Inside Forestrike: Director Thomas Olsson on Reinventing the Roguelike
Forestrike is generating quite a buzz in the industry. With its unique twist on the roguelike formula, players are loving its blend of combat and puzzle-solving. I was fortunate enough to speak with director Thomas Olsson about the project, and here’s what he had to say.
Forestrike mixes deliberate, tactical combat with roguelite progression. Were there any particular games that inspired your approach to its mechanics or overall pacing?
The main, initial inspiration behind Forestrike’s combat is definitely Into the Breach. Shogun Showdown is also a game we often looked up to, especially when it comes to the one-dimensional aspect of fights. Other references include Hades, Slay the Spire…
The “Foresight” mechanic is a standout, unique hook. How did it evolve during development?
At first, the Foresight was limited by a resource. But a friend advised us to make it infinite, and it made things much better. Other improvements included making the change to the Real fight more dramatic and deliberate.
What was the biggest surprise or unexpected challenge during development?
Understanding the stakes of the fighting system, the balance between puzzle and action was difficult. Making the fights as consistent as possible was also both a constant design and technical challenge. Fortunately, talented people joined the team mid-development and were able to help set our design’s priorities straight. Additionally, coming up with a non-invasive narrative that would still tell the story we wanted to tell was difficult.
Are there mechanics or ideas that didn’t make it into the game?
Tons! Like grappling and throwing enemies, a “curse” system that adds difficulty, or a whole cast of people you need to protect on top of the smuggler.
Being published by Devolver Digital, how did that partnership support the project?
It literally made it possible! And Devolver’s work is not just to get the word out, they also contribute to make the game better in every step of the way. They helped us find beta testers, gave feedback, put together QA, localization…
The combat animations have a cinematic rhythm. Which films shaped the game’s look, flow, or storytelling?
A mix of very different influences. Various action movies from the 90s, classic Kung-fu or Wuxia movies (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Come Drink with Me, Jackie Chan movies…) and sometimes also Japanese cinema (Yojimbo).
After spending so much time bringing Forestrike to life, what do you see as the next step for you and the studio?
We’d love to keep working on Forestrike for longer, to improve and expand it!
If you could pick one thing you really hope players talk about after finishing the game, what would it be?
We hope that they’ll share crazy fights or builds they came up with using the Share Fights feature. We’re also curious to hear how people interpret the story, as it is fairly open-ended.
A big thank you to Thomas Olsson for taking the time to answer our questions. If you’d like to read our full review on Forestrike, click here.
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