Fortified

Fortified is a fun multiplayer romp full of 50s sci-fi camp. Bring some friends as this tower defense shooter can be difficult to tackle solo.

In conclusion what Fortified lacks in originality it certainly makes up for in style and execution. It’s definitely one of the best games I have played that’s been offered up on Microsoft’s download service. It offers a great deal of long term play that should satisfy people of all ages, and is a game that any Xbox One owner should be paying attention to – especially if you have always loved the whole idea of Plants Vs. Zombies but are fed up with being forced to team up with potty-mouthed 10 year olds!

One very early level, for example, offers enemies two straightforward paths to their objectives. Having played several games in this style before, I was under the impression that a few well-positioned troops and my own shooting capabilities would be more than enough to repel the attack — unfortunately for Earth, I was very wrong.

Playing Invasion mode with a high-level character felt far too easy, as I was able to build enough defenses to sit back and let them do all the work for me. That said, it is a nice addition, but only has three different maps to play on, so unless you plan on using it to grind XP I don’t think it adds much longevity the game.

A by-the-numbers tower defense game, Fortified is a campy fluff piece that will last you a few good, if a little mindless, hours. But you probably won't be driven to revisit it any time soon.

Canadian developer Clapfoot, responsible for mobile titles like Hero Forge and Tank Hero, have set their sights to the console space with their 1950s sci-fi base defense shooter Fortified. It tells a wacky story of a Martian invasion on Earth with players taking control as one of four heroes including: Captain – a military leader -, Rocket Scientist – a fast moving explosives expert -, Agent – a spy equipped with a deadly arsenal -, and my personal favorite, Spaceman – a space cowboy with the ability to manipulate Martians. Fortified is fun to play but leaves much to be desired, although it ha...

Fortified is a lot like the pulp adventures that inspired it: fun while it lasts but lacking in depth and ultimately forgettable. There’s nothing particularly novel about it–it’s a riff on Orcs Must Die or Dungeon Defenders in a different setting–but its doofy adherence to 50s pulp-heroism gives it enough charm that I mostly enjoyed my time with it. For better or worse, that’s Fortified’s most defining feature. Unfortunately, its tower-defense half fails to offer compelling strate...

Clapfoot has created a tower defense game unique to the Xbox One console. With a strong sense of style, AI companions and a moderate amount of shooter control, this might just scratch your strategy itch. It’s too bad then that it isn’t as accessible, and relies on repetitive gameplay with a steep difficulty to add gameplay hours to its otherwise short campaign and limited maps.

Mars Attacks!

While the style does draw you in, Fortified has a hard time keeping players invested, and its barebones multiplayer options really hamper what could have been a great online co-op choice for fans of tower defense and shooters.