Vehicles in Fortnite? The shopping cart and jetpack tease

Fortnite is basking in the spotlight, every week seemingly bringing a new tease, promise, or item. We've seen a huge variety of limited and temporary items in Fortnite: the snowball launcher, Thanos, and more. Fans have long been polarized over whether the game should get vehicles, and Epic has responded with a fun compromise.

Cars and planes, both found in certain competing battle royale games, are absent in Fortnite. Some players have requested the features, saying they'd help break up the monotony and evolve the gameplay. Others challenge that idea, expressing concerns that such vehicles would give lucky players an unfair advantage.

The reality is that Fortnite does have vehicles, just not the type you'd expect...and contrary to some concerns, they've made the game more fun without giving players an excessive edge. The jetpack arrived in recent days as a way for players to fly through the air, at least until their fuel runs out.

New to the game this week is the shopping cart, which was first revealed only days ago. The shopping cart, for those who haven't found one yet, is exactly what it sounds like: an ordinary shopping cart that you can ride in and on. The game element is certainly a vehicle by any standard, but one unlike the cars and tanks that usually dominate these games.

The shopping cart is simple to use: one player can hop in the basket and shoot while their teammate pushes. A single player can ride the back of it, alternating between running and hopping on top of it. Find a hill, run, then hop in and the cart will roll you where you want to go. It's amusing, it's fun, it's sometimes even useful.

The shopping cart is a great addition as a first ride-in vehicle, offering a twist on the gameplay without transforming the core experience. Both the jetpack and the shopping cart put to rest the debate over whether Fortnite will get vehicles, but open the door to a new question: just how crazy will Epic get?