In March 2017, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds was unleashed on the world on Steam, the popular game distribution system, in Early Access beta. Despite the numerous bugs, the game spread like wildfire, becoming a worldwide phenomenon. Now, finally, the game has officially been launched with a 1.0 on PC, as well as a presence on Xbox One.
What’s it about?
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds was the brainchild of Brendan Greene, who goes by the handle PlayerUnknown. Inspired by the gory film Battle Royale , he created a mod for ARMA 2 called DayZ: Battle Royale, based on DayZ, which became quite popular. It was only after Battlegrounds was launched, that the battle royale game mode started gaining immense popularity, spawning off Epic Games’ Fortnite, which also has a battle royale mode, in a more Overwatch-like setting. Think of Battlegrounds as a cross between Battle Royale , The Hunger Games and a tactical military shooter, all rolled up in one.
How does it play?
The premise of the game is simple. Each match has you and 99 other players jump off a plane, onto a map, armed with nothing. Everything on this map is randomised, and you can choose where to parachute down to. Once you touch down, then starts a mad scramble for weapons and vehicles. Players have to survive the initial onslaught, scavenging and staying alive until everyone on the map has been wiped out; you win if you’re the last man standing. If you parachuted out as a team, then it’s down to the last team standing, with the words ‘Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner’ to celebrate your victory.
The fun doesn’t end there. As the game progresses and the herd is thinned, the map keeps shrinking in. It forces players to converge down to the inevitable showdown at the centre, or die slowly as the map’s incandescent moving walls kill you. As a multi-player game, the battle royale concept is fantastic, now even more so, as Battlegrounds is at the zenith of its lifecycle. Matches are available easily, and in no time you’ll be parachuting down towards your inevitable death, or that fabled ‘Chicken Dinner’ we spoke about.
The downside of the battle royale is that if you’re one of those unlucky folks, like this reviewer, who dies within five minutes of touching down, then you’re in for a long wait, either until the whole match gets over, watching as a ghostly spectator, or until you quit and wait for another game.
Though spectating is a lot of fun too, and you will get to learn from others’ tactics, PUBG is a testament to how deep you need to dive into the game, from forming strategies to learning how to make the best of every situation. All these are key to winning, and they’re part of the whole Battlegrounds experience, which most games, even the Battlegrounds’ rip-offs, don’t have.
Being an indie game, when it launched in Early Access, there were a lot of graphical and gameplay glitches. Now, Battlegrounds is a polished gem, with a beautiful new desert map.
Should you get it?
If you love multiplayer games and are bored of the usual static battlefields and tired game modes, then PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is perfect for you.
The writer is a tech and gaming enthusiast who hopes to one day finish his sci-fi novel
