The infinite darkness of space is a canvas on which people often paint our fears. Aliens, monsters and gods all occupy the space ‘up there’, while we long to discover our own sense of place ‘down here’. Fortress Solisa linear narrative thriller in the third person, it tries to tap into the tension that the space is supposed to evoke.
It has beautiful graphics, impressive voice acting and an interesting premise. But the game is hampered by frustrating mechanics, including an inability to run or sprint, and an over-reliance on fast-paced events. The worst of all, Fortress SolisThe storytelling is so linear that the player’s choices don’t seem to affect the story outcomes at all.
In 2080, Jack Leary (voiced by Red Dead Redemption 2’s Roger Clark) is part of a two-man engineering crew on Mars. He responds to a distress beacon at a nearby mining base, the titular Fort Solis. However, no one seems to be around and there are signs that someone or something is sabotaging the base. Jack must find out what happened to the skeleton crew and what is causing the ongoing emergency.
I spent most of the game exploring the abandoned station, investigating worker quarters, rest areas, and various worker hubs. I found abandoned workplaces and explored greenhouses and lab stations where work seemed to have stopped halfway through. As I wandered around, I made use of audio and video logs from the missing crew to recap what the people at the station were “really” doing and what ultimately happened.
Image: Fallen Leaf, Black Drakkar Games/Dear Villagers
This is the most linear game I’ve played in ages. Player actions don’t seem to affect the story in any way. There are no dialogue options, decisions, or apparent moral consequences for player input. The game’s design meant I couldn’t really contribute at all beyond basic exploration during the five-hour runtime.
Fortress Solis is visually beautiful and at least well executed. I loved the atmosphere of the game, especially the beautiful retro sci-fi aesthetic and liminal spaces the talented artists created. In addition, the game has a stunning sound direction that often gave me goosebumps.
The main cast also pulled out all the stops. Roger Clark will live in infamy if Red Dead Redemption 2‘s Arthur Morgan – and in Fortress Solis, we hear his natural Irish-American accent that might surprise those more familiar with his previous roles. Even minor characters that only appear for a few seconds deserve credit for great performance. As a result, the dialogue feels natural and believable.
Unfortunately, Fortress Solis is also hampered by aggravating design choices. The game does not have a sprint or run feature. Considering how much walking is involved, this was incredibly frustrating as Jack slowly ambles forward. The visual beauty of Mars is undeniable Fortress Solisimpeccably designed interiors. But no aesthetic beauty can compensate for having to hold down one button for minutes at a time, with no higher movement speed as an option.
The game’s map is also completely incomprehensible and contributed little to navigation – quite the opposite, in fact. The map just provided digital blueprints or floor plans, but I always struggled to understand where the character was in relation to certain rooms or objectives, let alone how to navigate. Players are better at reading doors and entrances than the map.
Image: Fallen Leaf, Black Drakkar Games/Dear Villagers
Finally, the game relies on QTEs and offers no other combat options. And they happen abruptly, with minimal warning. While other games with QTEs play a sound effect, delay it, or convey a preemptive change to prepare for a QTE to happen, Fortress Solis just… she does. For example, I activated a cutscene while Jack was looking at a console. For about 30 seconds I watched him investigate, look around and talk to himself. Then a battle started and the game presented a cutscene as a sudden QTE. After sitting back to watch the scene unfold, I was in no way prepared to suddenly “fight.” This happened all the time.
This could have been redeemed if the game told an exciting story. But when I finally uncovered the mystery behind the game’s story, it was… fine? The sci-fi plot twist resembled the stories I’d previously read or watched about planetary expeditions that failed and where humanity’s reach exceeded its reach. It is familiar territory that is not looked at in a new light. The lackluster stories told barely deserved the menacing atmosphere, beautiful visual build-up, and heartfelt performances from the actors.
It didn’t help that the plot was buried amid the frustrating game design and lack of dialogue decisions – unlike other interactive thrillers, such as Until dawn or even the Quantic Dream games.
Fortress Solis has an impressive talent behind it, not least the performers and performers. But almost everything else drowns under a thick layer of annoyance thanks to the suffocating mechanics, such as the useless map, lack of sprinting, and over-reliance on QTEs for the underwhelming mystery. If Fortress Solis if it had been a 4K YouTube video rather than a game, I imagine the experience wouldn’t have been much different. And maybe it should have just been a video. At least I could have fast-forwarded through the tedious walking sections that make up most of the game.
Fortress Solis was released on August 22 on Mac, PlayStation 5 and Windows PC. The game was reviewed on PS5 using a Fallen Leaf pre-release download code. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not affect editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased through affiliate links. You can find additional information on Polygon’s ethics policy can be found here.