Welcome to the Battleground

Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds – Published by Bluehole Studio

Released March 23, 2017 - Rated M for Mature

Multiplayer Survival PVP Game

Made using Unreal Engine 4

At first glance the game appears to be in the same style as H1Z1 and many of the other Battle Royale clones that have been coming up as the genre has been growing. What many players do not know is that the Creative Director (Playerunknown, Brendan Green) has actually worked on two previous Battle Royale games before. One being H1Z1 and the other being a mod in Arma 2. They didn’t quite match what his vision was and now has his very own installment which has been met with open arms by the gaming community.

The game is very enjoyable featuring all of the best things that players like in a Battle Royale game. With just the right amount of every item and being able to choose engagements at your comfort level. The risk vs reward factor is always there. Do you risk going into the apartment complex when there could be someone just around the corner or try to find an off the beaten path house to try and loot? The choice is always there. The map is also the best I’ve seen to date. It shows you where you and your teammates are, (if you have any), and you can mark locations that will have a marker in your HUD. So there is no need to have to pull out the map every ten seconds to make sure you’re on the right path.

At first I wasn’t going to purchase the game. But when a close friend said it was, “H1Z1 but everything is better,” I knew that it should be very fun. Being a fan of the genre I bought it and started off playing Duo with my friend. Every weapon in the game has killing potential so there is no need to panic when you can’t find an assault rifle. The grenades all have uses now. But my favorite thing is the entry.

It is the perfect mixture of random and player decided. If you haven’t yet played the game it is similar to H1Z1 but perfected for the player. In H1Z1 you spawn in a random spot parachuting into the level. While fun many players had thoughts on how this could be improved. Battlegrounds made this improvement. Every player starts off in a large plane flying over the island. At a certain point you have the option to jump out but are not forced. You can then watch as players all begin jumping out in waves of their choosing. After you pick your point to jump and targeted landing zone you begin your descent. Again you are in free fall and given the option to deploy your parachute (but aren’t forced yet) or you can descend down towards a location. At the minimum safe distance your parachute auto deploys. With everything tied together this means that the player chooses exactly where they want to go and the only thing that does not get to be chosen is the specific direction with which the plane comes in from. Everything comes together to create the most beautiful start so even if you are the first to die you feel like it was your choice and not just a poor spawn location. Creating more replay value from this one action.

Another enjoyable feature is that once you die you can then spectate your teammates. As well as talk to them. So there’s no need for an awkward “I died. I’ll wait in the menus for the match to end.” This allows for the player to bond with other players and potentially form a full group with them instead of hoping they are in your recently played with list. This brings the community closer to each other which will help the game in the long run for sure.

Overall the graphics are phenomenal for the scale and player amount for the game. 100 people all on one server with little to no wait time is amazing in it of itself.  The set design for every area feels really fleshed out. Every city and every room on the island can be entered and have the potential for loot. There is also areas underground you can explore. Which in most games you would just say that it is normal. But compared to other Battle Royale games it makes a player feel fully immersed in the gameplay.

Moving onto the controls is one of the few spots I think could do with some improvement. Most of the controls are standard and normal. But the weapons and hotkeys could use some work. Or maybe leave an indicator as to what items are in which slots so players don’t have to play with it to figure everything out every round. Then with the aiming I am mixed on it cause if you tap the sight button once you bring the weapon to the “high ready” and if you tap it twice you aim down the sights. While this is really interesting it does complicate things when in a firefight and you keep jumping in and out of your sights because you keep tapping it panicking.

Every match is a story that you and every player in the match tell. Giving you the feeling of The Hunger Games each and every time you play. Are you the hero who fights to the end and goes toe to toe with everyone you see? Are you the smart tribute who can hide in plain sight and try to just outlast the others? Or as many players get to experience are you the one who makes the poor choice to run into a city and fight for the best loot just to fall short due to the intensity of the fights there? Someone always has to die first. It’s just everyone’s goal not to be that guy.