You and 99 other players are dropped on an island with the simple goal of outlasting all of them and being the last one standing. That’s the basic gist of “Fortnite’s” battle royale mode.

“Fortnite” was originally a cooperative game that focused on building structures and killing zombies, but it became widely popular for its battle royale mode.

It’s easy to see the appeal of such a simple idea; you’re left to fend for yourself, gather resources and use your wits or aggression to survive until the end. Getting killed in the first few minutes of a match can get annoying, but surviving until there are only a few players left is just as satisfying as it is tense.

If being a lone wolf isn’t your thing, the game also has squad and duo modes where you can team up with friends or strangers. Playing with other people gives the game a different feel, it’s a lot more relaxed and fun than playing alone.

It gives the game more versatility, instead of worrying about winning the match. You can see which of your friends can survive the longest or just experiment with the building mechanics.

The art gives the game personality. The island is bright and colorful, characters look like something out of a Saturday morning cartoon and little details, like flying out of a rocket bus in the beginning of every match, add to the charm.

Characters can be customized, but every cosmetic item costs real money. The battle royale mode is free so charging for cosmetics is forgivable. But it would have been nice to have a basic amount of character customization without having to pay.

“Fortnite” is played entirely in third person which means you’ll always have a view of your character and a decent idea of your surroundings.

Having good gun control is harder to pull off in third person games and the shooting in “Fortnite” isn’t that great. The shotguns feel good to use in close quarters, but assault rifles, SMGs and handguns all lack impact. Even getting head shots with sniper rifles, while usually fatal, isn’t very satisfying.

Technically “Fortnite” is still in early access which means the version everyone is playing now isn’t the final version of the game.

It’s odd to give a score to a game that’s free and in early access, but there’s enough in the game to where it feels like a whole experience. If had to give a score to “Fortnite’s” battle royale mode I’d give it three stars. It’s simple and fun, but its core combat lacks polish and it’s the main focus of the game.

Ulises Duenas can be reached at [email protected] or @OrionUlisesD on Twitter.