Epic Games were seen, executed, and triumphed. In a market where it seemed that all games were destined to live in the shadow of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), and in which all battle royale options were doomed to failure or the timid recognition of a poor handful of players, the company decided to transform its Fortnite with competitive and PvP-oriented gameplay.
In just two months, and thanks to a series of highly successful decisions Fortnite Battle Royale arrived free on consoles and PC, becoming an undeniable success that today already challenges and even surpasses that of the Bluehole and PUBG Corp. game Almost Nothing.
Now, when the war between consoles and PC continues, Brendan Greene’s video game and Epic Games coincide again in their particular duel but this time for mobile platforms. Fortnite Battle Royale reaches iOS after a test phase to which Vandale had access and we want to offer you a full analysis after spending a few days playing both the limited event and the final edition.
The same experience as on consoles and PC
When Fortnite Battle Royale announced its mobile version, there weren’t a few who thought it was a slightly less-than-impossible project. How were they going to transfer the frenetic gameplay of this multiplayer action title to a touchscreen and bet on crossplay at the same time?
Well, without paraphrasing Dr. Ian Malcolm Jurassic Park truth is, they succeeded. Fortnite Battle Royale is exactly the same game we’re used to playing on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, or PC. There’s no difference in terms of menus, interface, proposition, or game modes, and it’s still completely free to play.
Fortnite Battle Royale vs PUBG Mobile
The Fortnite Battle Royale idea goes a little beyond PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Mobile, which was also recently released to huge success on iOS and Android. Although the Tencent and PUBG Corp game is an identical translation but with their own peculiarities, Epic has decided that its battle royale will be the same game, with the same progression and the same options as the tabletop versions.
What does that mean? Well, we’ll find the same menus, options, events, stores, and even our achievements and progress made and obtained previously. Yes, just as you read.
Cross-Platform
The account we have in Fortnite, the same one we’ve used to play on any platform – be it PC, PlayStation Network, or Xbox Live – will be with us in the mobile version. Our profile and progress are recorded, and any changes, games won, or experience gained in the mobile edition will be automatically saved in your console or PC edition, and vice versa.
Shared progress across platforms is an excellent idea and a great added value to this edition, as it offers us the chance to advance, progress, and have our character measured anytime, anywhere. Do we want to buy a skin? We can. Do we want to access an event but don’t have the console to hand? We log in from our smartphone and what we do in the app will be reflected in the other platform we play on.
Epic has put a lot of thought into this, which is nothing more than a reflection of its ironclad policies of playing without barriers, whatever console, platform, or system we’re on.
Fortnite Battle Royale prioritizes iOS players and the mobile version – which, for the moment, is under limited testing – but there is cross-play between platforms. This means that, from our iOS device, we can play against other players via the Internet belonging to other consoles or PCs. In our games, we haven’t noticed this real drawback too much, but it will appear sometimes, and it will be something obvious and very annoying.
Playing on a Touchscreen
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Mobile showed us that video games can be cleverly adapted to touchscreens, even if there are still obstacles that can’t be avoided and avoided lightly. Fortnite Battle Royale is the same game as on tabletop platforms.
In other words, we’ll be launched once again onto an island where we’ll have to survive, collect resources, fight, build shelters and fortresses, and rise victorious against 99 other players via the Internet. Epic’s light multiplayer action proposition is exactly the same on our cell phone or tablet, and if you’ve played before, you’ll find yourself frankly at ease.
Controls
Adapting such a fast-paced, frenetic style to be played with a controller, or better still, a keyboard and mouse, was no easy task. In essence, those responsible decided to bet on a classic interface, with the usual virtual joystick, the usual quick shortcuts for jumping, aiming, shooting, or dodging, and with an instant-access inventory.
Distribution is very comfortable, especially if you have a large or wide-format screen, which is particularly appreciated in a video game where reaction capacity is vital for survival. Our fingers won’t get in the way too much, and we’ll always have a great peripheral view of what’s going on in the virtual battle royale world.
Sounds
What’s more, and given the particularities of this video game Epic has included visual sound markers. Yes, it sounds a little strange, but they’re very useful. Fortnite Battle Royale is meant to be played with headphones or a multi-channel sound system, to help us interpret soundtracks where our enemies are or where shots are coming from.
But as there aren’t too many good speakers on today’s mobiles and there’s a tendency to play quietly and without audio notifications, the game wanted to find a solution that would remind us of the visual alerts we saw in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain when we were about to be discovered by a guard.
Fortnite Battle Royale It will alert us with a small icon of footsteps, shots, or even proximity to a golden chest, something that is frankly useful and doesn’t neglect gameplay as much as a principal might think.
Game Pace
In fact, and even if this doesn’t seem to be the case Fortnite Battle Royale, It plays very similarly, although we had to adapt our game to the inherent peculiarities of the platform. One of the things that surprised us most was the game’s speed.
In the application, everything tends to be a little faster, and more direct, favoring confrontation between players more frequently, in a way sidelining the collection of resources and the construction of fortresses or parapets.
Yes, we’ll still be chopping to obtain wood, metal, or brick, but we’ve also realized that this is a less recommended option, as we’ll be wasting too much time lifting towers or ramps compared to the console version. However, there’s one thing we have to bear in mind: cross-platform play does exist, and sliding around can cost you your life.
Mobile Adaptation
Fortnite Battle Royale is a technical success on the platform. Adaptation of its Epic Games Unreal Engine 4 for iOS is flawless, retaining the same artistic aspect, using some of the tabletop modeling and adaptation of textures, drawing distance, and definition.
There are no dissonant elements, and everything immediately reminds us of console or PC editing, something we thought unthinkable. On more powerful, high-performance devices, video games run very smoothly, with no technical glitches or jerks.
Yes, there’s something splintering in the generation of elements such as houses or trees, and there are a few textures that fall short of the usual, but we’re talking about an almost flawless mobile adaptation.
Performance
We played in an iPhone X The high-end phone and Apple’s title were always smooth, with a solid, consistent frame rate, excellent definition, and response. No input lag issues or jerks that take us out of the experience, something we’re not sure will continue as the game opens up to more handsets and operating systems.
In some games, especially in the early days, we’re noticing some lag issues something we believe has been corrected over the days. In general terms, both 4G and 3G as in Wifi, Fortnite Battle Royale has a fast, efficient, and very stable online connection to the servers, but consumes the battery in an insane way: a 60-minute session drained that of our terminal by 70% with average brightness.
Fortnite Battle Royal: A War Mobile Game Success
We don’t have too many doubts: Fortnite Battle Royale will also be a hit on cell phones. Its closed test has already broken records and billed millions of dollars without officially leaving on Android, and the phenomenon has even become a problem in American schools and institutes.
Epic Games has in its hands a video game of those to mark time, and if in consoles and PC, it devastated thanks to its free, addictive, arcade and fun proposition, on mobile is destined to repeat the game. A real must-have that you must try and that, from Vandal, we highly recommend.
