Image Credit: Vocal Media
Fortnite Chapter 2: Season 2
Season 2 revolved around the concept of spies. Fortnite organized Season 2 in a totally new way. Instead of the usual Battle Pass screen, we were given a whole room full of goodies to explore. Daily Challenges are now Daily Assignments and are found on a billboard to one side of the vast room. In the center is a huge virtual map of the Fortnite island, which functions as your Challenges tab, whereas the actual Battle Pass screen is a giant screen behind the map. Other than that, there are three rooms you can enter (Deadpool, the Agents, and Maya) and a section for the new Spy Games.
The Cast
Instead of just giving us new characters on the Battle Pass, Epic Games gave us actual characters to do missions for. There was even a choice of extra colors each time you unlock a character. I am a massive fan of the Fortnite characters, so here’s a rundown of the new Agents:
- Brutus — your stereotypical goon. He can be found in The Grotto with his beloved minigun.
- TNTina — a cool gal who enjoys blowing things up. Find her at The Rig.
- Meowscles — the adorable calico cat from The Yacht, who is now relegated to the Box Factory because of Deadpool.
- Skye — a young Arthurian character with a cute companion (Ollie). Skye had us all searching swords in stones and coastal campsites. Her usual haunt is The Shark.
- Midas — the dashing gent who literally turns what he touches to gold in-game. His domain is The Agency.
We also have to talk about Deadpool. Fortnite has had a Season-length relationship with Marvel this time around, and Deadpool has his own Fortnite challenges for you to complete. He even took over The Yacht and all the supply balloons in the last few weeks of the Season. There have been a lot of Deadpool cosmetics for you to collect – including a skin.
The addition of Maya is a major win for Fortnite. Maya allows players to customize their version of Maya, so she looks unique. There are eight menus to choose from, but each has to be unlocked by completing a challenge first. Once you’ve done that, you can select the option you want, e.g., which hairstyle, from that menu, and it will become a permanent part of your Maya skin. This is an excellent addition to the roster of characters on Fortnite.
Image Credit: PC Gamer
Spy Games
Season 2’s gameplay added even more to the new RPG-like angle Fortnite seems to be going for. The Agents you do missions for along the Battle Pass journey appear on the map as NPC Bosses, surrounded by Henchmen. They are genuinely challenging to beat, but the rewards are worth it. It’s a great balance between difficulty and reward that I’ve been missing in gaming recently. Once you’ve beaten a Boss, you get their keycard, and you can access a Vault full of loot. The problem is not getting killed by the storm while you’re doing all this.
Fortnite also added Secret Passages to the game this time around, letting you zip through dumpsters and Porta Potties into Spy Lairs, or helpfully, away from them. These are great fun, although it feels too easy to escape from a fight sometimes like it might have spoiled Battle Royale a bit.
This Season saw the battle between Ghost and Shadow factions, which gave way to the Spy Games. The Spy Games gave Fortnite fans a new mode to experiment with, as they take each other on in Knockout rounds, or gather intel in a bonkers who-can-get-the-balloon-first bloodbath. The Spy Games were an unnecessary mode. I found them annoying, and Knockout especially was incredibly unfair. As you play Spy Games, you level up your intel, allowing you to choose better gear next time around. I found myself continually being annihilated by people with much better gear. The Spy Games were also around a lot longer than extra modes tend to be. Possibly that led to me being less entertained by them.
New Items
New items added this Season include the Crash Pads, which are fantastic fun but take up space in my inventory I’d rather use for other things. You can also hide in Creepin’ Cardboard boxes, and of course, I have to mention the Choppa.
Choppas are the only new vehicle added this Season, and although the map is frustratingly littered with gorgeous cars, you can’t drive anything except Motorboats. The Choppas are potentially frustrating because you can only fly them, you can’t shoot from them. Personally, I’ve found flying around the map in a Choppa a speedy way to get across the island, which is excellent for challenges.
Is Fornite Still Replayable?
Well, Fortnite is still as addictive as ever, although I have to say they kind of nerfed it when they introduced Chapter 2. It’s easier, it’s much more bubblegum, and it just doesn’t feel the same. It’s lost the atmosphere that made Battle Royale exciting and adrenaline-filled. I have to agree with Ninja when he says that “Fortnite’s boring now.” I think it is geared towards a younger audience now, and I do feel a bit daft playing it sometimes.
As for Season 2, well, there were a lot of new components added, with The Agents and the Spy Games. Other Battle Royale games don’t add nearly enough new concepts to keep their games fresh, whereas you can count on Fortnite to have something new every Season. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s enough. I find myself missing the old map, the old style, and the more intense vibe it had.
Fortnite still boasts big numbers, but the stats released are from significant events, like Travis Scott’s Astronomical Event, which had 12 million players on Fortnite, at the same time. The stats for monthly players haven’t been released in a while, but I highly doubt they are the same as they were before Chapter 2.
Image Credit: Deseret News
Bring Your Friends
As a multiplayer game, Fortnite is still a great choice. It still works as a party game you can play with friends, although it still doesn’t have local co-op. Fortnite is now very kid-friendly, so it will suit everyone in the family (as long as you have enough devices or consoles).
I don’t think Fortnite is still the serious multiplayer game it once was, though. It isn’t that great for a group of adult or teen gamers who are looking for a session of esports or adrenaline-fuelled gaming. With even Ninja getting bored, it seems that Fortnite’s target audience has shifted quite drastically.
Image Credit: Fortnite BR
However, the community is nowhere near as toxic. Squadmates will help you out and share loot, and it definitely feels like all the bull-headed idiots have moved on. I think a lot of the better players have moved on too, though, as the game is much easier. It’s almost too easy to win now, and that takes away from my desire to play it. I wonder if this is why pro players and streamers get bored.
It’s probably controversial, but I think people want to move away from Fortnite now and are reluctant to let go. Season 2 was fun in its own way, but it did nothing to make me passionate about Fortnite again. That said, did we really expect Fortnite to last forever? Surely, we all knew it would come to an end eventually?
Season 2, and actually, the whole of Chapter 2, is fun, but it’s not Fortnite.
Image Credit: Fortnite on Twitter
Graphics Galore
You’ve probably already spotted that I am not the biggest fan of Fortnite’s graphics anymore. They’re getting very cheesy and clearly aiming at a younger market. Fortnite was always on the bubblegum side, but it now feels like some serious candy pop, in design, and it’s not what I want out of my favorite Battle Royale game.
However, the graphics at the Travis Scott event were phenomenal. The giant Travis was fantastic, and the undersea and outer space scenes were excellent. It felt so immersive, and it made me excited about the game again. I particularly loved running about in a town (I forget which one, but it must have been some part of Sweaty Sands, although it looked a lot like Pleasant Park), with this brilliantly rendered giant Travis Scott dancing above me. I now want a game with giants in it.
I still love Slurpy Swamp; I think that’s some beautiful rendering right there. Give me glowy rivers and mushrooms any day. But the new Season 2 stuff really does not do it for me. The Secret Passages were quite poorly done, in particular.
Image Credit: Fortnite Insider
As for the new cosmetics, Fortnite has been slowly offering fewer and fewer cosmetics I actually want, especially on the Battle Pass. I did like the Kaboom stuff, though. As you would expect, I am a massive fan of Meowscles, having a calico myself, but even his items didn’t really do it for me.
A Whole New World For Music
Image Credit: Fortnite Insider
The most significant music element to Fortnite Chapter 2: Season 2 is, of course, Travis Scott’s Astronomical Event.
It gave us whole new possibilities for the world of music within the world of the game. It could also have an impact on future games. If we can have SingStar, why not a virtual concert venue as a game? It would also give graphic artists and game designers a platform.
The lobby music this Season wasn’t particularly special. I think Fortnite should have actual tracks as lobby music items. Maybe there’s a future in Fortnite Music? With tracks and virtual concerts, they’d certainly be making a platform in the music industry.
This Season’s lobby music included things like Bunny Bounce, Limitless, and Spies! Bunny Bounce goes with the emote Bunny Hop. Spies! is the central theme of the Season, with a James Bond type vibe.
I have to admit, the lobby music I like best is still the pirate theme from Chapter One Season 8. It’s the only Fortnite music I can have on consistently without it driving me mad. The Spies! theme goes really well with the Season, though, and it may well be my next favorite.
As someone who uses hearing aids, I wanted to point out the lack of accessibility in Fortnite. Yes, it has subtitles for some things, but as a major game, you’d think it would have more visual cue options for the deaf and hard of hearing, and as of yet, it doesn’t.
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Verdict
In all, I think Fortnite is still fun, still worth a go every now and then, and I still enjoy keeping up with it. There’s always something new, and it’s colorful enough to lift the dark moods we’re all getting right now.
However, I think it is definitely past its prime, and it isn’t the same game it once was. This is a massive shame, and I feel like Fortnite is losing me. On the bright side, though, give it a go. It’s fun, the spies element with the Bosses is brilliant, and Epic Games is truly a pioneer of games technology.
I think Fortnite Chapter 2: Season 2 is an OK game. It doesn’t have the chops it used to have, but as a more fun, less esport-like game for a younger audience, it could still work. It’s still addictive, and the challenges and cosmetics are still popular. Fortnite definitely still keeps people playing, and with Season 3 around the corner, who knows what will come next.
I sincerely hope we get to drive the cars found around the island in Season 3, as well as better music and cosmetics, and more concerts. What do you want from Season 3? Let us know in the comments
Review Summary
To conclude, Fortnite Season 2 is a fun party game, and would probably go down a storm with kids, but it is no longer the game it was. Older players used to the older style will find this uninteresting.
