Unveiling the Mysteries of Fort Solis: A Must-Read Review

Fort Solis, akin to a theatrical production, thrives on its captivating performances and striking visuals, establishing itself as a quasi-interactive venture. Positioned within the walking simulator genre, much like the Dark Pictures series, it effortlessly adopts the same suspenseful ambiance to heighten its four-hour immersive journey. Unburdened by intricate gameplay mechanics, the burden of Fort Solis lies on the narrative, visuals, and performances to carry the weight.

At the Summer Game Fest 2022, Roger Clark (famously known as Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2) and Troy Baker (acclaimed for his role as Joel in The Last of Us) took to the stage as the torchbearers for Fort Solis, underscoring the game's emphasis on outstanding performances. Their efforts are undeniably evident as they, alongside newcomer Julia Brown, breathe life into their characters, transforming them into fully-formed entities despite the game's brevity. The credit for this remarkable achievement must be attributed to Fallen Leaf, the development team, for providing Clark, Brown, and Baker the freedom to develop their characters through various means, including exploratory dialogues and video logs. Clark and Brown share a significant amount of screen time, their interactions brimming with the camaraderie of old friends, engaging in friendly banter, playful teasing, and genuine concern for one another. Meanwhile, Baker skillfully straddles the line between apprehension and madness, delivering a performance that exudes mastery.

Those who simply wish to witness the formidable talents of three actors confronting the challenges posed by Fort Solis' unique setting will be captivated by the game's exceptional performances. With numerous "scenes" consisting mainly of monologues or interactions between two characters via radio, the actors truly shine. Baker and Clark have already established themselves as skilled storytellers who bring a wealth of depth to their roles, but Brown also holds her own admirably. Even the smaller roles, whether they be fleeting video appearances or brief audio logs, are treated with the same level of dedication as a feature film.

Strong performances are only worth watching if the story is good. While Fort Solis incorporates a number of intriguing elements in its narrative, it struggles to deliver a satisfying conclusion. The protagonist, Clark's character Jack Leary, is on his final day as an engineer on Mars when an alarm goes off at Fort Solis in the distance. Leary investigates with the assistance of his colleague Jessica Barton (Brown), who regularly communicates with him through the radio. Initially, Barton serves as a sounding board for Leary's thoughts.

Leary soon discovers that the alarm is more than a simple call for help and that Fort Solis is hiding secrets. While this premise isn't entirely unique, the initial unraveling of the story is engaging and well-paced. Leary's exploration of what is truly happening at Fort Solis leads to tension, jump scares, and action. However, it is the resolution that fails to effectively bring everything together. Although Fort Solis delivers unique and surprising revelations, the way the story concludes is crucial. Unfortunately, the ending lacks the impactful punch that the narrative seems to be building towards. Motivations become unclear and confusing, and the final moments fall flat.

Visually, Fort Solis is an impressive game, showcasing intricate details in the captivating design of its Martian landscape and the interiors of the Fort. As players traverse from point A to point B frequently, the game's environmental storytelling becomes a prominent feature, skillfully utilizing the power of Unreal Engine 5. Immersive sound effects contribute to the essential sense of unease synonymous with the thriller genre, while the carefully curated musical accents amplify the mood perfectly. While aesthetics alone can only take a game so far, there's no denying that Fort Solis excels in both its visual and auditory presentation.

That being said, the facial animations in Fort Solis do not match up to the standards set by the games that inspired it. Although this is not a major issue because the majority of the game involves viewing the world from the perspective of a character's shoulder, there is a noticeable discrepancy between the emotional performances and the game's ability to accurately convey those emotions through the characters' facial expressions, particularly in video logs or cutscenes. Normally, this wouldn't be a significant concern, but since so much emphasis is placed on the actors' ability to bring their characters to life, these shortcomings become more apparent.

The weakest aspect of Fort Solis is its gameplay, which may deter a certain group of gamers. The walking simulator genre has its dedicated fan base, but it is also highly divisive. In Fort Solis, gameplay primarily revolves around exploring an abandoned station, listening to or watching numerous logs, and occasionally solving simple puzzles or interacting with objects. While the narrative progression is engaging, the actual gameplay itself lacks excitement, and the fact that the player character can only walk from one location to another doesn't help improve the overall experience.

And while the game is relatively straightforward and easy to understand in terms of its interactivity, we encountered some difficulties with the quicktime events during our playthrough. Initially, the time window provided to complete the action is incredibly short, leaving little room for error. If players aren't fully prepared, there is a high likelihood of failure. Furthermore, there were occasions where it seemed like we executed the correct action at the right time, yet the game still registered it as a failure. It's important to note that failing a quicktime event merely alters the progression of the scene and does not result in a Game Over screen. Nevertheless, it can be quite frustrating to miss these events.

Fort Solis, a video game that prioritizes performance and visuals, places gameplay at the bottom of its list. With its star-studded cast comprised of two renowned video game A-listers, this game exemplifies the profound impact that talented individuals can have on storytelling. Despite a disappointing conclusion, the game captivates with its strong visuals, compelling tone, and impressive acting, thereby managing to satisfy certain individuals. However, gameplay proves to be rarely enjoyable and occasionally frustrating, despite the tense atmosphere and the viewer's desire for more. While Fort Solis may not be readily recommended to a wide audience, it undoubtedly strikes a chord with a specific subset of gamers.

Fort Solis, a captivating third-person thriller, takes place on the remote side of Mars. Engineer Jack Leary is called to respond to an ordinary alarm at Fort Solis, only to discover a mysteriously desolate outpost. As the night progresses, an inescapable series of events unfolds, leading to utter chaos.

Set to launch on August 22, 2023, Fort Solis will be available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Mac. Game Rant had the privilege of receiving a PS5 code for the purpose of this review.