Fortnite has begun its new season with a one-off single-player sequence, Zero Crisis Finale. The 10-minute mission acts as a coda to last season’s shenanigans, as well as a leap forward in Fortnite’s storytelling ability overall.
In the past, Fortnite has nudged its plot along through season-ending live events that bring buckets of spectacle and typically doom swathes of its map. But avenues for more intricate storytelling have been limited, with players typically left as a distant audience to the events unfolding around them. More recent events have added in a smattering of dialogue and player interaction, but this has been few and far between.
All of that changes with the playable Zero Crisis Finale and its three minute introduction cinematic, below, that sets the scene:
In short, Agent Jones is trying to save the Zero Point – the orb which acts as both the Fortnite reality’s power source and pathway between dimensions. When the Zero Point gets destroyed, things like black holes happen.
Jones’ plan is to break bad and call upon The Seven, Fortnite’s mysterious collective which helped usher in the game’s black hole and reality rebirth last time around. This plan sounds very bad to Jones’ boss (who through subtitles we now know is named Doctor Slone). Jones and Slone work for a group of suited agents whose job is to keep the Fortnite reality running smoothly – a mission which seems at odds to The Seven, who have other ideas.
Using his Rift Gun, Jones summons a new member of The Seven named The Foundation. As is customary, he arrives via an asteroid. As perhaps expected, he doesn’t seem pleased to see Jones:
“Genō! I can get you to Genō!” Jones frantically says to save himself.
“And the sisters?” The Foundation replies. (Nope, we have no idea yet who Genō and the sisters are.)
“I can get you all of them. But I need your help to fix ,” Jones says, gesturing to the broken Zero Point. The Foundation agrees to the deal.
So begins the Zero Crisis Finale mission proper, which sees The Foundation attempt to stabilise the Zero Point while you quickly seal up portals. This involves aiming your Rift Gun at portals to close them up “like a zipper”, while zapping around the island as it changes in real-time. You’re guided by Jones, who is temporarily transformed into a Navi-like butterfly – a reference Fortnite fans will surely love.