On August 16, Epic Games, the studio behind popular battle royale video game “Fortnite”, released its fourth season of the current chapter to mixed opinions. This season is themed around Marvel, featuring characters like Mysterio and Dr. Doom, as well as new locations and usable items from Marvel. Long-time fans of the game will remember that this isn’t “Fortnite’s” first collaboration with Marvel, as characters like Spiderman and Iron Man were featured in “Fortnite” back in August 2020. Unlike Marvel’s previous spotlight, however, this season is subject to much more controversy due to its gameplay that some see as unfair as well as a theme that lacks novelty.
“I feel kind of disappointed by the new season,” Lambert student and long-time “Fortnite” player Logan Byron said, “There’s not really any novelty, we got Marvel in chapter 2.”
This season doesn’t benefit from the novelty that many other recent seasons have from their unique theming. In fact, a Marvel collaboration has been done before, and with more popular characters like Iron Man, Spiderman, and Doctor Strange.
Some “Fortnite” fans have another issue with this season: balancing.
“This season feels unfair at times,” Byron said. “The new mythics [exclusive items] outclass everything else, and my favorites just don’t match up. I feel like everything I used to love using is obsolete.”
The balancing—how the effectiveness of different playstyles compares to others—seems subpar this season. Some more serious problems include War Machine’s auto-turret and Captain America’s shield, as these items are difficult to counter, giving users a substantial advantage. “Loot inflation,” or, the increase in rarity of in-game items across the board, is another issue this season, as the ease of finding powerful items seems to have been increased with no real downside. This takes away the fun of finding a rare or powerful item and throws off “Fortnite’s” core gameplay loop of progressively becoming stronger as the match progresses.
This season isn’t all bad, however. For one, balancing concerns aren’t unique to this season. Every season has had criticism of poor balance, admittedly to varying extents. Epic Games is usually quick to resolve issues in subsequent updates, meaning fans can expect to have better balancing as the season progresses.
A strength of this season is its excellent theming and design. The new locations added include Doctor Doom’s castle, the doomstadt and The Raft, a high-security prison turned fortress. These locations are incredibly well designed with striking visuals. The Doomstadt is especially iconic, with its tall spires towering over the snowy mountains in which it is nestled.
The characters added in this season are also a strength. Fan-favorite villains like Mysterio and Doctor Doom make an appearance with imposing visuals. Epic Games also introduces its own unique spin on existing characters, like Peelverine, a mash-up of Wolverine and a sentient banana named Peely.
These new features bring “Fortnite’s” signature characters into the world of Marvel. Ultimately, this season may struggle with its gameplay, but its visual design and creative locations still shine. It’s disappointing how the lack of novelty and balancing take away from what could have made this season a great one. This season has the potential to be very memorable, but it’s held back by some core issues. Epic Games may resolve these in future updates, but as it stands, this season feels like a missed opportunity.
