Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 4: Override dropped today, and for an old-school gamer who grew up counting bits across systems like the NES, TurboGrafx-16, Atari Jaguar and Nintendo 64, it already feels like a dream come true.
This is a season built around the retro-gaming energy and elements that are conspicuously absent from today’s gaming landscape but not forgotten: entering codes into a Game Genie, memorizing button combinations to unlock blood in Mortal Kombat, seeing Silicon Graphics-rendered visuals make Donkey Kong Country look revolutionary on the 16-bit Super NES and watching Sonic the Hedgehog spin dash across the Sega Genesis thanks to the magic of Blast Processing.
Speaking of Sonic, the Blue Blur is actually one of the first unlockable characters on the Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 4 Battle Pass, which already makes the pass feel worth the V-Bucks. But what about the rest of the skins? Here’s my Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 4 Battle Pass review, including which skins stand out, which ones feel like filler and whether the full pass is worth unlocking this season.
Sonic the Hedgehog
As one of the most recognizable video game characters in the world, Sonic the Hedgehog being the first character unlocked in the Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 4 Battle Pass is a major win for fans of the Fastest Thing Alive.
Sonic has been going strong in gaming for 35 years, dating back to his debut in the original Sonic the Hedgehog cartridge for the Sega Genesis in 1991. He has also become recognizable to millions more around the world thanks to his popular movie franchise, which is set to receive a fourth installment in March 2027.
Fortnite’s version of Sonic is noticeably taller than fans may be used to, but that is explained by his in-game description: “This android’s gotta go fast.” That seems to suggest this version of Sonic is a robotic take on the character, potentially connected to Dr. Eggman/Robotnik, who will be available for purchase as part of a bundle later this season.
While it is a little disappointing that the game seems to emphasize that this is not canonically the “real” Sonic the Hedgehog players are spin-dashing around as in Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 4, the decision makes sense. Sega probably does not want its flagship family-friendly mascot running around with shotguns and pistols. (That’s Shadow’s job). It also would not have made much sense to control a pint-sized Sonic in a standard Fortnite match anyway.
Honestly, Sonic’s size works surprisingly well. He feels natural in-game and still captures enough of the character’s speed, attitude and personality to make the skin immediately satisfying to use.
He is also supported by excellent accessories, including a gold Ring harvesting tool, a richly animated and vibrantly colored Tails sidekick and a Tails-themed glider. The glider is especially fun, with Tails’ twin tails spinning like helicopter rotors in signature fashion as players descend onto the island.
Another highlight is Sonic’s alternate Super Sonic style, which transforms him into his electric-yellow form. Better yet, the transformation comes complete with a Chaos Emerald animation beforehand, giving longtime fans another nice detail to appreciate.
Overall, I’m cool with how the Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 4 Battle Pass Sonic the Hedgehog skin turned out. Even though it is technically a robot version of Sonic, the robotic touches are subtle, limited to metallic shoulder pauldrons and ankle bracelets, and some panel lines and mold seams on his trademark red shoes. Other than that, this is still unmistakably Sonic, and fans of the character both young and old should be more than satisfied with the result.
Wrixel
Next up in the Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 4 Battle Pass is Wrixel, a pixelated, blocky character who feels like a clear homage to both Minecraft and Tetris. Wrixel is one of two skin choices players can select after reaching Level 10.
The standard Wrixel style is basically Fortnite’s take on a Steve-like block character, but the real appeal comes from the unlockable Wrixel versions of familiar Fortnite originals, including Fishstick, Drift, Peely and Lynx.
Overall, the Wrixel skins are a fun fit for Chapter 7 Season 4’s video game theme. They are probably not skins I would buy separately from the Item Shop, but as part of the Battle Pass, they are a welcome and creative addition.
Phantom
Where Wrixel feels like Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 4’s homage to Minecraft, Phantom is an even more obvious nod to Ghost from Call of Duty and the shooter genre in general. There is certainly no shortage of masked commando skins in Fortnite already, but sometimes a familiar concept still works when the execution is strong. That is the case with Phantom.
His base style features a slick black-and-red color scheme, an intimidating aviator-style full-face helmet and plenty of ammo pouches and bandoliers. He also has an arctic-themed variant on his second page, along with a Chaos Agent-inspired style that adds a skull design to the helmet and makes the Ghost comparison even harder to miss.
Phantom may not be the most original skin in the Battle Pass, but he is still a strong one. Given Chapter 7 Season 4’s broader video game theme, he feels like a fitting addition and a solid option for players who like tactical, military-style skins.
Bonus observation: Phantom’s loading screen art goes pretty hard, not gonna lie.
Mali
Mali is Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 4’s nod to the fighting game genre, particularly the old-school fighters from the ’90s that I grew up with and obsessed over. Her loading screen is even called “16-Bit Showdown,” and she comes with an emote called “Mali’s Challenge” that features two characters facing off as an announcer shouts, “Fight!” just like the arcade-style match intros from that era.
While 2D fighting games like Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct and even Eternal Champions were the games I grew up with, pumped countless quarters into and still consider some of my favorites of all time, Mali’s actual Fortnite skin feels a little more blocky and 3D-polygonal. In that sense, she evokes revolutionary early 3D fighting games like Virtua Fighter, Battle Arena Toshinden and Tekken even more than the 2D fighters her cosmetics seem to reference.
Visually, Mali feels like a blend of several iconic female fighters from the golden age of fighting games. I see hints of Black Orchid from Killer Instinct, Mai Shiranui from Fatal Fury, Chun-Li from Street Fighter and even Sarah Bryant from Virtua Fighter, especially in the fighting stance she takes during her emote.
I also like Mali’s back bling, which is a clever Meowscles Training Bust complete with bandages on its chest and face. However, I’m lowkey disappointed with the rest of her set. The Serpent Striker pickaxe resembles a pair of blocky dragon gloves, while the Serpent Diver glider features similar blocky dragons spiraling beside her.
Visually, the accessories look fine, but the dragon martial artist motif feels a bit played out, especially since Fortnite has already used that kind of imagery several times before.
Overall, I like the Mali skin and the fighting-game aesthetic she brings to the Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 4 Battle Pass. I just wish the rest of her set leaned a little harder into the arcade fighter inspiration instead of falling back on a familiar dragon motif.
Bastian
I’m basically humming the Legend of Zelda theme as I write this, because Bastian immediately conjured Link vibes the second he popped up on my screen. That is especially true of his base style, which features a green hood and cape, a sword and shield and even cuffed leather boots that make the homage feel pretty hard to miss.
Bastian also has a Midnight Oath style, which shifts him into a mostly black outfit, removes the hood and shield and gives him a dagger held in reverse grip. The result makes him feel less like a bright-eyed fantasy adventurer and more like a dangerous RPG assassin.
As Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 4’s apparent nod to the RPG genre, Bastian gets the job done. He is not a bad skin by any means, but he is not the most memorable one in the Battle Pass either. Still, unless you feel like pairing a holiday elf skin with a sword and shield, Bastian is probably the closest thing we are going to get to a Link-style skin in Fortnite, especially since Nintendo has historically been far less willing to lend its characters to Epic.
K1ttyw1ns
K1ttyw1ns represents the kart-racing side of Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 4’s video game theme, and she feels like a mashup of Vanellope von Schweetz from Wreck-It Ralph, an Octoling from Splatoon and the kind of neon-haired gamer-girl skins Fortnite has leaned into over the past few years.
On her own, K1ttyw1ns is a decent skin. There is nothing glaringly wrong with the design, but I can also see why some players might find her a little generic or unexciting compared to the stronger genre-inspired skins in the Battle Pass.
What helps sell her, though, is the presentation around her. Her animations, especially the ones that send her soaring through power-up rings over a Rainbow Road-inspired contrail or riding an actual go-kart, give the skin much more personality. Without those extras, I might be more inclined to write her off, but as a full kart-racing package, K1ttyw1ns works better than she first appears.
Grace Crowne
Take one heaping spoonful of Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid, add a dose of Sam Fisher from Splinter Cell, then sprinkle in a little Joanna Dark from Perfect Dark, Jill Valentine in her Battle Suit from Resident Evil and Lara Croft from Tomb Raider. The result is Grace Crowne, the Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 4 Battle Pass skin that serves as the season’s ode to tactical espionage action and spy-stealth games.
Much like Phantom feels like an obvious nod to Ghost from Call of Duty, Grace Crowne’s not winning any awards for originality. Still, she is an ahem, solid skin that is executed well, from her sleek bodysuit and four color variants to her dual pistol holsters and multi-vision goggles.
For the older crowd, there also seems to be a little Catherine Zeta-Jones from Entrapment mixed into Grace Crowne’s DNA. Specifically, I’m talking about the famous scene where Zeta-Jones shimmy-crawls beneath a grid of security lasers in a skintight black bodysuit.
Grace Crowne even has an emote that feels like a playful nod to that same kind of laser-dodging spy fantasy, only with a few more gymnastic flourishes thrown in.
Unashamed bonus observation: Players who were disappointed by the Solid Snake skin’s famously underwhelming backside might be happy to know that pretty much all of what was missing went to Grace. Whether that helps or hurts her stealth capabilities is another question entirely.
Geno
The Level 100 skin this season is Fortnite’s overarching antagonist, Geno, and it lives up to the hype that should come with a character of such infamy. Whether or not you have followed the storyline closely, including the big reveal that [Spoiler Alert] Geno was apparently the Visitor all along before betraying Jonesy [/End Spoiler], it is hard to deny that Geno is a pretty badass skin.
This technically is not the first Geno-related skin we have received, since Chapter 4 Season 1 gave players The Ageless. However, that version was a “snapshot” of Geno rather than the real deal we are getting here.
The Ageless was also armored to fit that season’s medieval theme. This version of Geno, by contrast, blends futuristic, high-tech armor with strange scientific flourishes, including four tubes that extend from his upper back all the way down toward his feet like tendrils.
Keeping with that theme, Geno’s armor gives me major Mr. Sinister from X-Men vibes, from the ribbed armor plating and flared pauldrons to the glowing chest emblem. That comparison works especially well since, much like Sinister, Geno is essentially Fortnite’s premier mad scientist and evil biogeneticist.
I also really like the masked helmet version. It fits the color scheme perfectly, reminds me of a mix between the Predator and Sauron, and looks especially menacing with its glowing red eyes.
As a final Battle Pass reward, Geno feels suitably important, visually imposing and worthy of the Level 100 slot.
Which Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 4 Battle Pass skin is your favorite? How would you rank the skins and the Battle Pass overall? Let us know.
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