Battle Royale Games: I Finally Get It

Ever since PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, the Battle Royale game type has started cropping up all over the place. Of course, this isn’t the first time last-man-standing modes were put into games, but PUBG made them extremely popular thanks to Twitch. My first experience with these sort of games was in Minecraft with its Hunger Games-inspired servers, each with their own twists depending on the server. Thanks to Fortnite having a free Battle Royale mode on PS4 and Xbox One, I think I understand why these have gotten so popular.

Let’s start simple, using Fortnite as the main example, but I will likely mention a few other games in the process. Fortnite, as well as most battle royale games, have a simple set of mechanics that are made more complex by things like items and weapon varieties. Anyone who has been playing games for a while, can likely pick up Fortnite and run with it.

Using myself as an example, I learned to play in the first couple hours. A friend of mine was already learning high level strategies and tips in his first day. Really, the only complex side of Fortnite is the building aspect, which is what many late game players end up relying on. Knowing how to build and do it quickly can save one’s life in the game. The interface, while it may not be perfect, is easy to understand and it doesn’t take long to figure it all out.

Actually playing is a multiplayer treat as everything is player driven. This creates interesting choices from the very outset when choosing where to drop on the map. Watching other players drop also adds to those layers of choices. Do I drop early and get a head start? Or should I start at a less popular area to avoid the initial onslaught?

So all of these players are working towards a single goal, being the last one alive. Of course this changes with addition of squads. Going in as a team of at the most four changes the whole way the game plays. After my first evening with Fortnite, I was confident on knowing what was happening, but joining my friends as a squad made the game exponentially more fun.

One of my usual squadmates in just about every game, Zach who I met in college, gave his thoughts on learning Battle Royale through Fortnite. "I was interested in the Battle Royale format for a long time, but I mostly feared it wouldn't be done right. By that I mean in a way that would keep people coming back to it."

There are tons of options to fight in Fortnite, in an ever randomized arena that is awesome. Then the building aspect takes a whole new spin on things making a 3D area, fighting on mini scales was a big factor for bringing me back. While it seems that a lot of the best players can build and fight. It doesn't define it. Using either strategy, or both, can get you the wins."

Zach also felt that the random weapon drops helps keep things interesting and balance things a bit. "Sometimes you're just given a royal flush from jump and that's all you need. The short intermission between games also helps; it's one of the faster games I've played, and one of the most anxiety inducing as well."

Another player I tend to run with is Tanner, another college friend of mine. He, too, tried to explain what makes Battle Royale so rewarding and addicting, saying, "The games are so rarely the same, you can play as aggresively or sneakily as you want. The lobbies are quick loading, the loot is dynamic, and the way you're dropped in forces you to diversify where you land."

Good squads end up relying on trust to be effective. Playing like this made for one of the best co-operative experiences I’ve played since Monster Hunter.

Those playing aren’t the only ones who would find a Battle Royale fun though, the audience whether in the same room or online can easily get sucked into the drama of it all. Visually, it’s really easy to figure out what’s going on and seeing someone narrowly escape death or take out an opponent is as much of an adrenaline rush for the viewer as it is the player.

Lastly, whether playing as a squad or alone, Fortnite and other Battle Royale games are filled with tension. Not knowing what’s over the next hill, watching the overall player count drop, making it to the top ten, all of this fuels a fire deep within that keeps things interesting. Even after playing almost eight hours straight, I couldn’t wait to jump back in, because next time something would be different.

Overall, I’m glad that a lot of developers are toying with this budding genre, even if the idea is quickly becoming a trope in the industry. Even Dying Light is said to be getting a Battle Royale mode, which is a huge surprise. For those who haven’t gotten a chance to play in this style of multiplayer, I recommend giving Fortnite a try. At the very least, the Battle Royale mode is free to play and many streamers are already jumping ship to make it their main game.