Fort Solis
The experience envisioned by the developers :
A uniquely singular cinematic experience!
The story is told across four chapters. Like a Netflix series, Fort Solis can be binged in one intense session, or played chapter by chapter like an episodic TV show.
Welcome to Fort Solis
Responding to an unusual alarm call from a remote mining base, Jack arrives at the dark and desolate Fort Solis. With storm warnings imminent, he heads inside to make desperate contact. As the night grows longer, events escalate, spiral out of control and the mystery of what happened to the crew begins to reveal itself. The storms is approching, limiting Jack’s escape as he looks to hold out until morning arrives.
Immersive Storytelling
Fort Solis looks to deliver a high-fidelity experience designed to completely immerse the player in the cast and their long night. With performances from Roger Clark, Troy Baker and Julia Brown, Fort Solis looks to deliver emotion, fear, empathy and much more with every chapter.Supporting the core narrative are additional instances of story such as audio logs, surveillance footage or past of present events. Accompanying those are video logs recorded by all crew detailing the events before and perhaps even after that night the alarm was triggered at Fort Solis…
Grounded by the visuals
Fort Solis brings to players, the next level of details, facial and body animations. With the help of Unreal Engine 5.2 Fort Solis realistic universe is brought to life !
An Isolated mining complex
The skeleton of Fort Solis is built above and below ground. The base contains a variety of locations each with their own surface and sub surface levels. Players will be able to explore the isolated storm bearing surface, the creepy service tunnels absent of any light or the multiple departments that help Fort Solis function on a day-to-day basis such as Engineering, Medical and Communications.As the story unfolds locations can easily be revisited for additional story context or continue to serve as a backdrop to the fate that awaits Jack with each passing hour.
Steam User 159
I do recommend but i would like the say few things as a constructive feedback:
1. Graphically this game is beautiful and really next gen, artwork, design and lighting are majestic.
2. Sound design is also extremely well done, playing this with good headphones is a must, music + ambience sounds made this game very immersive.
3. Actors did a great job, motion capture its excelent.
4. Theme wise, the writing is good but the constant cracking of jokes really breaks the immersion. For example, Jack just saw 3 people die in horrible ways, he gets terrified for a moment and then seconds later he is already making jokes, Thats not how a human being behave. I like the comic relief sometimes but he keeps doing it over, and over and over, making the seriousness of the situation be complete lost.
5. I dont understand why the caracters cant sprint a little bit, even after some really dangerous situations Jack just dont freaking move fast, you keep walking casually the whole game. At least they should change that as the situation gets more critical jack automatically starts to walk faster, run or sprint. It doesnt need to be much, just enough. Also this slow walking thing makes painful to explore the map, i lost the interest in exploring solis real fast.
6. I dont really like the quick action keys, they are distracting from the immersion. I mean we already signed up for a linear game that tells us a good story right? Let us pay attention to whats happening instead of be worried about pressing the right keys, i wanna look to jacks face and whatever is happening instead of worrying about the keys.
7. This game is short, but i dont see a problem with that. It was also cheap. They never advertised this as a 20 hour campaign. I am very happy to buy it as a prologue or a first entry for something greater, like next DLCs. It just needed to have some closure or satisfying ending to keep us engaged wanting more.
This game has a IMMENSE potential, lots of things done right, to be honest the most difficult things Fort Solis did extreme well, but dropped the ball with essentials. I really wish this game gets better and more chapters so we keep going.
Steam User 110
i think people are being extremely harsh with this game. i can imagine its not everyone's cup of tea but its still a good game in its own way. Don't go into this thinking its going to be like dead space/the callisto protocol. Think of it more like deliver us the moon. This game is extremely well made to say its a indie developer, imagine if the development team had the funds of a AAA developer. I've played far worse AAA games. The overall experience is a good one and i will be keeping a look out for any future dlc or games from this developer. It literally cost me less than £20 the value for money is immense. All i can say is try this for yourself don't let other peoples opinions effect your opinion of this game i didn't and i am glad i formed my own opinion. 7/10
Steam User 34
In my opinion, Fort Solis is a psychological thriller, whereby the climax is approached slowly. This slow approach is due on the one hand to the strict walking and on the other to the interaction with certain objects (e-mails, audio and video recordings, etc.). In other words, the events relating to Fort Solis and its crew are explored at a walking pace.
If you don't like this type of exploration, you can stop reading this review at this point and not consider this game for purchase.
The atmosphere and the environment can seem creepy in certain situations, but nothing more. The characters (especially the playable ones) definitely seem realistic and the interactions between the characters can sometimes be funny even in these circumstances. However, there are moments where the verbal exchanges don't necessarily come in handy because you're focused on something else at that time, but that was personally fine for me.
What I didn't like at all were the current performance problems: visual artifacts, spontaneous FPS drops, random stuttering and the like. These problems drastically affect how the game is perceived, especially because everything is explored slowly. Due to the fact that certain Unreal Engine games are known to come with such problems, I also tried certain fixes that didn't help at all with this game. Therefore, I would like to point out that you should not waste time with such things. It's up to the developers to fix it!
I think it's good that the developers have included a simple photo mode or Steam achievements in the game, for example, but they should have given priority to optimizing the game, even if the development team behind the game is not that big.
For those who want to know a little more about the photo mode and the achievements mentioned, I would like to provide a quick overview:
Photomode:
simple/intuitive for both beginners and experienced players
you can take artistic pictures if you have ideas
you are somewhat limited by the locations/characters (not many picture variations possible)
in comparison to other games, the quality of the pictures taken with F12 is really bad, so I recommend activating uncompressed screenshots in the Steam settings before taking screenshots
Achievements:
the largest part can already be covered by simply playing the game
to reach 100%, you have to be a little careful when investigating, as you may overlook certain items (no manual level selections, only fixed checkpoints)
Nevertheless, I only recommend the game if you can fully relate to the style of play explained above and if the current performance issues have been resolved. Given the shortness of the game, I would also recommend buying it at a corresponding discount.
Steam User 34
Want to know whether you should give Fort Solis a try? It depends if you are willing to taste something a bit different from what you are used to receiving from games.
Setting optimization problems aside, as it is a known problem that I hope will be fixed soon (I have played Fort Solis on my quite ancient rig with Nvidia 1060, set the graphics on medium and while I certainly wasn’t able to enjoy its fullest potential when it comes to graphics, I only experienced a few slow-downs between the levels), let’s talk what that game truly is about - in my opinion.
Fort Solis is a set of experiments questioning the status quo of what a game is. It sacrifices the gameplay for the sake of the story - but also sacrifices the story for the sake of experience. It tries to be as real as possible, which has its consequences, to name the two that were the most obvious to me:
- the slow walking around, because who would run around all the time? Also, the jammed doors and long corridors are supposed to be a drag for the character, so it needs to be so for the player as well;
- the vague story, because Jack and Jess (and therefore the player) are outsiders who try to unravel the plot from pieces of narrative created by characters who are inside the story. The logs, audio, and e-mails were not created to tell the story to us, they really try to imitate the communication that would be going on between people who live in certain conditions - we are only eavesdropping and trying to glue it together;
Add beautifully and believably designed environments - both the dead, empty, and dusty surface of Mars and then wonderfully trashed labs, workshops, and crew areas, that make you believe someone really lives there. Then you watch or read or listen to the logs of characters and you see people that are alive - how they talk, how they stutter, their mimics and small gestures all gleaming with personality. The bare plot itself may not be something new, but what makes it stand out is how it comes to life through those people. It’s their story, not just a story. This part of the game truly amazed me - excellent writing and voice acting.
We live in times when the era of telling stories gives way to a new age - thanks to modern technologies we can experience events in their whole. Fort Solis is an attempt to do this through the medium of a game. I won’t say the effect is perfect because it is not. But I enjoyed the game quite a lot.
To sum up - there is only one way to play it: put the headphones on and immerse in it fully without expectations of what a game should be like. Experience it. You may like it or you may not, but it will be something new in your menagerie of experiences.
Steam User 38
Fort Solis is a visual masterpiece....
I must say, when I read the initial reviews for Fort Solis, I was scared!
BUT after playing it and completing it...WOW!
From the title screen, I was amazed by the stunning visuals. This game was done with the Unreal Engine 5.2 and it's OMG, WOW!
Sadly to get that WOW, let's be honest, you need to have a beefy GPU to be able to enjoy the visual! Even with my 4080, I had to turn DLSS Quality to get 4K 60+ (My game went from 70-100FPS, with some dips around 60).
More optimization is strongly recommended and needed! I have the feeling that even playing at 1080p or 1440p, you'll need a good GPU.
So if you do have GPU, you are in from a treat! Probably one of the best looking game I ever seen and played!
Fort Solis absolutely nails the suspense thriller atmosphere with a captivating narrative! If you are expecting a game full of action like Dead Space, this is not it! This is pretty much a walking simulator, slowly exploring and unfolding the mystery at Fort Solis.
Fort Solis is pretty much an interactive movie / game with some exploration!
And that's what the developers said about it:
"A uniquely singular cinematic experience!
The story is told across four chapters. Like a Netflix series, Fort Solis can be binged in one intense session, or played chapter by chapter like an episodic TV show."
Fort Solis got some great voice actings with amazing performances from Roger Clark, Troy Baker and Julia Brown. I really enjoyed all the exchanges between Roger and Julia. There's a few gems there!
Fort Solis is a visual masterpiece, an amazing showcase of the UE 5.2 but it's not a perfect game!
Here's some suggestion I would have love to see in the game (maybe for a sequel or a future project):
- Adding the poossibilities to walk faster (Maybe with a NewGame+ mode, once you complete the game for the 1st time)
- Adding a few jump scares here and there (with noise, etc.), to make the walking and exploration even more stressfull! The story itself got alot of horror movie references.
- Adding an HDR mode
- Fix the FPS drops here and there!
- There's some QTE (not always easy or obvious) or little puzzles but nothing will have sadly a huge impact on the story!
- It would have been cool to have multiple endings based on previous QTEs.
If you like some slow but effective cinematic game, Fort Solis is for you (especially if your GPU can handle it).
With 4 chapters and around 3-3h30 of gameplay, Fort Solis is really showing what UE 5.2 can do and I'm excited to see what's next from Fallen Leaf, Black Drakkar Games.
9 / 10
Steam User 25
I really found it hard to decide whether to give this game a thumbs up or down. I'm not one to downvote a game because I didn't like something that is primarily subjective in nature. I wish there was a neutral option. I will go ahead and hit the "Yes" button purely because I do feel the devs put a lot of love into this game, and perhaps it's just not resonating with me the same way it might with others.
Pros:
Short and sweet. About 4 hours to finish. Great atmosphere. Looks great graphics wise as long as your machine can handle it. I ran it on high settings fsr balanced on and it was pretty stable at around 70-80 fps. Need to really be observant and explore to get all the collectibles. I think I got around half. Characters were likable, mostly. Voice acting was phenomenal. Also Troy Baker.
Cons:
1-I can't say I'm motivated enough to do a subsequent play-through. It's kind of a one and done game unless you gotta get those achievements/collectibles. I understand that the devs were setting the pacing with only having one set walk speed, no run functionality, but it does kinda drag when nothing is happening, or especially when you backtrack. Not much of that is required fortunately. Would be nice to add in a run function as a unlock-able for beating the game so that going through again isn't as monotonous.
2-Character dialogue/exposition-Characters monologue nearly every time you interact with something. Not a bad thing, except I felt it really broke the immersion later on when things are supposed to be super tense, and you pick something up or look at something and the character says something in a really cheery voice or makes some kind of sarcastic response. Spoiler alert for the first chapter-You find a recently murdered person and not 5 minutes later the characters are making jokes back and forth.
3-Story-While not bad, I also can't say it had me hooked. I didn't ever really feel emotionally invested or attached to the characters. I felt more for the antagonist or at least was far more intriguing with their motivations rather than the protagonists which kind of left me unsure how to really feel at the end of it all. I also don't feel that I truly understood what exactly was going on. I know I missed some logs so it may just be on me. I may have to look into an in-depth analysis of the story to get it.
4-QTE's-I would prefer the game without them. Again, immersion breaking. especially when it felt like you were just meant to be watching a cutscene and the prompt just shows up on your screen out of nowhere. I mean, it does add a little interactivity, but with how minimal it is anyways, why even have them. It didn't even seem like missing one or hitting one really changed anything anyway.
5-pro or con depending on preference-I don't mind a good walking sim, but this is the walking sim champion. So if those kind of games aren't your cup of tea, you're better off just watching a playthrough on YT if the story at least interests you. I'd say the game is 75 percent walking, 20 percent reading/watching logs and other notes, and 5 percent pushing e.
Specs:
Ryzen 7700x
Radeon 6800
32 GB @ 6000 Mhz
1TB M.2
Steam User 112
I usually don't review games. But this one is receiving to much hate. It's an engaging title. For 18£ it's not bad at all. The graphics are brilliant, the gameplay is atmospheric and well paced. It's a story driven exploration game. I guess for some people it's not a game if it's not another CoD of PUBG. I'm actually enjoying the dialogues in this game, the way you slowly make your way through facilities and explore what happened in Fort Solis.
It's surely not 10/10 but the game is not bad.
I'd give it 6/10 for what it is.