PUBG Mobile developer Tencent Games finally released a lighter version of its popular battle royale title in India. PUBG Mobile Lite has been in the news for quite some time and interested folks can finally download the game from Google Play Store. PUBG Mobile Lite eliminates the need to own a high-end smartphone in order to join the ongoing craze for the game.
PUBG Mobile Lite is designed for the masses still using low-end phones with less than 2GB RAM. Although PUBG Mobile works on most phones, frames tend to drop on phones with lower performance and graphics configuration resulting in a foul experience. To balance the scales, PUBG Mobile Lite comes to the rescue and it is an excellent move by the developer to target the masses.
PUBG Mobile Lite weighs only 400MB and it is built with Unreal Engine 4. The gameplay remains the same at heart, but of course, there are some compromises as compared to the original PUBG Mobile. But some changes are designed to improve the gaming experience on PUBG Mobile Lite, which we were able to notice immediately.
After spending some time with PUBG Mobile Lite on some low-end phones, here's what we think of the new release. If nothing, PUBG Mobile Lite is the much-needed boost for the battle-royale title in an age where there are so many alternative games for players to choose from.
PUBG Mobile Lite gets an instant popularity boost, thanks to the hype PUBG Mobile has built over the years. We could download the game on mobile data - something we've never attempted to while downloading PUBG Mobile. In a matter of a few minutes, we were able to install and sign in - and all set to play.
We noticed that signing in with the same ID as in the PUBG Mobile will not merge the data. In fact, you'll be starting fresh so if you have any progress on PUBG Mobile then the Lite version won't retrieve it for you.
Once you are in the lobby screen of PUBG Mobile Lite, the interface is kept largely the same but has its own modifications. For instance, in-game friends and option to invite friends is at the left bottom corner. The extreme right bottom corner has missions, which lets you collect rewards. The events option is available as usual on the right side, and we noticed the Royale Pass is replaced with WinnerPass. There's in-game shop and crates for you to get new outfits and the top right corner gives you access to your profile. On the top left is the start button and below it is the map menu.
It is not surprising that PUBG Mobile Lite has only one map - Erangel - and the Arcade mode has War, which unlocks at Level 10. Currently, there are only two servers, Asia and South America, and players can choose to play solo, duo or in a squad.
Players can also access settings from the top right corner, giving access to customise controls, sensitivity, audio, chat, language and other basic settings. There's no way to bump up graphics, an option which remains exclusive to PUBG Mobile.
We started our first game in Erangel and the Spawn Island is also different in the "Lite" version. This is where we noticed the lack of graphics, but it is a logical step as the game is targeted towards low-end phones. For those who crave details must play the original PUBG Mobile. Another interesting change is there are only 60 players in a match and the map is a lot smaller as well. The names of the places in Erangel have been renamed, but existing players will recognise the locations easily.
As for the gameplay, we noticed improved aiming assist and each gun had different recoil compared to the original game. But the biggest difference in the PUBG Mobile Lite is that it takes longer to kill an enemy. For instance, I had to empty a full 30-ammo mag from DP-28 just to knock down an enemy. In M416, it would take two rounds of ammo to kill an enemy. This is frustrating at times but works in your favour when an enemy is attacking you as the health wouldn't instantly reduce as it would in the regular PUBG Mobile match.
The mini-map in the game shows way too much information. In addition to showing the direction where shots are being fired from, it shows a red dot with an arrow which is a marker for the enemy in close proximity. This will easily help identify a shooter's position and direction.
Another interesting addition is the ability to heal while on the move - something PUBG Mobile players won't be able to do. Except for when you're in a prone position, you will be able to heal yourself in all positions. The idea behind this is to tackle high latency conditions and increase the game pace and survivability.
We played two matches and won both (naturally given the low in-game level). In the second match, the airdrop supplies brought the all-new RPG weapon, which is the coolest weapon of the lot. You get 4 missiles and no scopes can be attached to the RPG. It did not inflict high damage as we expected. The enemy not only survived a missile attack, but we also had to fire a few more shots to knock him down. The RPG looks cool though.
We noticed a wooden ramp placed over an overturned truck to give drivers cross a river without using the bridge. This is a cool addition, although we did not have the chance to test it out. We hope to see this in the original PUBG Mobile. But the game is not fully ready to impress as there might be some lags during the gameplay as we encountered on more than one occasion.
Verdict
PUBG Mobile Lite is a well-designed game for low-end phones and makes a striking appeal to the masses. After playing just two games, it is clear that the game is meant for low-end devices. The graphics were sore to the eyes, but the engaging gameplay kept us on your toes. If you've played PUBG Mobile, don't try to draw comparisons as the experience is on a whole another level with the original game.
PUBG Mobile Lite lacks the details while it delivers battle-royale game genre like nothing we've seen in low-end phones. The game needs further improvements in terms of lags, even when played on a high-end phone.
