PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Impressions

Available On: PC

Genre: Battle Royale, Survival

Official Site: https://www.playbattlegrounds.com/main.pu

Release Date: March 23rd

Where To Buy It: Steam ($29.99)

If you are active in the gaming community, particularly on Twitch, then you have no doubt heard about PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. So, just what is Battlegrounds and who… is Player Unknown? Battlegrounds is a 100 man Battle Royale game set on a remote island. Once you drop in, you’ll have to keep yourself in the safe zone while eliminating enemy players in the process. If you think this sounds a lot like H1Z1 King of the Kill, well, that’s because it comes from the same guy… Player Unknown. Brendan Greene aka Player Unknown began his battle royale game mode in the Arma series and later went on to license the idea to Daybreak Games, which became King of the Kill.

Going loud

I have to admit, I was very skeptical of this game when I first heard about it launching on early access. We had reached out for a review copy and unfortunately weren’t able to snag one. Was I really prepared to buy this game to check it out? To me, I figured I’d be essentially purchasing King of the Kill with a minor change to the paint job. However, after hearing several members of The Invaders (a gaming community I’m involved with) rave about it, I decided to give it a go. Now, let me say, yes, in terms of the game mode, it is very similar to King of the Kill. You drop into an area, the play zone slowly gets smaller and smaller and you have to be the last man alive to win. The real difference and what makes all the difference is the execution and changes to how this is done.

When it comes to King of the Kill, I’ve logged almost 500 hours playing that game. Since the big update and new map, however, I’d be surprised if I played more than 50. I think the hit detection system is awful. The map is so large and with no control over where you drop, you can easily find yourself having to start sprinting almost immediately to a safe area to avoid gas. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had players jump out of cars at full speed and kill me. While I fully accept that I am no longer the gamer I used to be, the title went from being fun to… well… not. I still loved the idea of the game mode. It just became clear I was no longer going to enjoy it with King of the Kill.

Plenty of options are present to customize your weaponry

There are two things I liked about PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds right off the bat. One was the ability to try weapons out in the loading area if you’re lucky to grab one. Getting a feel for how the rifles fire and their range was immensely useful before getting in. Second, was the ability to now have control over where you drop. What I really began to dislike about King of the Kill was the random drops where you could often find yourself well outside a safe zone. If you didn’t find a car and weapons fast, you were all but set up to lose. The map size in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is also just right. Even if you do find yourself well outside the safe zone, you have a solid chance of making it there even on foot. Once you’re on the ground, things get even better.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds offers 17 different weapons with 35 available attachments. I absolutely loved having the option to customize my weapons to suit my style of play, especially the ability to change the fire rates on the weapons. You will still be able to find vehicles around the map but jumping out at full speed is no longer an option. I tried it once and found myself run over by my own vehicle. I typically only use a vehicle now when in absolute dire need to reach a safe zone or when traveling with a partner in the Duo or Squad mode.

You have control over your landing area

Speaking of Duo or Squad mode, that’s another thing I’m happy about when it comes to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. You have the ability to quickly get into a game regardless of whether you’re playing solo, duo or squad. I often play Rainbow Six Siege with some friends and very often we find ourselves waiting to find additional players. This is an AAA title from Ubisoft, and there are constant matchmaking issues. Yet a game that launches in early access completely blows that away. It certainly makes an impression on you.

In my personal opinion, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds blows King of the Kill out of the water. As if my personal opinion wasn’t enough, you just have to look at the stats. In its three days since launch, Battlegrounds made 11 million dollars. If that wasn’t impressive enough, Battlegrounds has also claimed the number three spot on Steam for the most played games. Have you played Battlegrounds? If so, what did you think? What are some changes you hope to see made in the game in the coming weeks/months? Be sure to let us know in the comments below. Also be sure to check out our recent review of the Nintendo Switch.