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Here�s a question. How�s it possible that I could be disappointed by a game I�ve never
heard of? How does that work? Doesn�t even make sense. I mean, disappointment is a product
of expectation. How can I be disappointed when I had no expectations?
Answer that one for me, Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Turns out you don�t need to be an astrophysicist, after all, to ride the this game�s roller
coaster of emotions.
Fortress was released to the Game Boy Advance in 2001. Which is actually kind of interesting,
given that the whole tower defense craze was still years away. So in that respect, Fortress
was sort of ahead of its time. This is basically tower defense, but mixed with Tetris. So obviously,
this game sounds so awesome.
So it�s basically, like...you�re playing Tetris, but instead of your completed lines
disappearing, they actually create...a fortress. And that fortress is under attack from another
fortress. Therein lies the objective. Destroy their fortress before it destroys yours. And
again, all you have to do is place the blocks, so it�s really simple.
Or so it seems.
The problem is...the game is actually a bit more complicated, but since there�s no tutorial,
you have no idea what�s going on. I mean, you can build a wizard�s tower that summons
monsters, if you stack blocks eight by three...but how are you supposed to know about it? Just
by chance, I guess? There�s a whole list of things that Fortress should be telling
you about its gameplay...but doesn�t.
What do the bombs do?
What are the caves for?
Where�s my loin cloth?
Then again, even when you do figure things out, the gameplay�s still pretty flawed.
One of the biggest problems is that...you just can�t see your tower. If you can imagine
playing Tetris without seeing the bottom...that�s sort of what you run into with Fortress. Which
is a problem, because how are you supposed to place blocks when you can�t even see
where you�re placing them? The camera is too tight, so it pans down with the block...which
is real problem for a Tetris variation.
And another thing that�s promising about Fortress is that...it takes place in these
historical settings, right? So you have a prehistoric level, a medieval level, a pirate
levels...and space. I guess space is historic. History�s happened there. So there�s interesting
settings. Hey, I bet those settings have an effect on the gamepla...
Uh, no. It plays the same no matter where you are.
Which is to say, not well.
There are a few gameplay modes, but they�re all basically the same. The settings are cool,
but there�s only four, and they don�t change the gameplay. I mean, to its credit,
this is a pretty early GBA game, so...maybe it deserves some leniency? But even so, that
doesn�t make Fortress as good as its concept seems to promise.
Or a very GBA game in general.