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Epic Games' Early Access Game Fortnite: A Fun and Clever Mix That Will Take Up More Time Than You Think

So, someone who has no idea that I am some sort of Internet blog-journalist-gamer-reviewer (I like to mix genres, okay) gave me a free key for the Early Access of a new game from Epic Games, Fortnite.  It's a... game where you gather materials, build forts, and then defend them from zombies.  You also attach weather balloons to vans, build possibly alien technology to combat zombies, and power things with blue goo.  And I thought I liked to mix genres....  Anyway, the game is fun, and does not take itself particularly seriously.  Except in the excellence of the mechanics.

Building is fluid and simple, the harvesting mechanic is fun, the heroes and survivors all look different and interesting, and shooting/stabbing/burning/launching zombies is just as much fun as you think it will be.  The only thing I do not like is the minimap, which can be very confusing especially when searching for mission items in a party.  It's possible I am just directionally challenged, but I would like clearer markers on where I should be going, especially when I am in a random party with people who don't answer questions.

And sometimes, your walls will come with decorations.
The starter Hero is a female soldier named Ramirez.  All Hero types come in both male and female versions, and the game has a wide variety of body types assigned to each class.  Soldiers are soldier shaped.  Constructors are big bodied, Ninjas are wiry, and Outlanders (techies) are kinda scrawny.  The art style is very cute and the musical minigame of chopping down trees/breaking boulders efficiently is a clever way to break the monotony.  And the zombies kind of look like they escaped from Plants vs Zombies and got an upgrade.  Also, Lobbers are the worst.  The worst!

Anyway, in a few days I will have to rebuild my entire fort because it is a mess and I didn't realize how far Lobbers could reach.  So kudos to you, people of Epic Games, for making a really fun gathering-building-zombie tower defense-card collecting co-op game.
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