As proven by numerous items of media, Mars is a purple hellhole the place humanity’s hubris and lack of ability to get alongside are solely magnified by unbreathable air, brutal climate, and crushing isolation. Humans can barely make it work on Earth, the blue hellhole. Fort Solis is a narrative-focused journey that after once more makes these shortcomings clear by means of its intimate story and condensed solid. And whereas it crumbles on the finish, its performances and spectacular presentation make it one of many style’s higher thrillers.
Fort Solis sits adjoining to the Telltale Games type of journey video games, however with one key distinction: There are not any dialogue decisions or huge splintering paths. It is initially disappointing and maybe an avenue Fallen Leaf ought to pursue sooner or later, however this extremely directed expertise succeeds due to its exploration and character constructing.
Players are shortly dropped into the titular Fort Solis and, after choosing up a couple of keycards, given the liberty to wander its desolate halls. Its atrium is as inviting as it’s abandoned and makes use of that thriller to encourage gamers to look into what occurred. Preying on the participant’s pure curiosity is what makes pilfering by means of audio logs, video logs, and emails truly price participating in since they’re going to supply solutions in a means the lifeless can’t.
Emails and audio logs are transient, simple to digest, and both flesh out the world or succinctly glue the opposite greater scenes collectively. The video logs, whereas normally somewhat longer, are animated effectively and humanize the solid by giving facetime to them. An errant odd motion or two doesn’t detract from how effectively these monologues evoke the misery and emotion of the topic. They say what doesn’t should be stated by means of small twitches or eye actions and are an enormous motive why its solid resonates as a lot because it does. Having solely audio logs or emails doubtless wouldn’t have been as efficient. Keeping all of it so as may be difficult, however the primary menu lists out each collectible chronologically to make the dots simpler to attach.
Walking round and monitoring down these notes isn’t a worthwhile a part of these sorts of video games. Some — Fort Solis included — have very deliberate motion speeds or, in Supermassive Games’ case, awkward controls. Fort Solis avoids that pitfall by means of its harrowing audio design and spectacular visuals that makes these sections additive to the entire expertise.
It’s not an outright horror sport, however Fallen Leaf Studio and Black Drakkar Games play with the inherent creepiness of an deserted house outpost to nice impact by means of the soundtrack. It provides a constant layer of unease that displays the horrors that occurred there with out bombastic screeching or audio stingers. A Xenomorph isn’t going to come out of a close-by vent, however the ambient tunes make it really feel like that would occur at any time. That fixed stress makes it a more practical thriller.
Fort Solis can also be detailed sufficient to be price trekking round. Impressive lighting and gorgeous textures make Fort Solis extra immersive, however its visible splendor isn’t the one motive why Fort Solis is a compelling house. Seeing how these characters lived and labored by strolling by means of and investigating every wing makes all of it extra tangible. Being proven Fort Solis largely by means of cutscenes wouldn’t have the identical impact.
That makes it all of the extra puzzling when Fort Solis rips management away from the participant and forces them down a corridor throughout a chaotic set piece. There aren’t a lot of these moments, however they’re irritating and antithetical for a sport so closely invested in immersion. It’s additionally unusual how little of an influence the quick-time occasions have, yet one more means Fort Solis fumbles when it takes within the reins.
Despite the tiny and deceptive map, strolling by means of its many rooms offers it a way of place that higher contextualizes the anecdotes described within the emails and logs. It could rob some beats of their urgency, but the liberty to meander is rewarding as a result of gamers get extra company in how they piece collectively the story. While it’s not packed to the brim with hidden Easter eggs and remains to be modestly sized, Fort Solis succeeds as a result of it was designed to be explored.
All of those components assist the story that’s anchored by its three foremost characters: Jack Leary, performed by Red Dead Redemption 2 star Roger Clark; Jessica Appleton, who’s portrayed by relative newcomer Julia Brown; and Wyatt Taylor, the newest position from The Last of Us’ Troy Baker. Leary and Appleton’s rapport is charming, and their interactions aren’t solely predicated on eye-rolling quip like so many different video games. It’s vital that they’re likable since they’re so pivotal to the narrative.
Taylor, however, is far more difficult and makes for certainly one of Baker’s finest performances. He’s a multilayered man preventing forms with noble intentions and typically questionable means. That breadth of layers is most noticeable in his video logs the place his inside struggles are sublimely portrayed and dropped at life by means of the aforementioned nuanced animation. Taylor is a superb instance of the refined distinction between a villain and an antagonist.
Gradually determining how this tortured soul unspooled is an enchanting journey and certainly one of Fort Solis’ many secrets and techniques. Revelations are doled out effectively — due partially to its many logs — and supply sufficient incentive to maintain pushing by means of. Decent foreshadowing and the dearth of a compelled, exhausting sci-fi twist additionally means Fort Solis’ core thriller doesn’t fall to items on the finish.
However, the precise finale is a multitude. It fails most of its characters by rushing by means of its undeserved finale. Taylor will get snubbed the toughest because the last phase lacks a lot of a cathartic showdown of concepts {that a} character with that degree of depth begs for. Instead, it opts to go down the quick-time occasion route the place bodily altercations take the place of verbal ones. It’s a foul selection for a sport with unhealthy quick-time occasions and nice dialogue to exit like this.
Fort Solis Review: The last verdict
While it marvelously blows up throughout the last moments of its descent, Fort Solis is a largely profitable voyage. Puzzling collectively what occurred on the station is a fascinating train that incentivizes gamers to examine each pc and voice recorder so as to shine mild on its darkish mysteries. Its narrative doesn’t appear to department a lot or push ahead in any new instructions, but it achieves its modest targets slightly effectively. Fort Solis was misused as a facility by its employees, however Fallen Leaf and Black Drakkar have utilized it effectively to inform one efficient sci-fi thriller.
Crisp, detailed visuals and haunting soundtrack convey Fort Solis to life
Nuanced performances and (largely) nice animation make the solid participating to look at
Digging by means of audio and video logs and emails is compelling due to the inherent thriller
Unearned, rushed ending
The map is just too small and typically deceptive
Disclaimer: This Fort Solis evaluate is predicated on a PS5 copy supplied by the writer. Reviewed on model 1.000.000.
