Battle Royale: the game mode taking over the world

Fortnite. PUBG (Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds). Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve probably heard of at least one of these two games.

The games themselves feature an exciting 30 minutes or so of gameplay where 100 players leap out of either a flying bus (Fortnite) or plane (PUBG) and onto an island, where they then proceed to collect weapons and resources and duke it out until the last one survives. In both Fortnite and PUBG, players can play by themselves (1v1v1…etc), in duos (2v2v2…etc), or in squads (4v4v4…etc). Basically, it’s a virtual kind of Hunger Games.

Since maps on both games are rather large, developers have implemented a randomly decided storm that advances on players who are not within a dedicated circle at a particular time. In both games, there is a blue and white circle–the blue circle dictates the current circle, while the white circle signifies the next circle. For in-game circle mastery tips, check out VG247 for PUBG and metabomb for Fortnite.

Now that the basic rules have been laid out, let’s get to the differences. Generally speaking, PUBG is the more realistic version, while Fortnite is much more video-game-esque. In Fortnite, developed by Epic Games, players are dropped from a flying bus (the Battle Bus). From the get go, this seems pretty unrealistic. To add to the chaos, one of the most fundamental aspects of Fortnite is the collection of three vital resources (wood, brick, and metal) and building. The concept allows for players to destroy existing buildings for materials and construct their own, breakable objects. Normally, Fortnite players build walls as cover from incoming weapons fire.

In PUBG, there is no building or destruction of buildings, nor is there a flying bus. Instead, players are able to lie prone (full body on the ground) for better camouflage, find and drive vehicles to compensate for a larger map, and drop in from a flying plane.

When it comes down to which is better, there is plenty of debate. People have flocked to social media to prove their favorite is best, although social media sites such as Instagram seem to favor Fortnite because of its otherwordly highlights. For comparison, PUBG likens to CS:GO in its mechanics and people have compared Fortnite to Team Fortress 2 and Overwatch. Some people who have played both games state that Fortnite is for kids, and PUBG is for adults. “Fortnite has a much faster pace, more excitement, highlights, and entertainment,” says Tiger Ko (11B), “You have so many dance moves on Fortnite, more skins, and you can build walls and traps. Fortnite only has one map which keeps the community together.” However, it really comes down to personal preference–words can’t do the games themselves justice. “Hackers, surprises, and ‘helpful’ friends- it’s truly a realistic game,” says Victoria Liu (12A). Lucky for you, both games are free on mobile (iOS and Android for PUBG, iOS for Fortnite)! Fortnite (the Battle Royale component) is also free on computers, while PUBG costs about ¥100 ($30) on Steam.

PUBG seems to be the clear winner at SMIC-I, with students playing the official and knockoff versions in and out of school. This author recommends that you try both games before choosing one, but prefers some Chicken Dinner to a mere Victory Royale.

Featured image- PUBG poster courtesy of BagoGames via Flickr