Fortnite Chapter 2 Remix: My Thoughts and Impressions

So the new thing Fortnite seems to want do now is have a sort of “reboot/remake” and now “remix” of a classic season from the days of yore. This type we’re hitting Chapter 2 and an iconic map that I have never played before. I didn’t play this season the first time around, so I can’t really tell you what’s that different. What I can tell you is that it is pretty cool, it is pretty fun and even though I’m still getting used to the map, I like the map. You can definitely see how older Fortnite was just a little different. Maybe a little more unique. Less branding, less Avengers and Stormtroopers and more Midas and iconic Fortnite characters.

One thing that stands out is the older aesthetic. The cars look older, the buildings feel less modern. More old timey 50s type shit. I don’t hate it. I like the vibes. Brings me back to like early college, late high school. What an era. In terms of the new things they’ve added (because the game has evolved), I think they blended this stuff together well. I like how there’s less clutter and medallions this and medallions that and obviously not as much overbearing plot elements in the day to day. I mean this will be shorter season, so that’s to be expected, but still, I think it fits and feels like a breather from a very mechanic heavy year of Fortnite. No hyperjump swamps, no insane movement items, nothing that overly changes the game loop.

So here’s the new map. As you can see, these are some pretty big names. Pleasant Park, Retail Row, The Yacht, dare I say Slurpy Swamps. These are locations that I vaguely remember that should probably me more nostalgia but I am glad to see them back. I do wonder if the reception is a little muted this time compared to last season when they Fortnite OG, but no one seems to hate it. I’ve certainly enjoyed it.

Gameplay wise you can definitely subtle differences in the design philosophy they had back then. It feels less wide open and the areas feel a little more uniform. Whereas this whole year has been about contrast in the map, this season definitely reigns in the biome count. I mean yes, there’ s a swamp and cliffs and a beach and a lake but it doesn’t feel like some sort of climate change related mashup as the rest of the seasons this year did. The Weeping Woods are probably my favorite. The vibes are immaculate, duh, but also the terrain and design encourage more unique and prolonged firefights in my opinion.

Snoop Dogg, Ice Spice, Eminem and Juice Wrld are supposedly in this season. I’ve only seen Snoop Dogg so far, but it’s hard to miss him. He hangs out in the DoggPound and wreaks havoc with his boss weapon, which is very powerful golden Drum Gun. I like this POI a lot. It’s very unique in this more old fashioned map, but it doesn’t feel very out of place. I also like that you can disguise yourself as a henchmen. It adds a fun little Hide N Seek element to this area that can help you get the jump on other players or help you make an escape if things get out of hand.

They also have boats this season, which flows well with how there’s a little water system throughout the whole map. You can theoretically cut across the whole map by boat. It’s a great add to the game and helps open up the possibilities of this map. It’s well balanced out by the lack of crazy movement items. Movement in general feels more economical in it’s treatment and you can’t zip around this map as easily as you could previous ones from this year.

They also changed up Reload, changing the map to an Oasis, with a nice desert theme that adds some contrast to the Battle Royale map. I like this map much better than the previous Reload map and it feels more unique and better suited to that game mode. It’s more open but still has plenty of buildings and POIs to hide in and run around in. They also added a solo mode. It’s not perfect, but it works and now does exist, which is obviously a step in the right direction. It is one of the issues Fortnite has, which is that you can do so much with it that the Paradox of Choice makes any set of rules have some sort of niche issue. But, that’s fine. It’s still fun.

Here’s a picture of the new Reload map. I really like the design and aesthetic. It flows nicely and looks organic. Again, lots of water. Boats could work here too, though they aren’t in this mode. Which is a shame. I kinda think vehicular combat has a lot more potential than maybe it gets credit for. I mean “Wrecked” was my favorite season this year because of this and I hope we see a return to it soon. But yeah, a nice balance in elevation and terrain. It’s a versatile map that allows for various combat styles. Not too cluttered but still retains some suburban elements that have defined Fortnite since it’s inception.

I’m gonna be honest, that’s really all I want to cover today. Just my personal impressions. I’ve enjoyed this season so far. It’s not my favorite. I definitely not as nostalgic as some and I can’t nerd out over it the way I could if I’d played it originally. But it’s not a dip in quality. It’s just something new (or in this case something old revived as new). It’s a pleasant little two month trip down memory lane with a lot of QoL changes, some good, some not as optimal. But that’s the beauty of Fortnite. It’s always changing and evolving. For better or worse, it will never be the same game it was 3 years ago or even 3 months ago. That’s “Games As A Service” for you. But, it’s still nice to see what’s Epic’s cooking, because it’s usually good.