Rating: 4/5 stars

The teasers started to pour in around Oct. 7. Fortnite released a press release stating, “We are still focused on shipping our must-success initiatives: the next Fortnite Season and Chapter 5.” The statement also said their schedules remained in place. It’s weird how they described the next Fortnite season, but it seemed not to mean much. Three days later, a teaser image was released, picturing a time machine with the date Sept. 12, 2018. It’s official: we are going back five years to the peak of Fortnite, Chapter 1: Season 5.

Now, for those who don’t play Fortnite, that means nothing. Yet, for those who do, this means everything.

When you drop into the original Fortnite Map, you can’t help but return to a simpler time in your life. The feeling of being able to drop at some of their favorite locations where their friends would land and drop again is unique. Whether you want to see the Durr Burger Restaurant in Greasy Grove, Clock Tower in Titled Towers or Golf Course at Lazy Links, every named Point of Interest your childlike heart desires is here. Even the more popular no-name locations like the soccer field near Tilted, the dance club near Flush Factory, the movie studio near Junk Junction and the villain & superhero lairs on the west and east sides of the map, respectively, everything feels just so familiar and recognizable. 

The new accessories feel satisfying to hit shots with. Also, the return of vehicles, including All Terrain Karts (golf carts) and shopping carts, gives a strong sense of fast but not-too-fast mobility to get around the vast world.

The menu screens and music have also been revamped. The background for the lobby is ripped from Season 4, and the design of the Item Shop returns to a small offering of skins and cosmetics to buy instead of the pages among pages to scroll through that current Fortnite chapters have. The original lobby music has been reworked, with a new track titled “The Re-OG,” produced by Grammy-nominated producer Metro Boomin (“Heroes & Villains”).

According to Fortnite, Nov. 4 was the biggest day in Fortnite history by player numbers, with over 44.7 million players jumping in and 102 million hours of play. At one time, a record 6.1 million people joined the servers, all playing Fortnite at once, a record high. The people who once said they would never return to the game enjoy playing once more and re-connecting with people they had not talked to in quite a while.

The game is full of life once again, and you would be reminded not to jump out of the Battle Bus with either a group of friends or by yourself. In the great words of Jonesy in the Chapter 2: Season 5 trailer, “What are you waiting for? The hunt is on…”

Image from Fortnite via YouTube.com