Fortnite battle royale – Lighter version of PUBG
It was a nice response, and really the only response one could give. When asked for their opinion on the emergence of games and game modes that closely resemble PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, employees of developer Bluehole Studio indicated that it is only logical that such games should appear. After all, good example leads to follow, especially if millions are earned from that good example. With thirteen million copies sold, the total revenue of the Battlegrounds still in Early Access should already be approaching four hundred million dollars. That’s a big pie, so it makes sense that other companies would like a piece of it.
Earlier this year, Rockstar already added a ‘PUBG-like’ game mode to Grand Theft Auto Online, and recently Fortnite was also expanded with a similar mode. That is somewhat striking, because like PUBG, Fortnite is still in the testing phase. A full release isn’t expected until 2018, but the game is already on sale, including the new ‘Battle Royale’ game mode. In fact, those who only care about that specific mode can play the game for free. Where the story-driven content costs money, the Battle Royale mode is free. We remain Dutch, so that’s enough reason to try it out.
From the first moment it is clear that Fortnite takes things a little less seriously than Battlegrounds. The graphic style is cartoony and reminiscent of the style of games like Team Fortress. That automatically puts the emphasis on fun. The cheerful, bright colors give the game a completely different look than PUBG, which has a much more gray color scheme. This makes it difficult to compare the games in terms of graphics. The fact is, however, that PUBG goes for realistic images – and falls far short of that – while Fortnite keeps it simpler. A cartoon style is generally the safer choice, so developer Epic Games is playing a bit more on the safe side in that sense.
Yet such a style is worth nothing if the content of the game does not match it. Fortunately, Epic Games does not make that mistake. In the game world and in the gameplay all kinds of elements can be found that demonstrate the same light-hearted character as the graphics. Just the fact that players are dropped on the island via a party bus suspended under a hot air balloon … delicious. The way the characters in the game move and how they jump also show that Fortnite certainly doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Still, the game is serious. Underneath the light-hearted, playful character lies a fairly profound game. The biggest substantive difference between PUBG and Fortnite is the ‘destructability’ of part of the game world and the possibility to build new objects with the materials you collect. That changes the gameplay. You can demolish the roofs and walls of most buildings, and objects indoors can also be demolished. By demolishing you collect stone, wood and metal, which you can use to build walls, stairs, platforms and even traps. A rock or roof that was previously inaccessible can be reached with a self-built staircase. That provides quite a bit of dynamics in the gameplay.
That gameplay mainly resembles PUBG in terms of operation. Everyone parachutes to an island, searches for weapons and then fights each other in an ever-shrinking circle. Of course there are differences at the level of detail. For example, in Fortnite you can take more weapons with you, but you do not collect armor, although you can find a potion that produces a shield. There are no vehicles, so you have to do everything on foot, but the island is also a lot smaller than PUBG’s, so that doesn’t matter. Due to the smaller scale, the jars also run faster. In Fortnite you often reach 50 remaining players within a minute, and after about ten minutes of play you have usually reached the top 10. That also ties in with that airy character. These are games that you can play quickly in between,
That can also be a negative point for those looking for real thrills. We rarely felt that in Fortnite. Because the games are over so quickly and the gameplay feels a bit less serious, we never experienced the ultimate tension that PUBG has. Partly because of this, PUBG will also develop into a serious competitive game sooner. That’s not too bad. Battle Royale in Fortnite is mainly intended to entertain gamers, and the game certainly succeeds in that. What also helps is that the game runs stable. Many features are still missing, such as leaderboards and stats, but the game runs smoothly. That is the most important.