‘Fortnite’ Early Access: Breathing New Life into the Zombie Survival Genre

Gfycat
Gfycat
Jul 27, 2017 · 5 min read

There was a time when I had killed so many zombies that I didn’t think I’d be able to stomach yet another round of slaying the undead. Fortnite just proved how wrong I was.

A storm of zombies is a-brewin’

Fitting into a menagerie of genres — survival horror, base defense, and RPG included — Epic Games somehow found a way to successfully make them all work together in a game that takes a huge step away from the glum tones of Gears of War, instead favoring styles similar to Plants vs. Zombies or Borderlands.

Your Clap Trap comic relief

It’s been a long time since I’ve played a game where I’ve gushed more than griped, but so many aspects of Fortnite work to deliver an unexpectedly solid title, suffering only mildly from occasional rinse-and-repeat mission structure and minor design flaws.

Initially, I had difficulty pinpointing a core focus to the gameplay, but after a few missions I realized everything I did was in preparation for the base defense element, which more so than not is the final objective of every round.

Finish missions…
Get rewards.

Whether you’re spending time in your command center swapping out and upgrading playable heroes, assigning survivors to stat-boosting squads, upgrading weapons, or dismantling trap schematics for parts, it all boils down to strengthening your forces and base for the inevitable rush of enemies.

And speaking of your “foe of the hour”…

’Nuff said…

Filling the role of Fortnite’s video game villains is Epic’s version of zombies, Husks. Individually they’re far from an inspired choice of bad guy and the variety is a little bland, but once they pile onto you and start dismantling everything you’ve worked hard to build, the lack of originality is forgivable and forgotten.

ALL THE ZOMBIES!

To get your chance at smashing some Husks, you’ll launch your hero into a territory via a world map. A quick matchmaking lobby and some loading screens later and you’re set to explore!

When I say everything is destructible, I’m only marginally exaggerating. When I wasn’t racing against a clock, I easily got lost in completely dismantling a house with my pickaxe to gather resources, find the occasional weapon, and, you know, just break stuff.

Who needs doors?
I’m pretty sure insurance won’t cover that.

Along the way you’ll happen upon components used for weapon crafting, but the three main resources — wood, stone, and metal — are in abundance in each world, and with good reason: they’re what separates Husks from whatever you’re protecting.

Before you even start worrying about base building, which is usually the main and final objective, each map has a decent amount of stuff to keep things fresh. Stuff like a demon whack-a-mole, stranded survivors, and gaggles of Husks that pop up just to be a nuisance.

Ultimately, you’ll almost always wind up focusing heavily on your pop-up build menu, throwing up walls, ceilings, floors, and stairs to keep Husks at bay. More than once I got carried away and wasted resources to build a grand fort complete with an eagle’s nest for panoramic viewing.

Everything must be perfect!
And the finished product…

When there’s no time limit, expect to lose yourself in designing your structure. Being able to customize each component, like adding a door to your walls or leaving a window to shoot through, only heightened my need to keep building until I was out of resources.

As you explore and complete missions, you’ll come across schematics for new traps used as a last resort defense. Since they’re fairly scarce and can’t be moved or removed once placed, I found out the hard way that you can’t just throw down traps and walls without contemplating where the attack is coming from and how Husks may be able to sneak around.

Base building is a simple mechanic, but the controller layout can take some getting used to, especially considering the number of in-game menus you can access.

In fact, complex controls aside, laying out your base may be the easiest part of Fortnite.

Before even embarking on missions, I found myself getting lost in the sheer volume of options, which just get more and more bountiful. As you progress on the four different skill trees, the more time you’ll spend toying around with role-playing elements like building squads of survivors to give your hero and your base stat boosts or sending heroes off on supply runs.

Me getting lost in the menus for the 20th time

Unique hero abilities and varying weapon stats give you plenty to play with and let you mix and match loadouts until you find the best combination for mass Husk destruction.

Whether pounding zombie brains with a sledgehammer or sniping them from afar, each of the game’s many weapons felt unique and useful — but don’t expect to enjoy them forever. Weapons will break with extended use, forcing you to either create new guns or cycle through what’s in your inventory.

A sampling of your arsenal

While I tend to stray from multiplayer-only games, Epic Games found a happy medium by not forcing you to rely on others. You will be paired with three other players, but even then, you can go off and mine resources on your own until it’s time to tackle objectives. As the bullets start flying, you’ll really feel like a team, even if you never say a word to one another.

The only big downfall is that players can advance objectives without the rest of the team, so it’s possible for someone to go rogue and speed through the match if they wanted.

Prefer to go solo? Several missions into the game you’re give the chance to tackle the game with up to three AI companions.

There’s something to be said for Fortnite’s replayability, which is unexpectedly high. Some older missions remain open, allowing you to return to do some grinding, and as each map is generated randomly, everything continues to feel fresh even if the main objective stays the same.

Maybe the biggest hurdle to cross is that, at the time of this review, the game is $40 for early access, but in 2018, will actually be free to play. You may also hear people talk about the pay-to-win structure, but I’ve yet to drop a cent on anything and I don’t feel that microtransactions are shoved in my face.

Fortnite feels very intimidating within the first few hours of play, but give it time and the game rewards you with a lasting good time that is only sure to expand with future patches and DLC.

If you never hear from me again, you know you have Epic Games to blame — and that’s not praise I dole out often.

Mark LoProto is a horror-loving gaming enthusiast who also has a soft spot for Ghostbusters, bubble wrap, and kittens. Look for his work here, here, and here.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade