I haven't been a Fortnite lifer or anything, but imo that back half of Chapter 3 (after they rolled out Zero Build along with Apex-style mantling) is the best this game has ever been. So, Chapter 4 had a lot riding on it. I think this new season hasn't quite gotten back to that highwater mark yet, but they're still doing a great job making every weekend feel a little different from the last.

The new island is nicely put-together, and does feel like three separate zones instead of one big funnel. Because of that layout, though, the spiciest locations are farther off-center now, which can be interesting but oftentimes also a letdown. (I can't count how many times I've almost cleared out Brutal Bastion only to have to dip from the last firefight as the storm rolled in, making all those sweat and tears seem like a wasted effort.)

I still miss the creative flexibility of last season's Chrome mechanic too, but the mix of new stuff still has a nice, high-chaos feel to it. The dirt bikes are stupid fun, but mostly as a means of fucking around in the mid-game since they're too finicky to have much impact towards the end. Instead, mastering the right-click on the hammer ended up being the big new movement skill this season, but that bounce ability is so powerful in the end game that every last circle comes down to "do you have a hammer, and does it have more charges than the other guy". No? Welp. Sorry, bro. Enjoy your one-shot Deku smash.

Still: friggin' Forknife y'all! It is a good video game!