like guitar riffs and soaring choruses.

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“There was a real desire to make games for all ages,” says Beamdog co-founder Trent Ostler. “We have explicitly targeted cartoon-level violence without blood and bloodshed.”

MythForce gives players four character class options (Rogue, Mage, Hunter, Knight) and throws them into a dungeon full of quirky bad guys. Designed to play solo or with others, multiplayer is clearly the most fun place. Ostler describes an early test session of the game, codenamed “Battle Ax” with a business partner and an unimpressive five-year-old daughter named “Battle Bowling.” A few months later, in a multiplayer session with a more sophisticated build of the game, the girl was intrigued and she took control and was excited to order from her teammates.

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“At that moment, we realize we’ve hit something that’s really accessible,” Ostler recalls.

The game falls into a sub-genre called “Roguelike” that dungeon crawls randomized levels. Also, because gamers are designed to be a time-bound title, basically anyone who grew up in the 80’s can jump an hour or two to play a session, Ostler said. Says.

“I think it’s like a vacation game. If you’re a hardcore gamer and you’re devoted to Destiny and this month’s game, this is your game when you need a fun break.”

MythForce marks the starting point for Beamdog, who previously stuck to the release of enhanced versions of video games developed by other companies such as the Baldur’s Gate series. After three years of development, MythForce will enter the Early Access phase on April 20th, giving gamers the opportunity to play and allowing Beamdog to tweak based on player responses to rollouts through regular updates. bottom.

“We see this as one of the minimalest playable versions. One adventure, only one boss. Play it,” said MythForce through streaming outlets such as Twitch. The team Ostler, who enjoys the players, says.

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In much of MythForce’s production, Beamdog’s 83 staff worked primarily at home for the COVID-19 pandemic. Formerly one of Edmonton’s co-founders of BioWare, Ostler keeps the company’s 11,000-square-foot office almost free as long as staff are focused on building imaginative games. Say you are satisfied with.

“Don’t feel like you’re here just because you put on a suit in a chair and decided that everyone needs to go to the office. That’s not our purpose. We’re creative. It’s about allowing people to be creative, “says Ostler. “Honestly, if we have four people in the office for the rest of the day we rent an office, I’m fine with that. Those people are making a lot of money (by working from home). , As long as it works, we are doing the right thing. “

MythForce is now playable on Windows from Epic Games Story.

chuculak@postmedia.com

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