8Bit/Digi

By Alexandru Tanase

There have been multiplayer battle royale games for a while. But while Day Z may have started this craze, the reality is that PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is the title that actually brought it to the masses and actually made it really fun.

The reason is simple. While we also have H1Z1 which offers a more cartoony approach to the genre, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is that one game designed to offer more realism. And that’s what people want. To see how it really is to be with another 100 people on a single island/region, fighting to survive. While it’s clearly not a simulation PUBG still manages to make the gameplay insanely addicting and good.

You don’t have to worry about crafting or anything like that. Nor do you have to face challenging monsters that are controlled by the AI. Simply put, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds puts you in a large open world with other people, and you have to stay alive. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why the game is so popular. The gameplay is very intense and immersive, yet it’s easy to get into and you know what to do and how to do it.

Welcome to the Battlegrounds

At this moment, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds has 2 maps. Until launch, there was a single map, yet this didn’t make it hard for the game. People started to learn the map and they became better and better at it. While the first map is inspired by Eastern European locations, the second one has a desert theme. And it seems that the developer is trying to add even more maps in the long run too.

What you will enjoy here is that these maps are huge. You can find deserted locations on them, large or smaller cities, only a few cabins, military bases, lots of vehicles that run or don’t run at all, etc. Some would say that this is what the after-war experience would look like. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds removes all NPCs and instead it focuses on the human battles that appear as each person tries to stay alive.

I like the fact that the entire game world is very large and detailed. While the foliage and trees could look better, the character design is good and realistic, not to mention the locations look great too. Of course, there are still plenty of bugs from a visual standpoint, even if the game was officially launched.

The addition of that fabled vaulting system is a breath of fresh air. People that played the game beforehand know how hard it can be to not vault here, but thankfully the developers understood that and they removed all these issues.

Its Kill or be Killed

Maybe the major reason why PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is so popular is the realism it delivers. As you go through each house, military base or shop, you will find weapons, armor and other items. These will be your loadout, and you have to use everything you find in order to survive. Weapons are added randomly in the game world, so you never know where you can find the best stuff, although some of the large cities and bases can be packed with good stuff.

The game does encourage you to explore and go from one place to the next all the time. They do make it really easy and fun for you to explore all these locations, but the focus is still on staying alive.

The gun play in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is very good. Shotguns have great damage in close battles, but most people that go outside of any house should have sniper rifles or at least a scope added to the weapon. This way they get to shoot and eliminate their enemies from afar.

Of course, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds also has its own micromanagement stuff as well. You have to find and accumulate health and ammo packs so you never run out of ammo or endanger your situation when you are almost dead. While the hitboxes can be a bit finnicky, most of the time you will know who attacks you, and the damage will be displayed correctly. But there are situations when you clearly shot a person and the damage wasn’t registered. It happens, and some of the many updates for the game may be able to bring in a solution.

Since there’s a blue circle that makes the available map regions smaller and smaller, you never know where the final fights will be. The idea here is that you need to have a vehicle and some really good armor and plenty of ammo if you want to stay alive. The terrains are pretty varied, especially on the desert map. But there are always unique opportunities to use the environment to your own advantage, you just have to know how to do it.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds can be played on your own, but you can also play as a team if you want. Teaming up is maybe the most fun you can get, and since you can go up to 4 people in a team, the gameplay can be very good. But yes, you do need a good strategy, as tactics do matter a lot in this game.

You aren’t allowed to shoot your teammates willingly, and this is for the best. The game puts more emphasis on the fun you get from playing with others, and it really shines because of that. Sure, being the last remaining person isn’t easy, but if you work closely with your team or if you strategize on your own, you can actually win.

Let the Guns do the Talking

The game isn’t perfect, even after its full launch. It does have graphic issues, performance problems especially on the AMD side and it still doesn’t have the polish that other games have. But for a lot of gamers, that doesn’t matter.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds brings in the perfect concept for gamers and it stirs them competitively. That’s the thing that sets it apart, the fact that it’s unique, fun and insanely competitive. If you love action games, then this is definitely one title that you do not want to miss.

Final Score: 8/10

Alexandru Tanase is a freelance writer who enjoys playing and reviewing games.

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