Besides being a fan of the original Battle Royale movies I have not partaken in any of the newer battle royale games out right now. Fortnite by Epic Games, People Can Fly announced that they were releasing a free to play battle royale for their game. It's funny because I would have never heard about this if the creators of PUBg weren't threatening to sue. This game is in "early access" so it is missing some screen that it promises to update but it has enough of an experience to get a good idea of what it is. Strapped on my watch, set the timer for an hour, and played Fortnite Battle Royale.
The Experience:
Right from the first jump off a flying bus, I learned that this game has a learning curve. Fortnite is a 3rd person shooter that gives you a pickax and slots for 5 weapons. You find weapons by going into buildings where these weapons and their ammo are hidden. These guns also have a 1-5 star rating with the highest stars doing more damage. This helps but it is not the end all because you still have to have a semblance of accuracy.
The damage you do to other player is RPG style where you will see the damage numbers tick off their heads when you hit them so you don't have to guess. You want to aim for the vitals to do the most damage. This was learned when I was taken out with a good shot to the head from a shotgun. There are five weapon types I have found so far which are your standard pistols, rifles, shotguns, and grenades. I saw a rocket launcher in one round so I think that is like hitting the gold mine.
Buildings are destructible with your pickaxe and you gain resources from destroying them. If you have enough resources you can actually build walls and stairs. There are also traps you can build and place through the map but you have to find them around the map. You will have plenty of ways to kill people.
After a set amount time there is a storm that closes in on a central point on the map. You need to get to that point or you get trapped in a purple storm of doom that slowly ticks your life away. You eventually get into a small area that will require you to fight whoever is left.
You are able to join as a group or by yourself for those of us that are gaming friend impaired. There are screens for scores and leaderboards but there is a message on those pages they are coming soon. This is the type of stuff giving it away that it's only in early access.
The graphics are surrealistic cartoon animation and it ran ok for me. There were a few slowdowns but I was also watching football on my other screen so I can't say for certain it was just the game. The game is eerily quiet and you can really hear people coming. I found that, especially late game, music or sound in the background is very detrimental because you will want to hear the footsteps.
On my best round, I made it to #10. I was caught hiding in a corner waiting for one guy to open a door, unfortunately, another dude was coming up from the stairs and I didn't react in time. Disappointing but it was rewarding being alive that long. This game has a mix between long down times and bursts of actions when you encounter people. The really long breaks of actions often made me complacent unless I was walking up to a new building. Then I could feel the suspense and the hook of the game sinking in. Then I felt someone's bullets and it was less exciting again.
I did like how they don't make you wait after you die. You can either sit and watch you murderer carry on through the game or move on to your next round. This keeps the game fresh and moving. I definitely see the appeal of these games in that you are constantly getting another chance to get back in and improve. There are so many strategies you can use to get to that final duo that the game itself is dynamic. The game is a bit repetitive but at the same time unique in each round. I did enjoy it. It's not the greatest game I have played but it's fun.
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