Fort Solis is an adventure game from first-time developer Fallen Leaf and publisher Dear Villagers that they’ve described as a “uniquely singular cinematic experience”. We’ve reviewed the Steam version, but it’s also available now on PS5.
You play engineers Jack Leary and Jessica Appleton as they respond to an unusual alarm call at a space base called Fort Solis. The overall feel is that of a sci-fi thriller set in a dystopian future where humans are colonising planets. However, something has gone wrong at Fort Solis and it’s your job to find out what.
From the moment you arrive, a Half-Life-esque mystery starts to unfold as you discover what happened to the inhabitants. The action is told through several episodes, each granting access to more facility sections. The more you explore the more access cards you obtain which in turn opens up the corridors.
The two protagonists are brought to life with excellent voice acting that creates a believable relationship filled with humour and emotion. Without spoiling any of the story you start the game as Jack and later control Jessica. The story is ultimately linear but you must explore every corner to see the full game.
The graphics are excellent, this has a high degree of presentation featuring detailed animation and fantastic lighting effects. While it’s quite a dark game, due to the facility losing power, there’s lots of variety in the sections and many standout moments that create suspense and thrills.
Fort Solis is also quite a slow game, it’s akin to an interactive movie and the gameplay is set up to build the story part by part instead of being filled with action. When action sequences occur, they’re controlled through quick time events. You need to push buttons at the right time or simply follow a sequence.
There are several puzzles to complete, although these are straightforward and used as aids to move the story on more than to tax your brain. There is some graphic, gory detail in several places so this isn’t for younger players, but nothing that would be considered extreme or over-the-top.
There are a few secondary characters that explain what happened at the facility. These extra parts of the story are told through recordings found as you explore. The overall gameplay is fairly simple but Fort Solis is all about atmosphere and suspense as the intriguing story unfolds, and in this aspect, it succeeds.
Fort Solis is a short story told through interactive set pieces and exploration of a dark, creepy space base. The story is interesting and will delight sci-fi thriller fans. Those looking for an exciting space action title won’t find it here but anyone who enjoys a good adventure with high quality, movie-like, presentation will love spending an afternoon with this one.
