The neon lights of 1980s nostalgia are still strong among nerds. The sleek aesthetics and synthetic audiovisual bliss certainly leave a striking image. But beneath all that glam is a seedy underbelly, as the 80s also saw a rise in media pushing the envelope on shock value. From the satanic panic over Dungeons and Dragons to the rise of the "video nasty," teens had plenty to hide in their messy rooms. Brute Fort is a board game that aims to capture those forbidden vibes once more.
The premise is nothing you haven't seen before. A party of adventurers approach a dark ruin, ready to remove the burden of loot from its sore halls. What makes Brute Fort stick out is how much it oozes in angsty flavour. The aesthetic is inspired by those sketchy VHS tapes and death metal albums your parents never let you look at. As far as board games go, this ranks among the most unique I've seen.
Furthering the nostalgia is how the game even comes with a legit cassette tape. The game's disturbingly catchy synth soundtrack by Gus BC can be found within. Brute Fort's distinct retro horror aesthetic is fantastic, all glitchy lines and vaguely humanoid shapes meshing in monocolor. Creator Alfred Valley even used stock images and clever photo editing to achieve the cards' analog horror look.
As for the mechanics, it's a card dueling game where you play against the fort itself. The mechanics have been refined for a lightweight, solo experience, while still retaining that hardcore addictive quality. Each of the 18 cards have two sides: Conquest and Peril. By the end of the game, you must have more Conquest cards than Peril cards to win. However, Conquest costs resolve, and you only have three heroes to play with.
As your resolve runs out, you divide them into smaller chunks, which forces you to play Peril cards anyway. While that's the core gameplay loop, other mechanics such as a mini-boss card keeps things spicy. The creator promises tons of replay value, so that solving the dungeon puzzle can be done with different combos. If you're interested in the first drafts, Valley provided the free rules here.You don't need to run games solo once you join the Wargamer Discord. If you want a plus one to your board games, try out these couples board games.