Fort Triumph is a super fresh tactical turn-based RPG that was successfully Kickstarted a while back and is ready to be released on the 26th of April.

https://i.imgur.com/j7Adua6.jpg

The quick description of the game would be that it looks a lot like fantasy X-Com with a focus on movable and destroyable obstacles, but that wouldn’t do the title justice because within its cartoony graphics style the game hides tough-as-nails combat, and a tactical map screen that is more than reminiscent of one of the greatest franchises of the genre. 

I feel I have to start the review by addressing the fact that the cartoony approach to the game design aesthetic might turn off some of those looking for a more serious slant in their tactical turn based gaming experiences. Especially since this review comes on the heels of my Battle Brothers video, also a tactical turn-based RPG but which doubles-down on the realistic grittiness of medieval combat. But I want to make it clear from the onset that Fort Triumph is unforgivingly brutal and challenging when it comes to its combat encounters.

https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/612570/ss_bc0a852a35952c3189fbc2a4e4d71d2c20c9a39a.1920x1080.jpg?t=1523967113

There’s always an inherent risk/reward sort of thing that kicks in whenever you choose to either go for a stylized or a realistic approach to your game. As there is for any sort of design choice whether it’s related to aesthetics, music or gameplay features.

The people who generally love that particular approach or feature will LOVE it in your game as well, whilst the ones who do not, just won’t. But even then, there’s a wrinkle in that way of thinkinging as well.

I for one am completely OK with the cartoon-like stylized approach of Fort Triumph - I have played my fair share of Warcraft titles not to mention spending a decent chunk of my life in World of Warcraft, and the design aesthetic of the Warcraft games is anything but realistic or proportionate. But the same acceptance I have regarding cartoony design does not extend to battle royale titles. And I’m not saying those are bad titles or anything of the sort, I’m just saying that because of the developers choice of aesthetic design, and of my preferences, those titles simply aren’t my particular brand of cognac. And I fear that that will happen to Fort Triumph even though it is a solid tactical turn-based combat RPG, some people will simply not be able to look past the aesthetic, and that’s their loss.

**Challenging Combat**

https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/612570/ss_d39b00dad9f717d1b9df0dd8f287b0fd503cfe9a.1920x1080.jpg?t=1523967113

If anything, the stylized graphics can deceive you into thinking that this is an easy game. Trust me, it isn’t, not by a long shot.

The combat is extremely challenging and the AI doesn’t cut you any slack. Hell, even in X-Com - the recent one, not the classic - you had three turns to revive downed teammates, in Fort Triumph you get nothing. Once a character is down, that’s it, you get nothing, you lose, good day sir!

Your heroes do get back to full HP once they’ve successfully survived a mission, but that’s a difficult thing to accomplish.

I don’t know if the lack of a reviving mechanic is part of the initial design concept for the game, or if it’s something that will be added later on, by the time of final release or further down the road, but the game is quite difficult at the moment and there are no ways that I found to recruit other heroes to your party, yet. I mean there’s no feature yet, because you can rescue heroes on the world map, but I’ve only ever found one.

Granted, the game does say outright that it is an alpha version and some features are missing completely so I imagine the ability to recruit more people for your party is one of those features that will be added in time for the final release. 

In terms of the tactical combat, the game is super reminiscent of X-Com, down to it having an Overwatch ability, which I suggest you use constantly, but what it adds to the mix is the possibility of using a lot of the world’s cover as weapons as well.

https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/612570/ss_6e7c86f43f46648b28c7f21b16fe16aebc6ad5b1.1920x1080.jpg?t=1523967113

On the combat maps you’ll find all manner of barrels, chests, pillars or blocks of rock that act as cover but that can also be kicked and pushed further, thus hitting whatever might lie behind them. Be it an enemy or another obstacle. Thus you have the potential of using the environment as part of your combat tactics. Trees can be set fire to and then crashed upon enemies, who will get damage both from the tree falling on them as well as from the fire. Similarly an enemy being hit by a kicked obstacle will take some damage and might also become dazed. Not to mention the fact that you can kick enemies near you, pushing them backwards, and either into obstacles or other enemies, causing them damage. I suggest you use the Kick ability as much as possible because it can save your party’s life.

Also the combat maps are procedurally generated each time you begin a combat encounter, so even if you save right before combat - which I wholeheartedly suggest you do - and then you reload the game, you’ll be facing the same number and type of enemies but on a different-looking map.

Camera movement is very well done, you can both zoom in and out and can move the camera 360 degrees so as to make sure you’re not misclicking on something and actually manage to place your party in cover.

I should also mention the fact that the game also has a very comedic and light-hearted dialogue, filled with jokes and references, and general non-seriousness. Which, I have to say, work very well with the aesthetic design choice and further contrasts with the serious difficultness of the combat encounters.

But what about that great franchise I mentioned at the start? Keep watching because I’m getting to that.

**Party member abilities**

https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/612570/ss_4350132d8353c847e0e818b825b18f5624b6aef7.1920x1080.jpg?t=1523967113

Although the members of your party will gain extra abilities as they level up. Interesting thing is that - at least for the moment - the abilities your characters get when they level up are random, you’ll get different options at each level, at each different playthrough. Obviously there’s a pool of abilities for each class at each level, and the game randomly picks two of those when they reach a certain level and offers them to you to choose one.

One other interesting choice when it comes to your heroes leveling up is that - again, at least for the moment - besides the extra abilities, they gain only one HP, and no extra stats such as extra armor or resistance or more action points. So basically they’re only marginally less killable, even after you somehow manage to keep them alive for three levels. Which, I don’t know if it’s going to change anytime soon, I feel their HP needs to scale better with their abilities because the mobs around the map are quite problematic, even on the Normal difficulty setting.

**HOMM**

https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/612570/ss_627e849b0648e8af7212e7c840d55296640b2253.1920x1080.jpg?t=1523967113

Ah yes, the world map. This was by far the most surprising aspect of this game because I had no idea it was there to speak of. I remember checking out the Kickstarter and seeing the destroyable and movable obstacles being touted as the game’s main selling point. So I don’t know if this was mentioned or shown back then but in my mind, Fort Triumph remained a fantasy X-Com type of game. And that was OK with me, I was fine with it and looking forward to playing it.

But thankfully, I was wrong. Well half-wrong, the combat layer is definitely an enhanced version of X-Com’s, just as I’ve been describing until now but the game also features a world map which you can explore, gather resources on, fight random mobs and gain bonuses for the following encounter.

Doesn’t that sound to you at least a little bit like Heroes of Might and Magic?

Damn straight it should, because it does look quite a bit like Heroes, because also, there’s no really better way of doing what Heroes of Might and Magic did other than, you know, replicating what they did.

So this part of the game was a wonderful discovery for me, because I am a crazy fan of the Heroes of Might and Magic series, especially the second one which I played for a long time during my youth. So Fort Triumph managed to not only tickle my fancy with the tactical turn-based combat aspect but also with this Heroes-inspired one. I am hella-looking forward to playing the finished version of the game and possibly further.

So to conclude, the layer of tactics added by the destroyable and movable obstacles adds to the complexity of combat, without having to add extra stats or abilities for characters. Which is a good thing.

This blend of X-Com style combat and HOMM world map is a complete and utter win in my book. Which is great.

And if you’re like me, then head on over to their Steam page and get in on the Early Access or wait fo the 26th and get it once it’s released.

Don’t forget to upvote, resteem, comment and follow!

Fort Triumph on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/612570/Fort_Triumph/
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