Off the AppStore: To be lost and Alone in a Dark Fort…

• You're alone in a dark fort with a path just waiting to be laid
• Luck must be on your side with the rooms you visit and the tiles you lay
• The longer you last, the more of the fort's mysteries will be uncovered

Welcome to Off The AppStore, a weekly feature with a twist. Namely, that while these - as with all the games we cover here - are games that you can play on your phone, they're ones that operate outside of the realms of the big two ways to play: The Google Play Store and the Apple AppStore.

That means that there might be a bit of work required in downloading alternative AppStores or APKs, or that the games can simply be played in your phone's browser. We'll make sure to detail that for each game, though. Anyway, read on to find a new game or experience to play Off The AppStore.

There are a few fears that match the true feeling of being totally alone. While there are certainly people who will argue and shout from the rooftops that they hate people and would rather be isolated in a cabin at the edge of the world… There's a primal desire for social interaction that is impossible to completely suppress. Being alone in an unfamiliar place is bad enough, but being alone in the dark, a place defined by the unknown and uncertainty, is a literal nightmare many hope never to experience. However, Clever Ruse Studio is confident that we can overcome this predicament in Alone in a Dark Fort.

You are an adventurer who has decided to explore a seemingly abandoned and ruined fort in a forgotten part of the world. Your reasons are your own; perhaps you're seeking your fortune or looking to make a discovery that will redefine our understanding of the world, or maybe you're just looking to sate your curiosity about the fort. You're not the most experienced or even the most well-equipped adventurer, but you have your wits about you and the determination to push forward through the dark. What you need to be concerned with is what you'll do when the dark decides to push back.

The Dark Fort is not a place for the faint-hearted, and it's barely recommended for the bold-hearted, as there's no telling what you'll encounter. The twist in navigation is that you control the tiles you place, which represent rooms you can explore. Rooms can have one of several entrances and encounter random characters, events, or monsters. Exploration can yield rewards as much as danger. Should you run into a monster, you'll be forced to fight with whatever you have on hand and hope that luck is on your side to land hits and avoid hits. The longer you explore, the more you'll find, but the bigger risk you run of never leaving alive.

Alone in a Dark Fort is a 2D turn-based grid-based RPG that stays true to its name, unless you count the various oddballs and enemies waiting for you in the darkness. Make your own path through the fort by arranging the rooms to allow further exploration. Just remember that there isn't much room for refuge in such a place… You'll never be truly safe when you're alone in a dark fort.

Alone in a Dark Fort is available to download and play from its itch.io page!