I Played Fortnite In Disneyland's Game Mode, And Now I Need To See More

I’ve been a gamer for literally as long as I can remember. I remember getting the Nintendo Entertainment System for Christmas the year it came out, but I don’t remember getting the ColecoVision before that. It was just always there. That said, between work and family, I haven’t had the time to really play anything in a long time. My time largely away from the video game space matches almost exactly with video game culture getting consumed by a single game, Fortnite. As such, while it feels like everybody has played Fortnite, including the lady who runs the daycare for my kid I had literally never touched it until extremely recently.

Yesterday, it was announced that Disneyland was coming to Fortnite, and not in a small way. A new Disneyland Game Rush mode was added to the platform today, and as CinemaBlend’s resident theme park expert, it would be malpractice of me not to check it out. So I have now done that, and I have to say I’m kind of digging it.

Disneyland Game Rush Is A near Perfect Blend Of Video Game And Theme Park Experience

Disneyland Game Rush puts players through up to six competitive minigames based on Disneyland attractions. In between each game, you’re transported to a hub world that resembles the Disneyland Resort Esplanade, complete with the massive music box display you’ll find there right now as part of the Disneyland 70th anniversary celebration. There, you can explore, answer Disneyland trivia questions, and purchase special cosmetic items with the tokens you collect through the area. The earworm that is the Jonas Brothers' “Celebrate Happy” is here, so now that’s stuck in my head again.

The highlight is honestly at the end, when the games are over and you get a finale dance party. Another excellent piece of the Disneyland 70th, “Makes Me Wanna Move,” is played here while fireworks go off and everybody lets their emotes fly in a Disneyland dance party I haven’t experienced since the Mad T Party left Disney California Adventure.

I’ll be honest, there are a lot of reasons I never bothered to play Fortnite before, the main one being that competitive multiplayer shooters just aren’t my thing. But somewhat surprisingly to this noob, this isn’t that. I’m having a lot more fun with it.

I'm Excited For The Future Of Disney And Epic

When Disney first bought its stake in Epic, the company promised something bigger than just games. We were promised worlds. This is a promising first step on that road, enough to make me excited for whatever comes next.

Disneyland Game Blast in Fortnite reminds me of playing Disneyland Adventures, a game that was a remarkably accurate reproduction of Disneyland, with minigames spread throughout. I do find myself wishing I could explore the park more. Major Disneyland landmarks like the Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, and Mickey’s Pal-A-Round are visible from the hub world, but all just out of reach. I want to get there.

I certainly feel that, as a proof of concept, this works. It’s probably not going to be enough to keep serious Fortnite players busy, but Disneyland fans, I’m sure, will find some fun in it. And if this is just the beginning of what Disney and Fortnite will offer, it could become something great.