After literally getting bombarded every morning by the same “when is PUBG Mobile coming and how to download APK”, it is indeed refreshing to see the Install button go green on my Android phone. Yes, Battlegrounds Mobile India is real; no more just a decked-up website for fantasized PUBG Mobile. I downloaded and played it on a Realme X7 Max. And? How is it?
Utter nonsense to be precise. If you have the Korean version of PUBG Mobile installed on your phone, Battlegrounds Mobile India looks no different; save for the “India” tag smeared across the interface to prove their “bhakti” to Indians and our government. Also, there’s more influence taken from Alok Nath this time – there are Tulsi leaves blowing off instead of the more dramatic blood. Yes, Battlegrounds Mobile India (BMI) is PUBG Mobile getting “sanskaari”.
Is this a new game?
Yes, it is as new as you would consider a Toyota Glanza “new” when compared to the Maruti Baleno. Or, as new as the Coronavirus Delta Plus variant over the standard Delta variant. Basically, Battlegrounds Mobile India seems like Krafton’s efforts to fool the uncles while passing the same pornographic stuff to kids, just with Sunny Leone replaced by Alok Nath.
The Early Access to the game seems no different to the global version that you can download via VPN from various shady websites. Except for the India and “Battlegrounds Mobile India” tag, the game looks and feels the same as the one our international friends are enjoying at the moment. If you couldn’t download it in the first batch, you aren’t missing anything.
But there’s something new, right?
For all you people who disrupted their sleep over a “Battlegrounds Mobile India launch date leaked and how to download the APK” article on the internet, there are a few things that are different. In the past, Krafton has happily helped itself by lifting off features from Call of Duty: Mobile and other battle royale games. With Battlegrounds Mobile India, it has now ripped off Fortnite.
Do you recall the end of Fortnite Season 1? Yes, the one where all players and the world were sucked into a giant wormhole, leading into complete nothingness? Battlegrounds Mobile India copies the same by introducing Season 19 as a wormhole changing everything. The start sequence shows the player jumping from an airplane into an ugly-looking wormhole mushrooming out of the map, the insides of which show the history of the game and all that emotional stuff making kids teary-eyed.
After agreeing to a dozen notifications clarifying about the data migration from Indian servers to Singapore (and all that privacy stuff), the game opens up to the familiarity that is PUBG Mobile. I chose the High Graphics resources pack of 627MB. The APK file itself weighs nearabout 750MB. Just as I was done setting up my character, the game offered a one-time chance to migrate my data from the Tencent version of the game via Facebook to the Krafton version. After nodding like a toddler, I got my old PUBG Mobile account back, complete with all the purchases and scores. Great!
So far, I have played two TDM matches in the Hangar and Inventory maps, along with a Classic map on the Karakin map. The gameplay appears no different than the one I mastered in PUBG Mobile. The animations are the same and so are the weapons. There is a lot of stuff copied from Call of Duty: Mobile.
While other fortunate players kicked my arse round after round, it was indeed fun to see BMI replacing the blood splatter off my character with what appears to be Tulsi leaves. No dead bodies falling down and giving you that sense of satisfaction for your triumph. In fact, the effect is more akin to Thanos wiping off your enemies with his mighty snap. Oi Krafton, Indian kids and gamers don’t shy off from virtual blood or dead bodies; we just saw the second wave of COVID-19 do that in front of our eyes.
While the cringeworthy “sanskaar” can still be overlooked, the initial performance of the game can’t. I hope this is an issue pertaining to the Early Access version as Battlegrounds Mobile India does not look as good as Call of Duty: Mobile. I ran the game on the Realme X7 Max with the mighty Dimensity 1200 chip and I could notice the choppy frame rates. Even in the High Graphics resource pack, BMI looks like a relic from yesteryears. I am going back to my shiny Call of Duty: Mobile.
The cringe continues when you drop into the lobby, as a female voice in a fake “Cortana-like voice” says, “This is a simulation world and blah blah blah…take breaks in between”.
At the moment, I am able to see the popular maps like Erangel, Karakin, Miramar, and Sanhok in the Classic mode. The game modes include Quick Match, Sniper Training, War, Payload 2.0, Gun Game, Domination, Assault, and more. Basically, all the modes from PUBG Mobile global are present here.
Battlegrounds Mobile India first impressions
It is genuinely disappointing to see Krafton blowing off an opportunity like this to bring something truly exciting for PUBG Mobile fans in India. Despite the teasers suggesting the same, I hoped for more inspiration from PUBG New State, bringing in better gameplay dynamics, modern 2021 graphics, and something new to reward us Indians for the long wait. Instead, what we have on our hands is a simple sticker job with stuff nobody asked for.
As someone impatiently waiting for PUBG Mobile’s return, I am disappointed with Battlegrounds Mobile India. The Indianness is absent and it is the same PUBG Mobile that all of us grew up with, just with a new paintjob. If you seek that same experience, you will like it. If you are looking for something new, it could be worth waiting for EA’s Apex Legends Mobile and Battlefield Mobile.
