Pass the Controller | Latest news, reviews and reviews in video games
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Forum
  • About
    • Contact
    • Meet the Team
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Forum
  • About
    • Contact
    • Meet the Team
>

Fortified | Xbox One

2/8/2016

 
Picture

Bust out that theremin - or musical saw - and put on your wiseguy hat, because we’re taking a trip to 1950’s America. Martians are invading, and Uncle Sam needs you (and any chums you can muster) to help fight against the alien menace. Clapfoot Games’ Fortified is a mash-up of tower defence and third-person shooting, and for the most part, it really works.
Picture


​By Rob Holt

Picture

@acousticmagic

Picture
Developer: Clapfoot Games
Publisher: Clapfoot Games
​Platforms: Xbox One, PC.
Players: 1-4
Tasked with protecting a rocket against the invading extraterrestrial army, you’ll first set-up your defences, before switching to third-person shooting mode when the waves of aliens begin pouring into the map. It’s an interesting and satisfying set-up, albeit one we’ve seen before. As alluded to, Fortified can be played solo or as part of a team; the single player is enjoyable, but it’s in co-op that the game really shines.

At the beginning of each mission (there are twelve in the main game) you’re dropped into an American city, with a basic map showing where the rocket is, and more importantly, where the aliens will be attacking from. From here it’s up to you to place your defences; everything from Tesla coils to anti-aircraft guns, to cannons and sniper units. If you set your fortifications up well, you’ll find yourself doing minimal third-person shooting in the early stages. Once you get past the third stage though, you’ll need all your strategic nous and gun-running brawn to stave off the big green nasties.

It’s in these latter stages where a human companion really makes the difference, as you trade information on the whereabouts of the next wave of baddies, where to place your fortifications and when to employ use of your skills. Working on a successful strategy together can be immensely rewarding - especially if it has taken you a dozen attempts to get it right! As you progress you’ll also unlock new weapons and new units to deploy, meaning you’re always equipped to tackle whatever’s thrown your way. Fortified is a largely smooth experience online too, with little latency to hamper proceedings.
Picture
The game also boasts a lovely art style and sense of humour; the character models appear basic, whilst possessive of lovely warm edges that perfectly fit the tone. Steam rising up from the undergrounds, brick buildings and streetlights all give off the appearance of 50s America. The menu screens are adorned with graphic novel-style stills that showcase the main characters; The Captain, The Rocket Scientist, The Agent & The Spaceman. Each character has a unique visual style and an amusing array of one-liners and quips, giving the game real charm.

A sticking point for some could be the difficulty curve, which can reach high peaks, even with co-op partners along for the ride, as you tackle an array of enemies from an increasing number of directions. Some of these enemies are simple on-foot robots, some are annoying crab-like swines, but it’s the pesky buggers that fly or quickly roll through the map before launching a tirade of terror upon your rocket that’ll trouble you the most. This high-level of challenge can grate at times, but when you eventually nail your strategy and see your rocket blast off into orbit, you’ll feel darn proud.
​Fans of XCOM should definitely check it out - assuming they enjoy tower defence, of course.
Picture

​Fortified
does have a couple of other stumbling blocks in its way, mind. Often ridiculous reload times proved to be frustrating on a number of occasions, resulting in unnecessary deaths and a waste of precious seconds whilst waiting to respawn. Combine this with the lack of enemy variety - it quickly becomes tiresome seeing those same irritating crabs on every level - and the experience is unfortunately knocked down a few pegs.


​
Fortified offers plenty of bang for your £11.99, a very fair price for the hours of fun you’ll get out of it. Fans of XCOM should definitely check it out - assuming they enjoy tower defence, of course.

Pros

  • Great blend of tower defence and third-person shooting
  • Hours of entertainment for the price
  • Smooth online experience
  • Fabulous art style and humour
  • Very moreish gameplay

Cons

  • Difficulty curve can grate
  • Not the most original game
  • Repetitive and annoying enemies
  • Weapon reload times

Score 7/10

Be sure to check out our play-through video underneath too!
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.



    READ MORE

    News
    Features
    Videos

    Comment Here

    Categories

    All
    Action Adventure
    Adventure
    Air Combat
    Arcade
    Family
    Fighter
    Hardware
    Horror
    Indie
    Open World
    Platformer
    Puzzler
    Racing
    Role Playing
    RPG
    Shmup
    Shooter
    Sim
    Sports
    Stealth
    Strategy
    Survival
    Virtual Reality


    Archives

    April 2022
    March 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    July 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015


    RSS Feed

Pass the Controller

News
Reviews
Features
​
Videos
Forum
About

The Forums

Gaming Discussion
Xbox
PlayStation
PC Gaming
Nintendo
Off Topic
​Achievements and Trophies

What is PTC

About Us
​Meet the Team
​
Contact Us
OpenCritic
Find our reviews on OpenCritic
vrgamecritic
Find our reviews on vrgamecritic
© COPYRIGHT 2014-2019 PTC / JMP.
​ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.