Welcome to the Gaming Vertical where I have no absolute clue what I’m doing here…
No, seriously, last thing I remembered before I became a Gaming writer was getting a drink from the bar. Did someone put something in my-
Anyway, according to instructions left here in this dank basement furnished with a pretty beefed up computer (the room has no windows or ventilation so I’m assuming this is a basement), I’m supposed to be talking to you about video games.
Narrative spiel aside, I’ll be happy to talk about video games so let’s start off with something casual to kickstart the vertical: Fort Meow.
What, you were expecting me to throw out GTA V?
About
In Fort Meow, you play as Nia, a young girl spending her vacation in her grandparents’ manor. Chancing upon a strange journal with her Grandfather’s name on it, Nia begins reading the tome. Unfortunately, her grandmother’s new cats begin distracting her so it’s your job to defend Nia by building a furniture fort to keep the cats away, while deciphering the mysterious tales hidden within the journal.
To describe up Fort Meow is a pretty simple task: think of a reverse Angry Birds where you’re the one getting pelted with adorable little felines while you build a tiny little defence from couches, toasters, trophies and even an old busted grandfather clock. Essentially, a pillow fort.
And yes: toasters.
Gameplay
This casual physics-builder lets you drop said items around (or on) Nia to defend her from the waves of ninja-like cats trying to interrupt her reading. You’re given a generous number of minutes to establish a fort before the felines’ fury descend.
Each of the fort-een (Hehe, a pun) pieces of furniture has their own unique cost (of time needed to set it in place), health, shape and effect for you to take into account as you slowly piece your way to the perfect fortress. Of course, being a physics-building game, gravity is something to factor in when you build your architectural masterpiece (Seriously? Two brooms can support a coffee table?).
This diversity is also applied to the cats; each having their own effects and traits, like the different colours of Angry Birds’. You’ll have to adjust your fortress every now and then to accommodate for the type and number of cats incoming.
Any good?
Personally, I’ve very much enjoyed Fort Meow. The gameplay mechanics aren’t overly complex, but the game doesn’t let you simply breeze through the levels. They’re not difficult enough to require some convoluted solution, hardcore-level researching or precise architectural planning, but just a little trial and error to move along to the next level.
The lovable art style and catchy music made each level, from building a fort to watching cats leap onto said fort, a fun ride of joy and suspense as you watch your little baby go through the feline treatment and pray it comes out unscathed and unscratched.
The bad stuff
But there are flaws inherent in the game: the most regrettable being that there is almost no replay value to the game. Once you’re done, all you’re able to do in the game is to evict the cats in the manor. Sure, you could get all the Steam achievements if you’re a perfectionist, but that’ll only add an hour of gameplay, tops. There’s nothing really much to do after the main story is done.
Another flaw would be the small bugs that creep the otherwise smooth-working game. Occasionally, your mattress might rebel, pushing your coffee table off the couches because it gained consciousness and decidedthat your coffee table was getting too touchy. Most of these issues can be solved by rebuilding the fort, but that takes time and gets a little annoying when you’re trying to plan your piece de resistance.
( Side note: Another bug is that the Grandfather clock, which reduces costs of items by 5 minutes, is only applied on things after it’s placed, so to get full use of it you need to start with the said clock and that gets annoying when rebuilding forts.)
Sadly, Fort Meow has another flaw stealing one of its 9 lives: it doesn’t come cheap on PC. Currently priced at S$8.50 on Steam and S$5.60 on iOS, it is a rather expensive tag for a short game. I recommend players to wait for a Steam sale or an App store discount before purchasing.
Final thoughts
Fort Meow may not seem like much at first glance, but the charming visuals, cheery music, well-designed challenges and peculiar plot will slowly win you over, becoming the perfect game to breeze through during those lunch breaks. While pricey and brief, Fort Meow is something that drops by and leaves an impression without being overly obnoxious. And it’s also something you can share with the younger audiences without issue.
Thank you for reading this short little review. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be trying to find my way out of the basement now.
In a nutshell:
Available on: PC, iOS and Android (soon!). No information about a MacOS version yet though.
Genre: Strategic physics puzzler with a lot of feline cuteness involved.
Who it appeals towards: People who enjoy cute games or something that involves minimal brain power, great for people who need a break from a long time at work.
DANamic.ORG Rating: 4/5
