Are there too many first-person shooters? What I can assure you is that some have not endured too much in the face of saturation and, as players, it is impossible to keep up with half, of half of those who deserve our increasingly valuable time. In conclusion, we have to be selective with what we play. With that established, Fortnite Ballistic is Epic Games' answer to that dilemma. It is included in Fortnite itself and is a firm step towards a greater plan.
To begin with, the tactical and team shooter Ballistic It is a separate experience from Battle Royale in the same way that LEGO Fortnite or Rocket Racing are, but technically it is not independent, and that gives it an advantage over other games: as soon as we start the game we find all the costumes, accessories, gestures and others that we have treasured playing Fortnite since 2017. In other words: in each round Chewbacca, Goku, Deadpool and Lionel Messi are left to kill each other.
A seized opportunity or a lesser experience? Neither one thing nor the other. If it's been too long since you stopped by Fortnite and it tempts you to return to this tactical shooter It is worth having three clear ideas:
- For some time now, the idea of only offering great Battle Royale was abandoned in favor of giving players a video game platform.
- On the other hand, there were already ways to play in first person through the islands and the deep community of creators that bring variety to this platform based on Unreal Engine.
- and -about the previous two- Fortnite Ballistic debuts on PC, consoles and mobile phones as early access. And that is noticeable both in the content and in many control decisions.
That is, even though Fortnite's Tactical FPS It has approximately one and a half million costumes and appearances (I'm exaggerating), there is only a single game map and the option to participate in competitive or casual matches. It is, for all intents and purposes, a version still in development. A beta? Definitely not. It's a litmus test for the idea, but the lessons learned since the game's launch are present.
However, and this is crucial, you can continue to progress and claim Battle Pass rewards through Fortnite Ballistic. So you don't have the feeling of being a “tester” for a temporary mode, but are instead given the option to carry all your progress over to a team-based play style that isn't intended to be revolutionary, but works great outside of Fortnite.
How to play Fortnite Ballistic
I summarize the central premise of Ballistic in a single sentence: Fortnite dresses up as Valorant to give its players variety. You choose your favorite skin, are paired with other players, and thrown into a single competitive map designed to be played in first person with Battle Royale weapons and controls that are a direct extension of Fortnite. Either to run, crouch or use whatever you have in your inventory.
With that established, Fortnite Ballistic It is not a “kill-kill” with arcade elements, nor is it an Overwatch-style Hero Shooter, although it shares both ideas and takes them to the field of tactical shooters: you have only one life per roundwithout respawns, and before starting each round you can redeem the credits earned during the game by eliminating other players or for achievements in a store with weapons, shields, accessories…
As it is early access, the number of shotguns, rifles and consumables is limited, but not much more is needed on the part of those proposed: the games are fast and dynamic and there are two clear objectives in order to win and depending on our role:
- If we are in the attacking side We must place and activate an explosive at any of the two points on the map to win or eliminate all the defenders.
- If we are in the defenders' side We must prevent the explosive from being activated at all costs, eliminating the carriers or protecting the map. Logically, if we eliminate the attackers we will also win.
The games of Fortnite Ballistic They are fast and, since there are no champions, heroes or operators, but rather aspects imported from the rest of the experiences of Fortnite (including Battle Royale), there are also no unique abilities regardless of whether we are Naruto, Spider-Man or a Street Fighter fighter.
As for the map itself, called Horizonte 10the truth is that it barely distances itself from the essential: it has a decoration inspired by themes from ancient and modern Japan, with warehouses, Sushi shops, loading areas… But its design barely distances itself from what we have already been able to see. see in other maps of the style Valuing from Riot Games. Because, for all intents and purposes, that is the path that Epic Games has decided to follow.
The reason for Ballistic (and what it has to do with Unreal Engine 6)
In Fortnite Ballistic You won't find the tension and gunfights of Valuingbut its game formula. They also don't put Call of Duty's gunplay ahead of you or mix inherit tactical shooter ideas with Battle Royale like Apex Legends could do. And, to be fair, removing the aspects and decorative elements that we already have, the content that is available in its early access (maps, weapons, modes, etc.) is very far from Counter Strike. However, Epic Games' goal is not to surpass each of them in their field, but rather to compete with all of them at the same time.
Fortnite Ballistic is an independent experience within the Epic Games video game platform built around Fortnite. And although it is still finding its own identity, the reason for being is so that we don't close the Battle Royale and go to another game to look for team shootouts with friends or on our own. Above all, when the Fortnite Battle Pass is unified and we will continue to move forward through it.
In other words: the new great priority of Epic and the majority of large developers is to retain the user in their game, so they compete head-on for the amount of time they dedicate to their proposals. Something complex, since the number of hours we have of leisure per day is limited and in addition to games as a service we have the possibility of playing classics and new releases.
Thus, the purpose of Fortnite Ballistic is that we continue playing Fortnite instead of moving after a couple of games to any other tactical shooter. Logically, this would translate into more options to tempt us with more amortizable Battle Passes and subscriptions or get that aspect of the store that, perhaps we didn't see the fun in the battle Royale, but we are looking forward to showing in this team shooter.
And what does all of the above have to do with Unreal Engine 6? In October 2024, plans were established for a project that aims to be much more than a video game engine: the idea is not only to improve visual or physics technology, but to create interoperable assets. Elements for a great gaming platform that we can bring to all the experiences proposed, regardless of what systems we play on.
“The real power will come when we bring these two worlds together so we can combine all the power of our high-end game engine with the ease of use we bring together in [Unreal Editor para Fortnite ]. That will take several years. And when that process is complete, it will be Unreal Engine 6.”
Of course, Fortnite Ballistic must evolve much more in order to have a complete and competitive vision against Valuing o Counter Strike. The path involves introducing more battle royale weapons, new modes, more scenarios… Achieving both satisfactory gameplay and well-planned gratification in the face of rewards. And although what is shown is just the tip of the iceberg, it must be recognized that Epic Games has clear ideas. For now, the first round behind this initiative has already been won.
In iGamesNews | I already played the best battle royale and extraction mode long before Fortnite, Warzone and Escape From Tarkov. Now it's abandoned
