MythForce Review (PC)

Victoria is the tank of the group, a knight who needs to attract the attention of enemies and sometimes has to take hits. My throwing shield attack allows me to soften up a few enemies before they get close, and the Vanguard move makes it easy to get out of trouble when needed. But most of the time I am near skeletons, beastmen, and mushrooms, taking full advantage of my newly acquired perk that dazes them on hit.

Maggie is the glass cannon, deploying a familiar to annoy opponents while she carefully targets her magical blasts. Hawkings wields a bow with precision and is now trying to find the best place to launch his Rift Arrow, which should draw enemies away, give us some more space to maneuver, and the time needed for abilities and stamina to recharge.

I switch to my own bow for a while, blowing up a red vine to deal some extra damage to the enemy group. And then it’s time to focus on individual enemies, launch the shield again, parry some attacks, and finally clear this level. I just hope I get a solid new perk out of the shrine at the end and maybe one health potion from a chest.

MythForce was developed by Beamdog and published by Aspyr. I played the game on the PC using Steam. It is also offered on the Nintendo Switch, the PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series X and S, and older consoles from Microsoft and Sony. The title offers solid combat mechanics and is best enjoyed with friends.

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Vampire leader Daedalus is trying to take over the world. The only characters capable of stopping him and his minions are the four heroes of the Mythforce, representing classic fantasy universe archetypes. We have a powerful knight, a dashing rogue, a capable mage, and a hunter. Each can get through a level alone but, showing that the game was created for cooperative play, they truly shine when they are collaborating to eliminate enemies.

The title’s world isn’t original or innovative. Basically, this is a low-effort riff on classics like He-Man and similar series. The focus is on familiarity and clear themes for levels, as gamers move toward the Daedalus’ lair. Almost every piece of writing is little more than functional.

Mythofrce’s gameplay is built around the careful juggling of special attacks and stamina. Characters can and should use standard attacks and parries to engage with enemies. But to ensure they take minimal damage and don’t get into melees that are hard to win, always watch the three core abilities and try to use them efficiently. Environmental hazards, which are plentiful in some areas, can be even more damaging than skeletons or wizards.

The stamina system means that it’s impossible to constantly launch attacks or fire spells. Find a clear place, pop off an ability, then wade into the fray again. It creates a good rhythm for combat, although the arenas aren’t large enough for complex tactics.

Each of the four Mythforce deploys has a different set of powers and it's fun to explore what tactics suit each best, Victoria the knight is the most forgiving, so start there. And, if you plan to join a coop session, make sure to focus on one and learn how to contribute to a larger battle.

Once combat ends in an area, players can check any chests they missed, before encountering an altar where they can upgrade a weapon or get a new character perk. It’s a classic rogue concept that Mythforce executes well, although most of the choices feel a little safe.

When a run ends, there are more options to improve a character’s capabilities, using a shard and money-driven system. The costs are high enough that gamers will have to grind and there aren’t any big, bold options. I wanted to see more truly weird ways to tweak the heroes and make them express a player’s style.

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Mythforce benefits enormously from playing with friends. Get at least a three-man group to work together decently well and watch as the level of fun increases, especially during the boss battles and wave-based levels. Setting up a session and then jumping in is easy if it involves friends but, as always with multiplayer modes, the experience can be less satisfying if random players are involved. Everyone should prioritize reviving a fallen team member over anything else because a full group is a much stronger fighting unit.

MythForce’s greatest asset is its presentation, carefully designed to deliver a strategic hit of nostalgia. The four heroes and their many enemies all look like they stepped out of classic ’80s and ‘90s morning cartoons, and the world is filled with pastel colors, classic-looking traps, and crumbling castles to house its villains.

It’s a good look and the effort invested into its creation is clear while relying on players being already invested in the style. It also fails to do anything truly new or interesting with these motifs. Nostalgia might be a good way to attract players, but it can’t sustain interest in a world on its own.

The sound design evokes the same sources but is not as successful. There’s limited voice acting for the heroes, who sound entirely generic and lack any cool catchphrases. There are some short evil speeches from the boss opponents, but they also fail to impress. The combat sounds are decent, and the soundtrack strives to add another layer of immersion, although I never felt that it meshed well with the rest of the universe.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion