Fortnite has evolved from a tower-defense survival game to the world’s most popular battle royale, virtual concert host, and developer playground. Now Epic Games is introducing a new title into the groundbreaking Fortnite ecosystem: Fortnite Festival, Rocket Racing, and LEGO Fortnite.
We had the opportunity to get an early hands-on experience to get a small, yet very promising taste of Epic’s new offering to the world of Fortnite.
Fortnite Festival
Harmonix is bringing its musical chops to the masses with Fortnite Festival. This rhythm game, integrated into the Fortnite ecosystem for free, gives players tons of songs to sink their teeth into with multiple control modes, ways to play, and multiplayer opportunities.
The main stage of Fortnite Festival paired me with a band of other players to perform a concert for our adoring fans. Each player takes a different instrument, including bass, lead guitar, drums, or vocals. Performers play along in a tried-and-true music rhythm game experience, pressing the corresponding left, right, square, and circle buttons on the DualSense controller to the beat. The setlist includes popular artists like The Weeknd, Lady Gaga, Nine Inch Nails, and many more. Harmonix promises more songs will be featured in the item shop as well.
Fortnite Festival has undeniable pick-up-and-play appeal Jumping in to play a few songs for a short burst of joy is fun and easy. The four varying difficulties also offer experienced rhythm game players deeper challenges. Throw in a group of friends and you’ve got a recipe for musical fun.
The secondary mode of Fortnite Festival is a Jam Stage. Players can select a list from their owned songs and jump into a jam session. Here they select from the vocals, lead, drums, or bass of these songs and combine them with the pieces selected by other players and find the perfect remix.
Go on your Fortnite Festival tour on December 9.
Rocket Racing
Developer Psyonix takes the groundwork set in Rocket League and injects jet-powered racing madness into the Fortnite ecosystem. Whether you’re in it for the thrills or to become the first professional racer in this new game, there’s a ton to enjoy here.
Rocket Racing is easy to pick up and play yet has a high-skill ceiling, something familiar to fans of Epic’s Fortnite and Rocket League. While the goal is getting first place, how you get there is what sets Rocket Racing apart from the pack. Players can jump, fly, turbo boost, and drive on walls and ceilings. Rocket Racing is all about carving your own optimized path through the course.
The level of driving freedom in Rocket Racing opens up tons of playstyle choices. “Should I air drift here?” “Is there a turn-skip possible here using the jump?” “Where should I use the turbo booster?” “Is it faster to drive on the ceiling, the wall, or on top of this tube?”
Your driving freedom can be unleashed thanks to customizable car options. Rocket Racing allows players to fully edit rides and also drive then in Fortnite’s flagship Battle Royale mode. What’s more, rides you’ve collected in Rocket League will also be drivable in Rocket Racing.
You can hit the track and find your drive for free on December 8.
LEGO Fortnite
LEGO Fortnite introduces the creativity of LEGO to Fortnite’s virtual canvas. The new free-to-play game lets players stretch their imagination, whether it’s creating the ultimate LEGO world or venturing out to the mysterious bricky unknown. Adventures come in two flavors: Survival and Creative.
Survival throws players into a world where the goal is to become an explorer and innovator. This mode is all about taking a multitude of LEGO playsets, combining them, and making a massive play experience. The world is wonderfully huge and presents enticing possibilities that keep your creative juices and sense of adventure flowing. It always feels like there’s something new to discover and progress toward, whether it’s unlocking a new lava-filled underground biome or finding a giant rock-covered desert creature.
Another main goal in Survival is to create your village, complete with tool-creating machinery, crops, and villagers to work jobs. The village system shines here with you unlocking more villagers to grow your settlement and eventually adventure on your behalf. Your imagination may lead to builds beyond simple towns, like perhaps a flying fortress held up by balloons, or a buoyant settlement floating on the sea.
Creative mode ratchets up imagination further, presenting players with a complete sandbox to play in. The amount of freedom in crafting here is wild. Creation mirrors your real-life LEGO options, either following instructions for a preset build or freestyle crafting something original from the ground up? The game physics are a delightful blend of grounded and cartoonish. Big builds might wobble under their own weight like in real life, whereas explosions send bricks flying dramatically.I’m excited to see what types of complex contraptions players create with this impressive toolset.
You can play both of LEGO Fortnite’s modes for free in Fortnite starting today.
