A little game called Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds has really shaken things up on the PC gaming front. People love this game. However, it is currently a PC exclusive. It is reportedly in the works for Xbox One, but a firm release date has yet to be announced. That’s okay though. Because Fortnite Battle Royale is here. And it’s completely free.
We all know Fortnite Battle Royale is a “fast follow” game. It’s been accused of completely ripping off PUBG. It’s fine. It’s still a free game that’s available on Xbox One and PS4 right now.
I’ve had an absolute blast with Fortnite Battle Royale over the past couple of weeks. I can’t believe this game is free to play. I’ve had several 6+ hour binges with this game and it still hasn’t worn thin, which is somewhat surprising considering the simplicity of the concept. This is a “last man standing” game. That’s it. You have the option to play in a squad of four, duo or solo. It’s not a bad solo game, but the best version of this game exists when you are playing with three buddies.
Every match is the same thing. You are assigned a character (but you cannot currently choose who you want to be), you jump out of a floating bus, land on the ground, pick up as much loot as possible and then try not to die. A deadly storm causes the playing field to gradually shrink, which brings enemies closer together and ramps up the action. And weapons are not that easy to come by. For real, if you don’t scoop up a couple of quality firearms quickly after landing, you’re pretty much screwed.
What really intrigues me about this game though is the pickaxe. It can be used to collect resources and build forts. You can also use said pickaxe to bash through any wall on the map. A perfect addition for anyone who has wanted to reenact a certain scene from The Shining. Building forts is really my favorite aspect of this game though. My team had two builders and two people looking out for enemies. We built a magnificent fort, a fort we thought we could last 1,000 winters in, a fort that we thought for sure would help us be the last team standing. Then, out of nowhere, we hear the sound of multiple rockets being launched in our direction. BOOM. Half of our fort had been obliterated and we were left exposed to heavy gunfire. We had to go face the enemy head on. We all died.
That’s the other thing. You aren’t really required to go for kills in this game. In fact, you can be the last man standing without ever killing anyone. I really enjoyed this aspect of the game because it allows people to play however they see fit. Sure, most people are going to go for kills. But many people are also opting for the “hide the whole damn time” strategy. And it works! Seriously, you can hide in a bush and become completely invisible to enemies who are directly in front of you. If you are good at stealthily navigating the map, you never have to fire a single shot. It’s exhilarating as hell and extremely satisfying to be the last man standing.
If you’re looking for something new to play on the Xbox One or PS4, I really can’t recommend Fortnite Battle Royale enough. It’s fast, fun and never gets old.
