Forest Fortress

I’ll cut right to the chase: we pretty much all know why you and I are here, so I won’t waste your time by trying to act like its anything else. That being said, Forest Fortress is an interesting entry in the visual novel that genuinely surprised me with the some of the detail in the art, writing, and, well, I’ll call it the ‘attention to detail’ for now. Though there is not much in terms of gameplay, which is to be expected from a visual novel, Forest Fortress does somewhat make up for this from the dedication that has been put into other aspects of the game. It is by no means a perfect experience, though it tries to follow the narrative style of games like HuniePop or Riddle Joker, it does tend to fall short in a few areas.

Search the Forest

You take on the role of Dale, the protagonist who has set off into the cursed forest to figure out why disease is spreading in the village.

This is a title where your decisions throughout the story will have certain influences on the ending (though they are fairly limited in terms of scope). You can choose to try and break the curse you’re warned about by a squirrel-girl, Rika, or give in to the same fate as the dryads. I mean, you could choose to escape, but that wouldn’t be as interesting. With this premise in mind, I’d like to say that it truly matters – unfortunately, it really doesn’t. Its not that the writing is terrible; the characters, Rika, Olly, Dark Dryad, and Lily each have qualities attached to them that are at least consistent and realistic (for being forest creatures, really). The plot and translations are what I took the most issue with. Nothing is incomprehensive, but some of the spelling errors can leave you confused beyond help. All this aside, the sound design and setting both add a kind of relaxing aesthetic to the game that could be worth it to some of you that are interested in a short anime ‘adventure’.

Save the Village

Realistically, you can save your village, but that’s not why you’re playing the game. The art and 2D animation flow pretty well in each scene – backgrounds look pretty, and each character has a decent amount of detail. Fair warning, there is also a lot of nudity in-game in case you didn’t already know, so you’ll be satisfied on that front for sure. The primary issue with this game is that, while 75% of it is detailed/well done, the other quarter of it comes off as rushed and unimaginative. Top that off with the fact that there are no plans for a sequel despite some of the events that occur throughout the game and you’ve got a disappointing mixture to look at.

Additionally, for a price tag of $15 with only maybe 3-4 hours of gameplay, it’s a bit of a hard sell when you break everything down.

The art style/CG is alright, but not overly impressive, even for a visual novel the game is short, and ultimately there are only three romances to pursue (four with a patch). Its an alright experience but doesn’t have a ton to offer when everything is said and done.

Pros

• Short/sweet story
• Likable characters
• Art is detailed/expressive

Cons

• Overall plot feels rushed
• Little variety in romance choices
• Despite detail, CG/2D animation doesn’t have unique flair