When you think there’s not any more room for BR (battle royale) games, another one emerges! Apex Legends has become the next top dog in the BR coliseum, and gamers can’t get enough of it. However, Fortnite still reigns as the current Battle Royale genre king in terms of popularity. Only time will tell if Apex Legends can dethrone the king in terms of popularity.
Fortnite vs. Apex Legends | All The Key Differences Explained
Nevertheless, what exactly separates these juggernauts?
Fortnite vs. Apex Legends: Visuals Comparison
At first glance, one would assume that both of these games belonged to different genres entirely. Fortnite features an extremely cartoony art style that allows the game to run on every device. The colors in the game are incredibly vibrant, and the world oozes style and personality. Players are immersed in a carefree environment that happens to be supporting a giant deathmatch. The characters that players control don’t have backgrounds but their personality is displayed depending on whatever skin they happen to wear. Honestly, they’re more just skins than characters, but the creativity of the designs is awe-inspiring.
Apex Legends, on the other hand, has a more realistic art style. Being set in the Titanfall universe, the game isn’t necessarily going for photorealism, but there is an absolute visual quality that sets the game apart. I would compare the art style to that of the Borderlands series or maybe even Overwatch. The environments within the current map are varied and futuristic but also very recognizable. It’s evident that you’re on a different planet, but structures and the layout feel familiar. The game’s art style strikes a great balance of being hostile yet inviting to the player. In a rare turn of events, nearly every character within the game has a unique design. Similar to Overwatch, you have a cast of characters that are both big and small but very iconic. It also helps that every character has actual dialogue to help flesh out their personalities. Yes, all of them have unique and exciting skins like Fortnite, but that extra layer of detail of them having lore/already existing in this world enhances their visual design.
Fortnite vs. Apex Legends | Gameplay Comparison
The building aspect of Fortnite is perhaps the most significant reason for the game’s success. The game controls well enough as a third-person shooter, but some people take issue with the gunplay within the game. But the main reason that the gameplay in Fortnite stands out is the building. Players are encouraged to gather as many building resources as possible to construct literal forts to defend themselves. Pros of the game can build castles in seconds thanks to the reasonably intuitive controls schemes available. When you combined the decent third-person combat with the creative building aspect, you have the recipe for combat that looks like an M. C. Escher painting. In terms of how the actual royale part of the game function, it’s the typical fair of an ever enclosing circle attempting to consume all of the players. Anyone caught outside of the circle will take damage. The circle does more damage the longer the match continues. The last man or team standing wins the match.
While Apex Legends lacks the building aspect in Fortnite, the game innovates in other ways that push the genre forward. For one, the entire game is focused on team play amongst three person squads, which means that currently, there is no way to queue into a match by yourself.
Apex Legends is a first-person BR game that centers around the abilities of every Legend. Think Overwatch but on a much larger scale. Being that Respawn Entertainment developed this game, the creators of the underrated Titanfall 2, the movement and weapons are very similar to the Titanfall games.
When you consider that this game takes place within the same universe, it makes sense that the characters and guns would feel very similar. However, one key difference with the character movement is that the Legends can’t wall run or double jump. They can only slide to avoid incoming builts over just for the sake of it. Also being that these aren’t pilots, there are currently no Titans in the game. All of this is made up for by the abilities and gadgets that the Legends possess. Whether it’s using a grappling hook or going through another dimension for a few seconds, there’s no shortage of ways quickly escape a situation. Being that the gunplay is very similar to Titanfall 2, the guns naturally feel incredible and varied.
In terms of why this game isn’t just overwatch mashed together with any other BR game, there’s an extreme focus on team play amongst your squad. You and your squad can ping everything in the world from items, locations, and enemies. Pinging anything will make your character give a callout and display a marker on your teammates’ HUD. You’d think this would be a minor feature, but this allows everyone to know where to go, who shoot, and when to loot.
Another innovation is the Jumpmaster system which forces all of the teammates to land in the same area. One player steers the fall, but teammates can break formation if they choose to. This feature lessens the problem of your squad being separated that’s prevalent in other BR games.
In terms of the actual royale mechanics, the game has a circle of doom attempting to consume all players. One major twist is that fallen squadmates can be brought back from the dead is their chip is collected and brought to a respawn beacon. There’s a time limit of how you have to recover their chip but this addition changes up the formula in a significant way. Players knocked outta of the fight early have a chance to return and remain invested despite being defeated in combat.
Fortnite vs. Apex Legends | Which Is Better?
Were you hoping that I wouldn’t give a cop-out answer? Well sorry to disappoint…but both games are great in their own ways. Say whatever you want about Fortnite but the building aspect and accessibility of the game is unmatched in terms of BR games. However, Apex Legends does have many features that improve on the formula and offers games and more team-based experience. It really depends on what you’re seeking out of a BR game so I can’t objectively say that one is better than the other. However, being that both games are free-to-play, download both of them and decide for yourself which is the true king of the BR genre!
