Review: Haven’t slept in a Fortnite

Battle royale games are on the rise, and at the forefront of the trend is Fortnite. Fortnite started as a horde mode-type game but did not take off until the battle royale game type was added. Falling from a bus onto an island, gearing up, and hunting 99 other competitors has been a joy to experience.

The items in Fortnite add a lot of depth to the gameplay. The guns are simple and easy to understand: shotguns are for close range, assault rifles are for medium range, and pistols and submachine guns, while not amazing, are still options. Some of the distinctions between Fortnite and its main competitor PUBG are clear. Fortnite opts for a more goofy approach with items such as the “boogie bomb,” which forces anyone caught in the radius to dance for four seconds before they can continue fighting, while PUBG lets a player utilize vehicles and takes a more realistic approach. The biggest difference between the two games? In Fortnite, players can destroy their surroundings in order to fortify their position. Building gives players a sense of creativity such as building bases preparing for a gunfight, building snipers nests to gain a vantage point, and building walls to protect them while reviving a teammate.

The best part of Fortnite is that it is still in closed beta, meaning that it is free to play. There is the option to pay for content, which gives a player access to cosmetic items. While this is seemingly useless and does not give players any sort of advantage, it results in a small amount of creativity, and it is a good way to show support for a free-to-play game.

Far and above the best and most fun parts of Fortnite is assembling a squad of friends and slowly, and meticulously, picking people off. There is something so satisfying about working as a team – using callouts, moving with stealth, creating a base and grinding out the game to try and come out on top. While placing first still eludes me, my second place finish made me salty enough to continue grinding for the first place title.