Videogames as movies, movies as videogames. Crossovers between these two powerful mediums are frequent, with varying degrees of success. Fort Solis is one of the latest attempts at conveying a thrilling story with interaction possibilities, but along the way it somewhat forgets that it should be a game with some compelling mechanics to go along. In terms of atmosphere and setting, it’s an accomplishment, but the other half, the one that gets you to push buttons and affect the gameplay, is sadly lacking.

Moon Walker

The story may not win any awards for originality, but it’s realized in a very competent and engaging fashion. You play as Jack Leary, an engineer who receives an alarm call from a remote mining base, and although he got no response, decides to investigate the situation. This is the setup for a potential rescue tale where the player must explore the location in search of clues, and hopefully any survivors. Piecing things together via audio and video logs, Jack soon unravels the timeline of events, for good and for worse.

But Jack is going to take it slow… slower than he might have, because he casually strolls everywhere. There’s not a sprint option in Fort Solis, making for some long walks in places, especially when you’re wondering if you should go here or explore there. While it makes sense that no one would run outside under extreme weather conditions, it’s odd that we can’t up the pace a little bit while indoors, markedly when we should start panicking a little due to the events that are unfolding. This also artificially inflates the game’s length, which still ends up being a slim four hours to reach the conclusion.

In a sense, Fort Solis is a walking simulator. It’s a game where story comes first and gameplay is designed to keep the narrative going, with little to do besides finding the next mission trigger, unlocking doors, watching videos, or pressing a button when the prompt appears, especially during those more cinematic moments that end up placing you in a spectator role.

There’s no denying that your journey will be filled with some great sights and plenty of mundane items to interact with, such as grabbing a beer or even using a fully functional Rubik’s Cube, which was a surprising touch worthy of note. Running on the Unreal Engine 5, Fort Solis is robust, stunning at times, from the clean lines of the mining base to the facial features and expressions, quite above average, even for the secondary characters that are often disregarded.

This is one of the best things about the game, but the downside is that it severely lacks optimization. You need a PC with very high specs to run the game to its full potential, and any configurations that are slightly above the minimum requirements will struggle to showcase the game’s visuals while maintaining a commendable frame rate.

The great graphics are supported by some truly solid voice work, sometimes stellar in fact. It’s not surprising when we learn that it features well-known names such as Troy Baker, Roger Clark, and Julia Brown, which players may recognize from games like Uncharted or Red Dead Redemption 2.

A Game or a Movie

Fort Solis nails down the atmosphere, graphics, and voice work. The story is gripping and a slow burner that pays off, but the snail pace at which the protagonist walks is unsufferable, extremely odd during times of urgency and stress. As a game, Fort Solis is severely lacking and can be filed under interactive movie, with all the caveats that this label usually brings.

Your enjoyment will depend on how willing you are to pay for a movie that you can occasionally play. A good one, with terrific visuals and an interesting setting, but ultimately a walking simulator that screams for a faster pace at some points and a hint of good game design. And that’s where it lacks and where it brings the overall result down a notch, which ends up being a shame.

Pros

• A terrific showcase for Unreal Engine 5
• Great voice work
• A gripping albeit cliched story

Cons

• File under walking simulator
• No running, always this forced slow pace
• It’s over in four hours

Rating: 6/10