Fort Triumph Review - Light and Fluffy
This one was like a roller coaster for me. Or a Katy Perry song. I was hot and then I was cold. I'd go through a period where I was an absolute yes, and then I'd realize I was an actual no. It's a bit difficult to decide how I felt about Fort Triumph overall. At the end of the day though, I think it has the most to do with who the game was made for. What I'm trying to say is, I'm sure there is a target audience for Fort Triumph, but I am not it.
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Funny Game
I don't mind a somewhat simplistic tactical RPG if I get into the story or the world. And this is one of the places where I fear Fort Triumph may not be the game for me. It's got jokes. It's very funny(tm) is what I'm saying. I'm not friends with any thirteen-year-olds who love Deadpool, but if I was, I might recommend this game to them. It's fast, light, and easy. The game seems somewhat aware of fantasy tropes and isn't quite deconstructing them so much as acknowledging them as they whoosh by.
This kind of writing can be nails on a chalkboard if it is done wrong, and Fort Triumph never gets quite that bad. That makes me think that people who enjoy this kind of lightheartedness will be really charmed. But I had trouble engaging with the flat story. No one really wanted anything, it was just a bunch of fantasy archetypes going through the motions and then wryly observing how they were going through the motions.
So who should be playing Fort Triumph? Young folks, I'd say. The sense of humour and simplicity make it sort of a slog for veterans of the genre. But the flexibility of the terrain system and the breeziness of the writing make me think this would be a great way to introduce someone to this style of game. They can work their way up to those more complicated experiences. For now, they get to live in a world where everything is simple, and magical wind can blow your problems away.
Score: 70/100
