One of the most iconic battle royale games of the 2010s that still offers adrenaline-drenched action to this day!

Fortnite is one of those games that managed to reap positive rewards from an otherwise erratic development process. It’s funny that a game that was centered initially on a dystopic storyline (Save the World) ended up having its story introduced much later down the road after a long paid early access. It didn’t matter, as the game did just fine without it. Extremely fine, in fact!

Fortnite practically defined a generation and became a cultural phenomenon, with an almost equal number of lovers and haters. Its cartoonish yet well-defined graphics, coupled with an incredibly addictive combination of third-person shooter and Minecraft building mechanics and euphoric emotes drove the hype much further than imaginable. Add to this the free-to-play aspect and you have an award winner.

It may be said that it was the building mechanics that really got the ball rolling marketing-wise. While games like PUBG were no slouch, their combat-laden gameplay didn’t offer anything particularly novel in comparison to other offerings of that era, save for the battle royale features.

Also, PUBG’s emphasis on high fidelity made it vulnerable to several visual and gameplay bugs that the more stylized Fortnite didn’t suffer from, making Fortnite the more polished of the two.

The battle royale mode begins with you and your squad (if you are playing a cooperative match) being carried over to an island by a flying vehicle (normally an aircraft). After you parachute your way down, you land on a random area wherein you might or might not find useful gear (weapons, ammo, healing items, crafting materials, etc.) while at the same time scouting for possible enemies and ways to escape the incoming storm that shrinks the playable area progressively.

This creates a lot of tension which builds up as the space tightens. For fans of shooters, this must have been a very welcoming experience. For people who love exploration, however, it can be a bit of a letdown. True, you can explore and scavenge, but the gameplay is so fast-paced that it doesn’t leave you much space to “smell the flowers” so to speak.

That’s a shame because the developers have graced us with some compelling sceneries in all their cel-shaded glory. While I applaud the launch of the Fortnite Creative mode, which might have been catered to the explorer crowd, I would have personally loved it if they featured a slower battle royale mode for people who enjoy both aspects of the gameplay or who are not too fast with their fingers. 

In this respect, I do miss PUBG’s pacing and groundedness. In this latter game, the action was weightier and you really had the necessary breathing room to plan your survival, whereas Fortnite can feel like a luck game more than a skill game at times. 

On another note, I have to give kudos to the developers for constantly supporting this game with seasons and quality updates, keeping the audience continuously engaged. Epic Games truly know how to please their user base, something that I wished PUBG Studios imitated.

With regards to the Save the World mode (which is essentially the “campaign mode”), it was not exactly bad, but not devoid of issues. It has some funny moments and dialogue, for sure, and it allows you to get V-Bucks (Fortnite’s in-game currency) which is necessary for the Battle Pass in Battle Royale. However, the storylines can feel unfinished in various places and the UI leaves a lot to be desired.

Nevertheless, I loved the mix of zombie shooter, real-time strategy, and role-playing game. Not many games are able to concoct a formula that combines all these elements in such a successful manner.

There’s not much else I can say about Fortnite other than it deserves all the praise it gets and hits the right buttons more often than not. If you are a sucker for fast-paced shooting frenzy with Minecraft overtones, this game might fit you just right. If, however, you are a bit turned off by the frenetic gameplay, you should look for other options.

Have you played Fortnite yet? Voice your thoughts in the comments section below!