Fortnite

Pros

• Unique mix of gunplay and building
• Bright and vibrant artistic style
• Regularly updated with bold new ideas

Cons

• Some content locked behind battle pass purchases
• Driven as much by luck as talent

Fortnite may be one of the most well known games today, but the fact that it's practically synonymous with the battle royale genre means it's an accolade that's earned. But what really set it apart from the competition - and launched a small army of copycats - is the way its world constantly evolved. As gamers clash with publishers over the ethics of in game transactions, Fortnite manages to thread the needle better than just about any other game. Fortnite is completely free to play, but it's the season pass that really pulls players in.

And it's the sense of an evolving world that makes the season pass a worthwhile investment. The world has seen the island utterly rebuilt from scratch on a regular basis and giant kaiju fighting on the surface of the map. It's seen crossovers with John Wick and Avengers: Infinity War. This is a game world that's always mutable, and that sense of change is still present as the game continues. Investing in Fortnite means investing in an enthusiastic community, and the microtransactions here actually succeed despite being purely cosmetic because they're a reminder of the experiences you've already been through. Since events in Fortnite can only be achieved if you're around when they occur, the silly hats and gliders and backpacks serve as a reminder of what a player has been present for.

That said, all of that is just window dressing if the the way it isn't solid. And while Fortnite doesn't have the tightest gunplay around, but that's honestly party of the charm. There are plenty of battle royales on the market that focus on more realistic and skill driven combat, but Fortnite has battle royales practically cornered in terms of looser movement and more cartoony art style. That, combined with the fact that there can only be one winner per round, further emphasizes the value of the experience over kill/death ratios. It's an easy game to get into, and winning or losing is as much about chance as it is about skill. In Fortnite, regaling friends with the circumstances of your death are often more satisfying than the thrill of a victory.

There is one major mechanical quirk that helps set Fortnite apart from the competition: the ability to build. Fast fingers allow you to create structures that can help you reach the perfectly remote sniper nest or even create one of your own. The robust controls here have led to a lot of creativity. From constructing cover to creating small and impermanent works of art, Fortnite is as much a virtual playground as it is a shooter. It's not uncommon to see chaotic showdowns between master builders, but the loose and free nature of the game means they're just as likely to end at the hands of a roving third party.

That sense that everything is always unknown and always changing creates a truly unique sense of identity to the game, and that's reflected in the regular updates. If you haven't played Fortnite since day one, you can always pick it up and understand the fundamentals, but the environment always seems to be in a state of flux. New weapons, new skins, and new locations filter in and out on a regular basis, but there are more systemic changes as well. There's a sense that the developers are always looking to stretch their skills and mix up the formula, and there are no sacred cows as far as updates are concerned.

Case in point is season two's latest movements towards a more roleplaying driven approach to gaming. The narrative in the early seasons of Fortnite, if you can call it that, was highly impressionistic and more about big events. That's starting to change, and it's bringing with it a lot of personality. The challenges - which were once handled from a simple menu - have now been expanded out towards a more mission based approach. Most of the goals you'll be trying to accomplish here aren't going to be all that different, but there's a greater sense of a recurring storyline tied to the gameplay. And the Fortnite battle pass even comes with a decent amount of player vs. event content. Boss characters with their own beefy entourages create a real sense of challenge that adds even more unpredictable elements to each match.

Everyone isn't going to like Fortnite, and that includes people who used to play Fortnite regularly. The constantly changing season structure will always irritate die hard fans who fell in love with a given era of the game, but change is hard coded right into Fortnite's DNA. With a consistently high user base and events like a Travis Scott concert regularly setting new records, Fortnite will continue to be a cultural phenomenon, and it will continue to find new approaches to mixing up the battle royale formula. The audience right now seems to skew a bit younger, but that could change on a dime. If you want a smart and consistent battle royale, Fortnite isn't the game to you. But if you want to invest in a uniquely communal experience, there's no other game that offers quite the same sense of flavor as Fortnite. It may not always be consistent, but you can always depend on it to bring something fresh and new to the table on a regular basis.

Pros

• Unique mix of gunplay and building
• Bright and vibrant artistic style
• Regularly updated with bold new ideas

Cons

• Some content locked behind battle pass purchases
• Driven as much by luck as talent