The Fortress

About

The Fortress is a single player tactical role playing game with horror, fantasy, mystery, medieval and others themes. It was developed by Baryonyx Games and was released on January 22, 2026. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

You’re held prisoner by the hideous Lich, who captured you during his expansion wars and locked you up for eternity in his fortress with the other outcasts. With no name, no past, and left to rot in a place of death and damnation, you have one goal: survive... and escape. Advance through different rooms in this horrific citadel, face the enemies that block your way, and keep on your path to…

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63%

Audience ScoreBased on 87 reviews

gameplay9 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

Excellent dark fantasy art style, atmosphere, and soundtrack with immersive voice acting.
Simple yet addictive dice-based roguelite gameplay offering tense and strategic combat moments.
Fair value for the price with a quick playtime suitable for short bursts, and developer actively improving the game.

Heavy reliance on RNG with minimal player agency or meaningful strategic choices, leading to frustration.
Numerous bugs and technical issues including freezes, crashes, and progression-blocking glitches.
Repetitive and short gameplay with limited class variety, basic loot system, unskippable cutscenes, and lack of content depth.

gameplay
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
60%
10%
The gameplay is generally described as simple, heavily reliant on RNG, and somewhat repetitive, with limited player decision-making and depth. While some find it addictive and fitting for a roguelike dicebuilder, others note it feels underdeveloped and could benefit from more upgrades, content, and refinement. Overall, the gameplay’s appeal depends largely on player tolerance for RNG-heavy mechanics and simplicity.
- “The dark fantasy art and immersive atmosphere pull you right into the dungeons, and the mechanics are solid and satisfying.”
- “The gameplay is simple but quite fun and challenging, it had me on the edge of my seat during a couple of tight rolls.”
- “The gameplay is very intuitive, and even if the dice sometimes work against you, the relics come to your aid and save the day.”
- “There is little to no depth to the mechanics, and RNG trumps any attempts at strategy.”
- “However, the gameplay is extremely RNG-reliant, which you'd expect from a roguelike dice builder, except the gear you can collect only makes the numbers go up a little bit, and not enough to make that much of a difference over the course of dozens of rolls.”
- “This game needs a lot more work -- many more upgrades, and refined gameplay that actually involves the player making decisions.”
graphics
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
32%
11%
The game features a distinctive, retro pixel art style with a dark fantasy, gritty, and atmospheric aesthetic that many reviewers found visually appealing and immersive. The graphics and overall vibe are praised as a major highlight, with beautiful visuals and strong art direction, though some note the lack of graphic settings and simplicity in design. Overall, the graphics are considered a key reason to enjoy and recommend the game.
- “The art style, sound, and voicework are beautiful, and create an excellent vibe.”
- “The fortress has a lot going for it in its art direction and retro aesthetic.”
- “The art style is unique and looks fantastic.”
- “There are no graphic settings and no window mode.”
- “Graphics and sound are pure 1980's big pixel type affairs.”
- “Even for the visuals alone, the game is absolutely worth buying (without taking anything away from the work of other developers).”
atmosphere
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The atmosphere is widely praised for its dark fantasy, gritty art style, and immersive, heavy, and unsettling vibes that effectively pull players into the dungeon-crawling experience. While the art and music consistently receive high marks, some note that strong atmosphere occasionally contrasts with weaker gameplay elements. Overall, the atmosphere stands out as the game's most compelling and celebrated attribute.
- “The dark fantasy art and immersive atmosphere pull you right into the dungeons, and the mechanics are solid and satisfying.”
- “The atmosphere is heavy, creepy and pulls you in right away, and the art style is just awesome.”
- “The slightly dark and unsettling atmosphere, with just the right touch of tasteful horror, makes it a real pleasure to look at.”
story
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
The story is praised for its gritty medieval fantasy atmosphere, art style, and music, creating an engaging old-school dungeon crawl vibe. However, many find it overly linear, unskippable, and lacking depth or surprising elements, serving more as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a compelling narrative centerpiece.
- “The music, voice acting, story and enemy design all serve the old school dungeon crawl well; gritty medieval fantasy with a pinch of horror.”
- “The story was very cool, the music was great, and the atmosphere was a 10/10 for me.”
- “Awesome game, the art, the atmosphere, the story... absolutely hope they continue to add to it!”
- “The downside that could easily drag this review to the thumbs down zone is the story rails.”
- “You'll likely complete the story before you ever see a relic.”
- “Having completed the game, I find the unskippable cutscenes even worse because the story itself isn't some sort of revelation that needs to be told; it is, at best, there just in service of the gameplay, and the game is actually strong enough to exist without the story, which contains nothing interesting or surprising.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
29%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric, gritty, and ominous tones that complement the medieval fantasy and horror themes well. It effectively enhances the old-school dungeon crawl vibe, contributing significantly to the game's immersive and intense atmosphere.
- “The music, voice acting, story, and enemy design all serve the old school dungeon crawl well; gritty medieval fantasy with a pinch of horror.”
- “The story was very cool, the music was great, and the atmosphere was a 10/10 for me.”
- “Soundtrack is ominous and fits well within the theme.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is problematic, with frequent bugs such as freezes and unresponsive mechanics that often halt progress, forcing players to reset or restart runs. These glitches significantly impact the overall gameplay experience.
- “I encountered several bugs, including freezes and the game refusing to process that I'd died, which forced me to reset.”
- “More of my runs of this game have ended due to glitches not letting me progress than any other cause.”
- “First, a dragged item freezes in mid-air and doesn't let me progress.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is fast-paced and amusing, with a playful touch exemplified by the ironic prompt to name your character despite the game's quick difficulty. It adds a lighthearted and challenging tone that players enjoy.
- “Fast, funny, and challenging.”
- “The most hilarious thing about this game is that it allows you to name your character; as if it’ll be that long before you’re cooked to make it worth typing a name out.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game lacks replayability, with users suggesting that features like enhanced enemy scaling could add necessary depth and encourage multiple playthroughs.
- “No replayability.”
- “That would allow for better enemy scaling and add some much-needed depth and replayability.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is noted for its interesting and unique character designs, although some users acknowledge the influence of RNG without seeing a clear way to counter it or feeling the need to.