Fortnite‘s original island has finally released, and long-time fans of the game are absolutely loving it. The return to the OG island has players clamoring to queue up with their old squads. It’s always nice to see friendships reunited and new memories made.
“God I hope OG stays as a permanent game mode. I haven’t had this much fun with the game since the actual Chapter 1,” a post on Reddit reads. While several of the commenters are bemoaning how high the skill ceiling has become with regards to building, the aesthetics of the map have been dutifully recreated, down to chest location.
Other fans are excited that the frequency of powerful weapons has decreased. Additionally, features dedicated to mobility are decreased, making it play much more like a traditional battle royale.
The love for the original Fortnite island isn’t a nebulous feeling, either. According to video game industry analyst Mat Piscatella, player counts on consoles are surging.
When combined, that means that 1/3rd of all players who turned on their PlayStation or Xbox console booted up Fortnite to relive their 2018 glory days.
While it’s definitely nice to take a stroll down memory lane, the game mode won’t last forever. Also, there are many features that dedicated players love that they’ll definitely start to miss as time goes on. Already, some players are saying that the map for Zero Build isn’t great and is missing that core battle royale experience with no building to erase poor positioning decisions.
All the same, it has to be nice for more casual players to slow down the breakneck pace that Fortnite has evolved into. The game has added everything from planes to swords to cars to the Infinity Gauntlet over the years, all of which sped up the game considerably. Now, especially in Zero Build, they have time to think and reminisce on what a special time the old Fortnite was for them.