Inconsistent, disappointing, and nearly deserted

A review of this month’s 'Indus Battle Royale'

Hyderabad: After a steady series of announcements for nearly two years chronicling Indus’ launch journey, it would be fair to say that the battle royale game is one of the most-hyped Indian games of all time. Launched on October 16 in a genre that has established both popularity and dominance in the mobile gaming sector, expectations were high for Pune-based SuperGaming’s interpretation of the battle royale experience.

However, nearly 11 days post-launch, it is surprising to note how empty VirLok feels (in terms of player count) when a battle royale match begins. The game’s environments and terrain look like something out of the early 2000s. The few blades of grass I encountered during my playthrough were reminiscent of the same flat shade of green from classic games like ‘Half-Life 2’.

---

While graphics don’t always determine the quality of gameplay, it’s worth noting just how unpolished and blurry Indus’ structures appear. In my first battle royale match, I landed on a small structure in the Bazaar District, supposedly adorned with a pink lotus. But the lotus looked anything but detailed.

Indus’ battle royale mode was not only unpolished and jerky but also extremely empty. With few players, the world felt eerily silent (and not in a good way), and the weapon crates were so repetitive that it almost sucked the joy out of finding a good gun when you first land.

Indus forces you to play the battle royale mode exclusively until you reach level 3 (which unlocks the mini team deathmatch mode), but reaching level 3 is difficult given the game’s current state. Unfortunately, the deathmatch mode was hardly an improvement. Both the mini and full deathmatch modes are just as inconsistent as the battle royale mode. The movement feels delayed, and the game offers little to no advantage for headshots.

The mechanics lacked key elements that are typically considered essential for FPS games. At one point, I was using a sub-machine gun to shoot at enemies on the far side of the screen, and, surprisingly, I was still successful.

However, not all of Indus’ problems stem from inconsistency; some are also due to limited imagination. It’s hard to understand how a game with such an elaborate monetisation model, detailed premium rewards, and battle passes can offer gameplay that feels so inconsistent and outdated.

I cannot, in good conscience, recommend this game to anyone. BGMI, Fortnite, Free Fire, and CoD Mobile are all miles ahead.