Now I know the following feature is not really pertaining to Nintendo games but with Fortnite on the Nintendo Switch, I thought we could discuss the game and how it compares to another Battle Royale game, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, also known as PUBG.
Since time immemorial, the video game industry has been rife with rivalries. DoTA 2 versus League of Legends. Battlefield versus Call of Duty. These are but a few of the names that come to mind. Now it’s Fortnite versus PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (AKA PUBG). It’s pretty childish to pit two games of the same genre together despite not really being alike, but sometimes we have to do it to answer certain questions.
For this instance, the question is this: Is PUBG more difficult to play than Fortnite?
Where It All Began
To decide which game wins this particular point of contention, let’s first check out the mechanics that make each game unique.
For PUBG, it’s the original Battle Royale shooter, based on the Japanese novel and movie it got its name from. Like the source material, you’ve got players dropped on an island where they’ll have to scavenge for weapons and resources to help them take everyone else out until they’re the only one left. Also, like the franchise, there are weapons and protective gear littered across the island, giving those who find them many advantages over those who don’t. Some of these items are better than others, so good luck!
PUBG, however, isn’t an exact rip. Aside from the paradrop, there’s something in the game that isn’t in the original Battle Royale: vehicles. Yes, you can ride cars and motorbikes in PUBG. In fact, you can even use them to hit other players!
Building Fortnite Up
Now let’s go to our other contender: Fortnite. Its actual name is Fortnite Battle Royale, a spinoff of the zombie shooter of the same name, but Epic Games dropped the suffix later on. That is to avoid confusion, or to hide the fact that the spinoff did better than the original (but that’s a joke). Kidding aside, Fortnite has become the biggest Battle Royale game there is, with millions of people across the globe owning a Fortnite account and a handful of Fortnite items in them.
Other than the cartoony aesthetics and the “dances”, the biggest mechanic that sets Fortnite apart from its inspiration is that players can build constructs on the fly. From bridges, towers, to walls, you can make structures in a matter of seconds to a minute or two, giving you oversight, protection, and many other practical purposes.
Building is a key part of the game, and it can make or break your chances of victory, especially in moments when mere seconds can spell the difference between success and failure. In fact, it can even be argued that building is just as important as the gunplay, if not more.
A Well-Constructed Safe Answer
Having said all those things, let’s go back to the question: Which is one is more difficult? The simpler, rawer, and more serious original Battle Royale, or the kid-friendly half-Minecraft half-PUBG derivative? Truth be told, the answer is a copout: it depends.
Survivability-wise, you have better chances in Fortnite than in PUBG. In the latter, being at the wrong place at the wrong time while someone is sniping you automatically means you’re finished. But in Fortnite, you just need to be quick enough to build something to cover you.
As for mechanics, it greatly varies. If you prefer old-school shooter mechanics where it’s all about finding cover, positioning, and ballistics, then you’re going to find PUBG much easier than Fortnite. On the other hand, if you’re pretty reliant on building, you’re going to have a breeze in Fortnite but struggle in PUBG.
Last but definitely not least, for the player base, PUBG players are much tougher customers than the Fortnite crowd. Not because they’re kids (they’re really not), but because larger, more popular games tend to have more casual players than smaller ones.
So there you have it – the answer to an important question. If you’ve played either or both, how would you have answered? And if you haven’t played both, does this make you want to play the game now? Tell us; we’re looking forward to hearing from you!
