Fortnite’s latest live event was its strangest yet

Fortnite simply wrapped up its most up-to-date large-scale reside occasion, and it was a wierd one — even by Fortnite requirements. The occasion, dubbed “Fracture,” was meant as a sendoff for Fortnite Chapter 3, and now that it’s over, the sport is down forward of the launch of the subsequent chapter on December 4th, which can introduce not solely a brand new island, however characters just like the witcher himself, Geralt of Rivia.

Earlier than issues kicked off, gamers have been cut up into teams, hanging out on tiny floating islands with little to do however watch a countdown displayed on a TV display screen. (My trio of gamers all sat round roasting marshmallows collectively.) That was adopted by a cutscene by which The Herald, a comparatively new Fortnite character, led an assault of tornadoes, and after a bit of little bit of preventing, a huge chrome model of her appeared, one way or the other leading to the complete island exploding into many, many items.

Following that, gamers discovered themselves floating amongst particles in area, whereas being instructed that “house is gone” proper earlier than the Zero Level — a type of superpowered power supply in Fortnite lore — lassoed collectively a bunch of fragments of the destroyed island in addition to gamers. From there, everybody needed to work collectively to gather power orbs to energy the Zero Level for causes that weren’t fairly clear.

Whereas previous Fortnite occasions have been heavy on motion, whether or not it was a battle in opposition to Galactus or an explosive alien invasion, this one was a bit of extra subdued. At instances it felt like busywork. With a view to energy up the Zero Level, gamers needed to carry out easy duties like constructing a snowman or discovering matching objects to gather power. They might additionally relive temporary flashbacks from previous occasions — just like the mech vs. kaiju battle or the rolling dice — and discuss to a couple NPCs for primary quests. Because the portal powered itself up, extra fragments of the destroyed island would seem.

As soon as the Zero Level was powered up, the occasion shifted to a different cutscene, by which Paradigm — a Fortnite character performed by Brie Larson — appeared to supervise a brand new island being shaped.

The entire thing lasted round 45 minutes, and it lacked the fun of previous occasions. (Nevertheless, identical to its predecessors, it made completely no sense except you’re plugged into Fortnite’s ongoing narrative.) At present, gamers logging in can’t do a lot however stare at a loading display screen with a glimpse of the brand new island within the background. However that received’t final for lengthy: Chapter 4 is because of launch on December 4th, and the splash display screen exhibits off plenty of new characters which might be coming, most notably the Doom Slayer and Geralt. The artwork additionally teases the introduction of filth bikes.