Sorry for the delay, the next two weeks are going to be a little slower since its the end of the semester. But without further ado, the second game in this battle of battlers is Fortnite. Like many of the most popular games out there, this game is loved by many and hated by even more (including some who play it).
Fortnite
Fortnite (what is now called Save the World) started off as an extremely promising survival/building game with a bit of a strange twist- it was a paid early access for an otherwise free to play game. While not totally unheard of (and not without some cool bonuses), I feel like this kept many who were interested in the game on the sidelines. Many of my friends who saw “eventually free to play” (which ended up being a lie) figured they would wait to play a theoretically more finished game with no barrier to entry. A short time after this ”release,” Epic announced the release of a new game mode called “Fortnite Battle Royale.” Now when you say Fortnite, this is what you immediately think of.
Created as a “let’s make PUBG in the Fortnite engine” exercise, the game quickly exploded into its own thing. What started as a side mode quickly eclipsed the main game. Many now-famous (or previously famous) streamers rode the Fortnite hype train to the moon as well.
The biggest differences from PUBG lie in the art style and building. Gone are the (poorly outfitted) custom character dress ups and weapon attachments, and in their places are a wide range of fandom-spanning character skins and building.
Dropping
As opposed to PUBG’s (and Warzone’s) super serious plane flyover, Fortnite features a fun bus that’s held up by a hot air balloon. It makes a “honk honk” sound when it’s time to drop and you can thank the bus driver. It really sets the tone for the game to follow. When you’re actually dropping, you can swap between your glider and free fall. As usual, there’s a hard zone above land where you have to use your glider. Your glider can be anything from a basic glider to an umbrella to a little X-Wing from Star Wars or even Thor’s Hammer.
Loot
Upon landing, you begin hearing a telltale hum from the walls. Hidden on upper levels, in cellars, in doorless rooms or even just in the corner, you can follow those siren songs to a lovely loot chest. Like in all BR’s, some loot is on the ground, but in Fortnite, the good stuff is in the chests. Guns are all color coded by their rarity, so instead of a myriad of attachments, you are simply in the hunt for the rarest of weapons- a legendary. Those have the best stats and a different appearance (shared with the epic version) than the common, uncommon, or rare versions. Over the course of the season, different weapons are vaulted or unvaulted, but there are typically no more than 2-3 of each class of weapon at one time (unless you’re an smg fan, where sometimes you get one and in some seasons you couldn’t even upgrade it past epic).
Gameplay
This biggest gameplay change is the building feature. Fortnite gives you the ability to swing a pickaxe (or Mjölnir or Wolverine claws or spooky scythe or comically large wrench) and collect wood, stone, or metal. Anything from a tree to a building can give these materials and you can level anything to the ground except the map’s own geometry (and a few walls or surfaces here and there). Glowing sweet spots allow you to mine even faster and can turn every swing of your axe into its own mini game. Building is a major part of the game. It can give anyone a height advantage and as much as I like to brag about being good at the game without it, if someone of equal gun skill is a better builder, then I have no chance. While it doesn’t seem like the best feature to have in a BR, it does give some unique traversal options or some cover where you’d otherwise be out in the open. Beyond building, these mined materials can be used to upgrade guns (or purchase them, depending on the season).
Talking about building, most games end with some sort of build-off duel between players. Some skilled players can erect towers in mere seconds. I personally end the game waiting for the second and third place players to fight it out before crumbling their tower to the ground with a rocket. Sometimes they recover and blast me, sometimes I get a win. Either way it usually ends with the winner dancing over the loser’s body (I personally like the pizza eating emote).
The game really does change from season to season, so features may include bosses, their secret lairs, and their own custom henchmen; cars, boats, and sometimes aerial vehicles; signature weapons and comic inspired heroic abilities; edible vegetables and fish that have various abilities; and most importantly, an ever changing map with constantly emerging points of interest. The game has an overarching storyline that had a soft reset after season 10. Seasons are usually bookended by various events, keeping the universe feeling fresh and new.
HUD and UI
The HUD in Fortnite is pretty simple, you see your team, a map, and your weapons in the bottom right. The only menu you can open allows you to drop items and ammo. You have two hot bars, one with weapons and items (inventory) and the other with buildable objects. In your inventory, you are limited to 5 items plus your pickaxe. This includes weapons and any items (except for traps) that you may find. Health is returned via bandages, first aid kits, or fish, while your shields aren’t actually a physical item to worry about upgrading, you instead drink potions (or in some places, stand in blue goo) to fill that up as well. But those items all take up inventory slots, so you have to really pick and choose your loadout. Like other games, you can limit yourself to 2-3 weapons and take healing items in the other slots, or you can throw caution to the wind and choose to have a weapon for every situation.
Design
Fortnite’s world is vibrant and colorful- the direct antithesis of PUBG’s gritty realism. Everything is crisp yet cartoony. Various graphical updates over the years have kept this game looking pretty fresh (at least on PC with RTX). Skins are highly detailed and no matter where the character is from- a pancake man original to Fortnite (aptly named Mancake) or even a literal Predator, fresh out of an R rated movie- they fit perfectly in the world with a cohesive visual style. Parachutes are gone for the aforementioned gliders, again ranging from Fortnite originating umbrella’s (that you get from winning each season) to various ships or items from the various universes that the characters hail from. Players can perform a myriad of different dances or emotes, ranging from Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” to a very annoying donkey laugh that sweats use when they kill you.
The Store/Battlepass
This game doesn’t have a ton of different currencies; everything here is based around V-Bucks. For a free to play game, this was one of the only true free to play experiences out there (I say that because technically you couldn’t buy the first battlepass or the new crew subscription with earned V-bucks). If you earned V-bucks from the free areas of the first two battlepasses, you could eventually buy the second and every subsequent battlepass for V-bucks earned solely from gameplay. That is extraordinary value for a free to play game. I have no qualms buying a battlepass for a season that features many interesting characters. I know that by the end of the battlepass, I’ll have enough V-bucks to buy the next battlepass or any skin in the store that I couldn’t live without (you aren’t my main, but I’d die for Spring Bushranger).
For the store, I can give the same praise. There is no chance with this game, no loot boxes, no gamble. If I want more content, I click on what I want to buy and buy it. Again, any of this content can’t be earned in game. Of course, without purchasing anything, someone who played as much as I have would only be able to get a handful of skins without getting at least a battlepass, but the point is, if you see something you want, it is attainable without any monetary investment. Now of course I previously mentioned the Club, a subscription that gets you the current battlepass and some exclusive skins, along with 1000 V-bucks. As far as I know, you can’t get it with V-bucks and the skins within are promised to be only obtainable by club members. So far the skins are pretty meh anyway, so I am happily not subscribed.
The final verdict
Fortnite isn’t for everyone. It’s probably the most different from its contemporaries, almost to the point of polarization. A ton of people love it, while many are put off by its style or seemingly younger player base. If you play any of the other Battle Royales, I can easily suggest trying this one out, since it is so different. No other BR really embodies lighthearted fun like Fortnite, where Deadpool can ride a pogo stick while Master Chief can race him in a tiny Warthog and a tomato headed man plays a cowbell. Where else can an extremely muscular cat take you to the gun show?
This game is perfect for children, since the graphics are pretty PG (even if shooting is questionable, but that’s an argument for another day) and they can earn whatever they want without breaking their parent’s bank. Like any kid, I’m jazzed to open up a Christmas card with V-Bucks or a box with a 12 point of articulation Rippley figurine (my boy!). I mean the latter isn’t in-game, but an adult being excited over your physical toy says something about the quality of your merchandising. The Club subscription could be a good way to coax your kid into getting good grades and the ability to play this game on literally any device with a screen is a good outlet to bond with your child should you have multiple consoles or a smart phone.
If you are engaged in other battle royale’s and you want a change of pace, or maybe you travel a lot and you want a game you can play at home on PC or on the go with your Switch, Fortnite is the way to go.
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