Battle Royale.
Two words that have taken the gaming scene by storm, with the arrival of PUBG, Fortnite and Apex Legends providing some of the most frantic last man standing gaming action the world has ever known.
Should you then wish to throw in smaller side projects that have become available across the likes of Call of Duty 4: Blackout and you don’t have to be a genius to realise the options for competitive PvP gaming are huge.
This is where KontrolFreek come in, with the Atlanta based firm hitting the accessories market with another new thumbstick variety – the Battle Royale Nightfall. And if you’re serious about your shooters and Battle Royale experiences then a purchase of these latest add-ons should very much be considered. Particularly if you’re after a Chicken Dinner.
With a huge range of thumbsticks already present in the KontrolFreek catalogue, you may well be left wondering how and why on earth another high-rise stick set can find a place for itself in the market, particularly as these just bring a colour change from the previously available purple and blue combo’d standard Battle Royale variety. But one look at the glorious black on black colour scheme that the Nightfalls deal with, and you’ll instantly be sold.
Failing to stand out and shout from the rooftops like their Battle Royale siblings, preferring to deliver a dark, stealthier look, this covexed duo of domed sticks are quite frankly lovely to look at, with a brilliantly etched Battle Royale styled top engraving ensuring you’ll know exactly what these have been created for. Coming in at 11.7mm in height and combining the Battle Royale staple of the ever decreasing circle of death, with a crosshairs and then a — hard-to-pick-out — outer-ringed compass design, placing your thumbs on either stick will allow you to be well at ease. Whilst never being particularly squishy, the slightly grippy feel that they bring should ensure huge confidence in the most intense duelling moments, whilst the overall height increase of each stick has been cleverly implemented by the KontrolFreek design team to enable full control.
See, it is this double high rise combo that promises to help enhance your performance out on the Battle Royale battlefield, with a range of stick motion increased by 120%, leaving the team at KontrolFreek to reckon that these can improve your overall shooting accuracy. I’d probably go along with that statement, and it must be said that the ‘younger’ members of my family — you know, the ones with a quicker reflex than my 40+ years allow — certainly seem to be able to utilise the sick stick strengths to pick the headshots off with ease. For me though, as someone who has still to rack up even a century of kills across months of fighting it out in PUBG, they aren’t quite the same help, but they are still super comfortable nonetheless. And in my advancing years, that is what is most important in life.
Whilst I’m not overly fussed by the whole performance levels that accessories bring, at the end of the day, if something feels comfortable, then I’ll use it. And that is what is being thrust forward here with the Nightfalls, combining a lovely design and feel to leave me impressed. Personally, and this is coming from someone who has used a wide variety of KontrolFreek sticks, I’d prefer a slightly shallower concaved feel to the top laser etched design, just because past history has proven that gives me extra confidence in the stickiest of situations. I’d also prefer to run a lower mid-rise length, dropping the 11.7mm of rise down by a couple of millimetres to something approaching the mid-range – much like the KF Infernos. But that is all personal, and I fully understand the reasoning by KontrolFreek to implement the Nightfall thumbstick design as they have. Let’s just say though: if you like a longer stick and feel a raised dome is the way to go, you will adore these Nightfalls.
And that is how these should be looked at, as once again KontrolFreek have nailed another brilliant product that you should seriously consider a purchase of.
Have they helped me achieve greatness in the Battle Royale scene to grab a first ever Chicken Dinner? No, but that’s by no means a slight on the enhancements provided by the KontrolFreek Nightfall sticks. In fact, rather than blame myself and my tools, I’d much rather cast an eye towards my ever lovely teammates for any lack of success, for it is they who are pretty much a lost cause.
Unlike the Nightfalls.
Massive thanks go out to KontrolFreek for providing the Batle Royale Nightfall thumbsticks for Xbox One for review. If you wish to pick up a set, head on over to KontrolFreek direct.
Related: Unboxing the KontrolFreek Battle Royale Nightfall Thumbsticks for Xbox One
