Do you ever feel like you need an extra med kit or one more shield potion to get you through the school day? Or even just a golden SCAR to lift your spirits?
The game, Fortnite Battle Royale is a co-op sandbox survival video game developed by Epic Games and People Can Fly, the former publishing the game. The game was released as a paid early access title for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Playstation 4 and Xbox One on July 25, 2017, with a full free-to-play release expected in 2018.
In Fortnite, there are two main battle modes, “Battle Royale” and “Save the World.” “Battle Royale” is a free 100-player PvP mode which was released on Sept. 26, 2017. You are able to play by yourself, with one other teammate, or with a squad of four teammates. Fortnite can be played on PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One and Mac. “Battle Royale” is available as a free download on the Epic Games PC launcher, Playstation store, and Xbox store.
The “Save the World” mode is described as a co-op sandbox survival game and is about exploration, scavenging items, crafting weapons, building fortified structures and fighting waves of humanoid zombie-like creatures that attack the living. Tim Sweeney, Epic’s founder, described the game as, “Minecraft meets Left 4 Dead.”
However, “Save the World” has a price. To be able to play “Save the World”, you need to pay $39.99, so the “Battle Royale” game mode is more popular. “I don’t know anyone that plays the Save the World Mode on Fortnite. It’s unnecessary to pay for that when you could just play the free mode that’s just as fun,” freshman Ryan Feldman said.
As of this month, more than 40 million people have downloaded Fortnite, a heavy increase compared to the 30 million announced in December. The game also peaked at more than two million people playing it simultaneously recently.
Fortnite is not just played for strict entertainment purposes. “I play Fortnite with some of my camp friends and it’s a great way for us to talk and have fun while in different states,” sophomore Daniel Rudden said.
Sophomore Matthew Kopsidas recently sustained an ankle injury, making an active kid like himself not able to participate in the practices and activities he’s used to on a regular basis. “Not being able to play soccer for the next few months is going to be hard. But, playing Fortnite helps pass the time and get my mind off my injury,” Kopsidas said.
Other students don’t understand what all the hype is about. “What makes this game so much better than the rest of them?” Junior Maddie Grainger said.
Students find it hard to say exactly what it is about the game that makes them like it or why it’s so popular. “Fortnite is just a really fun, addictive game that I love to play by myself and with my friends to have a good time,” junior Ryan Mariani said.
Josh Levine
Staff Writer
