Note: Fortnite is continually updated, often on a weekly basis. Because of this, catholicgamereviews.com tries to release a new review every in-game season. Each review will be based on the start of each season, but since new content is added throughout you may encounter things not mentioned in this review. I only cover the much more popular Battle Royale gamemode, but I have played a lot of the Save The World mode and can say most morality notices are pretty similar across the two.
This particular review is unique as it covers the usually unchanging gameplay and some other constant characteristics. Future reviews will focus more on the changes made in between seasons.
I have been playing Fortnite Battle Royale, competitively and casually, since Season 1. It has so far successfully retained my interest over the years (just about 3, in fact.) From stunning live concerts and events to worldwide tournaments with thousands of dollars in rewards, something always seems to be going on in the Fortnite world.
As many reading this probably already know, Fortnite Battle Royale features one hundred players fighting on a single large island while running from an ever-shrinking zone with the same goal: Be the last one(s) standing. This Battle Royale formula is present in all of it’s main modes, which can be played in solos, duos, trios, and squads (four players). Sometimes there are limited-time special modes available, such as Snipers Only, Solid Gold, and even The floor is Lava. These are usually fun but haven’t been available as often as they used to be, which is a shame. Finally, there is a special mode dedicated to hosting movies, concerts, or just providing a laid-back place to chill with other players, known as Party Royale.
Although you usually build in the middle of a battle, my friends and I decided to have some fun and built ourselves a humble fishing hut. Nobody tells us what to do.
Touching quickly on the controls and graphics: The main mechanic that separates Fortnite from other Battle Royales and “helped grow it to such a high popularity” is the ability players have to build simple structures in order to defend themselves. This can be done at any time or place during a match — provided they have enough resources. Resources are gathered mainly by finding loot and destroying parts of the environment with your pickaxe, and are consumed when you build various pieces (walls, ramps, etc.) Building feels pretty smooth, as Epic has positively refined it much over the last few years. Something important to be noted: it comes with an insanely high skill cap. Not to mention this is balanced with shooting, the main way you damage enemies. If you are new or inexperienced, don’t let this scare you away. Ever since Chapter 2, Season 1, the core modes (aside from squads) have used skill-based matchmaking. The graphics are pretty cartoony, which helps separate it from most other shooters, but honestly aren’t very impressive, at least when it comes to the environments. About average for a big game studio in my opinion. To be fair, the skins do have quite a bit of flair to them (if you are running higher settings), and the animation quality in the emotes are the best I have seen to date.
Each Season usually has a main theme, and this time it is focused on a flood, which engulfed the entire map after the Chapter 2, Season 2 event. They have taken advantage of this to include some interesting new skins and abilities in game. And by this I mean you can ride a shark as Aquaman. Many of the skins are fun, such as Kit, a kitten that sits on top of a hilarious, evil-looking machine. However, Epic has unfortunately followed in the footsteps of many game companies before them and used sex appeal (particuarly that of women) to help monetize their game. This season in the Battle Pass, you will find that one of the two tier 1 skins, Ocean, has much of her stomach exposed along with tight-fitting clothes. This is about as bad as the skins get, however, although a few show cleavage. Many of the female skins are about as revealing as Ocean, perhaps a bit less, so be prepared to see them in game quite often. In terms of male modesty, it’s much more abundant than that of women, although some skins lack a shirt, such as one of the Aquaman variants. It is also important to note that since the graphics are so cartoony in this game, it makes the less modest skins a bit easier to handle.
“Following proudly in his father’s paw prints.”
Luckily, that is just about my biggest gripe when it comes to the morality of Fortnite. It’s pretty clean in terms of violence – even though the weapons you use in battle are often almost identical to their real-life counterparts, there is no blood or realistic sound effects when you get hit or shoot someone else. The language is pretty clean too, and whether or not you mind curse words, they aren’t here at all, aside from some concerts or movies that may occur, sometimes in the core modes but most often Party Royale. Those are usually announced in advance and can easily be avoided if you wish. Finally, in terms of occult theming, there are a few skins such as Malice, that are themed as a demon, and one of them comes with a “back bling” (a cosmetic item your character can wear like a backpack) that is extremely similar to a pentagram. This is also available to plaster on your weapons as a “weapon wrap.”
Speaking of Cosmetics, they are overpriced. I will have mercy on the Battle Pass, however, as it only costs $10 initially and can be obtained free the following season, provided you played enough the last season to earn at least 1,000/1,500 V-Bucks obtainable in each pass. (Each battle pass costs 950 V-Bucks). Aside from that, however, you will usually be coughing up at least $10 to buy anything from the daily item shop, which hosts cosmetics that are only purchasable for short periods of time. Be cautious when spending in that shop, and I advise readers to not do it that often. Luckily, the Battle Passes provide copious amounts of cosmetics if you choose to purchase those.
Fortnite Battle Royale is definitely one of the most unique multiplayer shooters out there. It’s gameplay follows suit, while also being extremely satisfying. The graphics aren’t as impressive as some other games but can run on a Nintendo Switch and mobile devices. The biggest thing holding it back by far is the immodesty of many of the character skins. Players who press on despite that will have a game that they will be able to have fun with for years, access from most of their devices, and provide many fun nights with friends.
Priestly Comment by Fr. Stephen (trekkie4christ):
“Fortnite is surprisingly fun, even for amateurs like me. I really enjoy the laid back attitude that comes from the cartoony graphic design. When you can play as a secret agent banana or a cute cut cat, things get hilarious fast.”
Scoring: 85%
Graphics: 3/5
Controls: 5/5
Gameplay: 5/5
Replayability: 4/5
Morality/Parental Warnings
Language: Completely clean aside from select concerts/events
Sex/Nudity: Many of the female skins have revealing clothing, select male skins don’t have a shirt
Occult: Some skins themed after demons/the devil, wizards & witches
Violence: Guns are realistic, but no blood/grotesque sounds present at all
Consumerism: Lots of expensive micro transactions
