Fort Solis Preview

Fort Solis might look similar to sci fi thrillers like Dead Space and Callisto Protocol and through there are similarities, like the third person gameplay and the distant planet setting, it’s upon closer examination that you notice the refreshing differences. There are plenty of ways that Fort Solis looks to stand out for the crowd during this horror sci fi renaissance and the main one is that this is a psychological thriller.

Fort Solis focuses on the psychology of isolation, as the trailers are filled with hints from the brain scans in the lab, to the book on the table titled “The Human Mind” and even the title of the game being derived from the latin word solus for solitude or alone. Combine this theory with the director of the game saying a large inspiration was the film Moon by Duncan Jones where character motivations or perception of reality is challenged, combined with the isolated and industrial style of Dead Space”

The conflict appears to be about man vs himself and challenge the horror sci-fi status quo by putting the emphasis on story and characters in this narrative driven experience, which is a refreshing change from aliens, demons, necromorphs and biophage. Fort Solis is set during the course of one long night with inspiration taken from narrative experiences created by Quantic Dream and Supermassive, which means choices matter.

The biggest reason to be excited about Fort Solis is because not only is this coming from indie studio, Fallen Leaves, but it is also their debut title. Yet, somehow, they managed to get two of the biggest voice actors in gaming today with Troy Baker and Roger Clark, which leads me to believe that the story must be absolutely phenomenal.

The final cherry on top of this thrilling sci fi sundae is that Fort Solis will be one of the first and likely the most high profile titles to release using Unreal Engine 5. With the whole game being set during night and what appears to be mostly tight indoor sections, this should lead to a feast for the eyes. Combine these visuals with strong performances from two veteran voice actors, the whole game using the one shot method, and decisions that are said to strongly alter the ending and you have the recipe for a special experience.