KitGuru Games: Fortnite’s fundamental flaws have been fixed

At launch, Fortnite’s controls were serviceable, but for a multiplayer game featuring 1v1 combat situations, the game felt stiff. This stiffness was itself a function of multiple points of failure, namely animations, frame rate and control customisability.

I was a console player when Fortnite first launched, and so I witnessed – and was a part of – the game’s journey on console. Fortnite today is one of the most customisation-friendly and accessible games when it comes to controls. No matter your system, be it PlayStation, Switch or even Android, you will now have access to and can adjust your controller’s analogue stick response curve; button hold times adjustable to the millisecond, adjustable sensitivity for every different direction, fully customisable gyro aiming for controllers with such hardware support…you get the picture. There are near infinite levels of customisation, letting you take complete control of your game’s responsiveness. A responsive feeling game also needs to perform well on a technical level however.

While I have played many 30fps games which feel superb to control, Fortnite’s original frame rate on consoles alongside the subpar customisation (at the time) made for a deadly combination – literally. As Epic Games improved their own engine, the team managed to squeeze more and more juice out of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. They started first by allowing players to unlock the frame rate if they desired – though results were less than stable. Eventually however they managed to achieve a smooth and stable 60fps, making it the new default on most consoles.

As hardware has gotten better, Epic Games have continued to improve the game’s stability across all devices (even managing to keep finding new ways to optimise the Switch version. The shift over to Unreal Engine 5 has only done the game good – offering a AAA-looking game utilising modern and forward-facing technologies all the while running at smooth and optimised frame rates. The final element in this trifecta of control is the huge leap in animation quality seen throughout all aspects of character control.

Fortnite’s initial presentation of character animation was passable, offering decently smooth motion with enough of a cartoony bounce to match the game’s art style. The popularity of Fortnite's emotes undoubtedly helped Epic Games in the animation department, ultimately leading towards much more pleasing visual motion. As each new in-game mechanic was introduced, a new animation needed to be made.

Over time, the newer animations were visibly more polished than the game’s launch set, so Epic Games went back and revamped many of the core game animations, from chugging a potion to deploying a parachute, making sure that every element of interaction feels natural. Each new animation is imbued with so much more personality, but also variety, and in combination with new gameplay mechanics, the game is as dynamic to look at as it is to play.

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