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Order of the Thorne: Fortress of Fire

Last updated: January 16, 2026

Overview

Order of the Thorne: Fortress of Fire is an unreleased point-and-click adventure game developed by Infamous Quests, intended as the second and likely final installment in the Order of the Thorne fantasy anthology series1. First announced in 2015 following a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised $30,944, the game was designed as a direct sequel to The King’s Challenge (2016) and promised to deliver a thrilling conclusion to the adventures in the magical land of Uir23.

The game represents a significant departure from its predecessor, shifting focus from Finn the Bard to a new protagonist named Patrick, a young squire serving under the veteran knight Sir Caradoc of the Order of the Thorne4. The title was originally announced for release around 2020 but has remained in development limbo for years, with the developers acknowledging in 2025 that significant work remains to complete the project56.

Infamous Quests, founded in 2012 by Steven Alexander and Shawn Mills, built their reputation on VGA remakes of classic Sierra adventures including Space Quest II and King’s Quest III before transitioning to commercial development7. Their first original commercial title, Quest for Infamy (2014), established the studio’s commitment to nostalgic adventure gaming, and Fortress of Fire was conceived as part of an ambitious expansion of their fantasy gaming universe8.

Story Summary

Fortress of Fire continues the fantasy narrative established in The King’s Challenge, picking up after the events that concluded Finn the Bard’s adventure in the land of Uir2. The story follows the protagonist and companions as they journey through the Glass Mountains toward the Valley of Sunlight, where a mysterious fortress has become the focal point of dark events threatening the magical realm3.

The primary protagonist is Patrick, nicknamed “Addy,” who serves as a young squire to Sir Caradoc, a seasoned veteran knight of the Order of the Thorne4. When Sir Caradoc becomes waylaid during their journey to explore the mysterious “Fortress of Fire,” Patrick must rise to the occasion and embark on a quest to rescue his master4. This narrative shift allows the game to explore themes of duty, growth, and heroism from a different perspective than the bardic adventures of the first installment.

The Land of Sunlight, once a vibrant and magical region, has found its homes blighted and dark under an unknown threat2. Players must uncover the enemy’s plans and find a way to save both the valley and the entire magical world of Uir from the encroaching darkness3. The fortress itself serves as the central location and primary obstacle, requiring Patrick to work his way through a dark and desolate land, solving puzzles and riddles while meeting fantastic characters4.

The story was designed to provide closure to the Order of the Thorne anthology while expanding the lore and world-building established in the first game1. However, according to later developer commentary, the original vision for the series included more mature and developed story elements that were scaled back during the production of The King’s Challenge5.

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

Fortress of Fire utilizes traditional point-and-click adventure mechanics consistent with the Sierra-inspired design philosophy that defines Infamous Quests’ catalog3. The game features a third-person perspective with stylized 2D art presentation, maintaining visual consistency with its predecessor1. The control scheme supports both mouse-based point-and-click interaction and touch controls for potential portable platforms1.

Structure and Progression

The game follows Patrick’s journey from the Glass Mountains to the Valley of Sunlight and ultimately into the Fortress of Fire itself3. The progression system involves:

  • Glass Mountains: The initial journey phase where Patrick and companions travel toward their destination
  • Valley of Sunlight: The blighted region that serves as the primary exploration area
  • The Fortress of Fire: The climactic location where Patrick must rescue Sir Caradoc4

Puzzles and Mechanics

Like its predecessor, Fortress of Fire emphasizes puzzle-solving as its core gameplay mechanic3. Players must solve puzzles and riddles while navigating the game world4. The game was designed to feature musical puzzle-solving elements, with the protagonist’s lute serving as a problem-solving tool—a mechanic carried over from Finn’s adventures in The King’s Challenge3. However, with Patrick as the protagonist rather than Finn the Bard, the implementation of musical mechanics may differ from the first installment.

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

As Fortress of Fire remains unreleased, no contemporary reviews exist for this specific title. However, the reception to the first Order of the Thorne game provides context for the series:

The Order of the Thorne: The King’s Challenge received a Metascore of 71 based on 6 critic reviews, indicating “Mixed or Average” reception10. ActionTrip awarded it 80/100, praising it as “an old-school point-and-click adventure without the old-school frustration”10. Ragequit.gr gave it 74/100, calling it “a heartfelt, if not groundbreaking tribute to the King’s Quest games of yore”10. Adventure Gamers scored it 70/100, describing it as “a solid Golden Age-style fairy tale adventure”10.

Modern Assessment

The user reception for The King’s Challenge was notably more positive than critical reception, with Steam showing “Very Positive” reviews (85% positive from 100 user reviews)11 and a Metacritic User Score of 8.0 based on 7 ratings10.

The developer has acknowledged in retrospective commentary that the reception to The King’s Challenge “wasn’t what we hoped it would be at the time”5. This lukewarm commercial performance has been cited as a contributing factor to the prolonged development of Fortress of Fire5.

Aggregate Scores (The King’s Challenge):

  • Metacritic: 71/100 (6 critic reviews)10
  • Metacritic User Score: 8.0/10 (7 ratings)10
  • Steam: 85% Positive (100 reviews)11

Development

Origins

Fortress of Fire emerged from Infamous Quests’ ambitious 2015 Kickstarter campaign, which sought funding for both a new Order of the Thorne adventure and a prequel to Quest for Infamy titled Roehm to Ruin78. The campaign successfully concluded on May 3, 2015, raising $30,944 plus additional funds via PayPal, which allowed the team to announce Fortress of Fire as a stretch goal achievement—the third game to emerge from the campaign2.

The series was conceived as an anthology of standalone adventures set in the fairy realm of Uir, with each installment featuring different protagonists and stories while sharing the same magical world112. This approach allowed the developers to explore various characters and narrative tones within a unified setting, similar to classic anthology adventure series.

Production

Development of Fortress of Fire has been characterized by significant delays and shifting priorities. Following the release of The King’s Challenge in January 2016, work on the sequel proceeded slowly as the Infamous Quests team members took on other employment6. In a 2020 update, the developer acknowledged the slow progress, stating that team members “now work other jobs” but were “assembling assets and building the game in the engine”3.

By 2026, the game remained in what the developers described as “a real state of limbo”5. According to developer Steven Alexander’s Patreon update from October 2025, the team has “a lot of resources done for Fortress of Fire but a lot more need to be done - mostly animations”5. The backgrounds are reportedly in the engine, and work has begun on developing the story path and puzzles2.

Development Credits:7

  • Project Lead: Steven “Blackthorne” Alexander
  • Co-Founder: Shawn Mills
  • Team Member: James “Broomie” Broom

Technical Achievements

The game utilizes Adventure Game Studio (AGS), the same engine that powered Quest for Infamy and The King’s Challenge7. This engine choice reflects the studio’s commitment to creating authentic retro-style adventures with hand-painted backgrounds in 320x200 resolution, consistent with the Golden Age aesthetic that defined Sierra’s classic adventure games12.

Technical Specifications

Planned Specifications:13

  • Resolution: 320x200 (scaled for modern displays)
  • Art Style: Stylized 2D hand-painted backgrounds
  • Engine: Adventure Game Studio
  • Distribution: Internet Download

Cut Content

In a revealing 2026 Patreon post, developer Steven Alexander discussed how the original vision for the Order of the Thorne series was significantly altered during production of The King’s Challenge5. According to Alexander, the team “had story ideas and elements for Order of the Thorne that were more developed and what one might say were more mature”5.

The developers were given “bad counsel” to create a “family friendly” game similar to King’s Quest, leading to what Alexander described as a “bowdlerized version” of the original design5. Specifically, “the rougher more mature edges were trimmed off, and things like character death were removed from the game”5. The developers have discussed the possibility of creating a “Director’s Cut” of The King’s Challenge that would restore more of the original intent5.

Version History

VersionDatePlatformNotes
N/AAnnounced 2015Windows/Mac/LinuxKickstarter stretch goal achieved2
In Development2020+Windows/Mac/LinuxAssets being assembled3
Development Limbo2026Windows/Mac/LinuxBackgrounds complete, animations needed5

Technical Issues

As the game remains unreleased, no technical issues have been documented. The prolonged development has been attributed to resource constraints rather than technical challenges, with team members working other jobs while developing the game in their spare time35.

Easter Eggs and Trivia

While specific easter eggs for Fortress of Fire cannot be documented due to the game’s unreleased status, the Order of the Thorne series was designed to exist within Infamous Quests’ shared universe, potentially containing references to Quest for Infamy and the studio’s earlier Sierra remakes78.

The developers have discussed potentially combining The King’s Challenge and Fortress of Fire into a single unified game called simply “Order of the Thorne” upon the sequel’s completion2.

Legacy

Sales and Commercial Impact

The commercial performance of The King’s Challenge significantly impacted the development trajectory of Fortress of Fire. In July 2016, Infamous Quests announced they would be stepping back from adventure game development after completing their remaining committed projects (Roehm to Ruin and Fortress of Fire), citing insufficient revenue from Kickstarter campaigns and game sales to cover development costs6.

Despite successful crowdfunding campaigns, including the 2012 campaign that raised $63,281 for Quest for Infamy7, the financial returns proved unsustainable for full-time development6. The developer noted that “the people that play adventure games now and in particular point and click adventure games are not families” and that targeting a family-friendly audience may have been a strategic misstep5.

Collections

The developers have discussed plans to eventually release a combined version containing both The King’s Challenge and Fortress of Fire as a single complete anthology2.

Fan Projects

Community members have expressed ongoing interest in the game’s completion, with comments on the itch.io page spanning from 2021 to 2026 inquiring about development progress3. Early access to development versions has been made available to Patreon supporters3.

No official hint books or strategy guides have been announced for Fortress of Fire due to its unreleased status.

Critical Perspective

Fortress of Fire represents both the ambitions and limitations of small independent studios attempting to revive classic adventure gaming. Infamous Quests’ journey from amateur Sierra remakes to commercial development exemplifies the passion-driven nature of the adventure game revival movement of the 2010s78.

The game’s prolonged development limbo illustrates the challenges facing nostalgic indie projects: critical acclaim and crowdfunding success do not always translate to sustainable commercial viability6. The developers’ candid reflections on creative compromises—particularly the decision to pursue a “family friendly” approach that may have alienated their core audience of adult adventure gaming enthusiasts—offers valuable insight into the tensions between market assumptions and actual player demographics5.

The Order of the Thorne series, even incomplete, demonstrates that the Sierra adventure formula continues to inspire developers and attract dedicated audiences, even if the commercial realities of modern game development make such projects increasingly difficult to sustain1213.

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

  • itch.io - Free listing (In Development)3

Related Games

Developer Support

  • Patreon - Early access for supporters5

Series Continuity

Order of the Thorne: Fortress of Fire is designed as the second and final installment of the Order of the Thorne anthology series, serving as a direct continuation of the events established in The King’s Challenge12. While the first game followed Finn the Bard on a quest to find the hidden Queen of Uir, Fortress of Fire shifts perspective to Patrick, a squire of the Order of the Thorne, expanding the world and lore of the fairy realm4.

The anthology structure means that while the games share a setting and overarching mythology, each can theoretically be experienced independently12. However, Fortress of Fire was explicitly positioned as “the thrilling conclusion” to the narrative begun in The King’s Challenge, suggesting important story threads connect the two adventures3.

The Order of the Thorne series exists within the broader Infamous Quests catalog alongside Quest for Infamy and its planned prequel Roehm to Ruin, though direct narrative connections between these properties have not been confirmed78.

References

Footnotes

  1. Adventure Gamers – Order of the Thorne: Fortress of Fire – game description, genre, platform, series info ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  2. Web Search Aggregate – Kickstarter funding details, development plans, story overview ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9

  3. itch.io – Fortress of Fire – game description, gameplay features, development status updates ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15

  4. King’s Quest Omnipedia – Fortress of Fire – protagonist Patrick, Sir Caradoc, plot summary ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  5. Infamous Quests Patreon – October 2025 Update – development limbo, design compromises, cut content ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16

  6. Adventure-Treff – Infamous Quests Announcement – studio stepping back, financial challenges ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  7. Wikipedia – Infamous Quests – company history, founding, key personnel, game catalog ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11

  8. HandWiki – Infamous Quests – company background, Quest for Infamy, game announcements ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  9. itch.io – Sierra Style Adventures Collection – genre categorization ↩

  10. Metacritic – The King’s Challenge – review scores, critic aggregates, user ratings ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  11. Steam – The King’s Challenge – release date, user reviews, publisher info ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  12. Adventure Gamers – The King’s Challenge Review – anthology series description, Golden Age comparison ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  13. RPG Codex – Order of the Thorne Discussion – developer interaction, fan reception ↩

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