Mike Mc Grath with some first impressions of The Culling…
If you’ve ever seen The Hunger Games and thought “I’d like to participate in this from the comfort of my home” then The Culling is the game for you. The basic premise is 16 people are dropped into a walled off area of a jungle for 25 minutes and last man standing wins. As the match progresses areas of the map begin closing off and 9 out of 10 times players will end up meeting in the center platform to find out who really is the ultimate warrior. There is a 2v2v2v2 mode but that is only enjoyable when both players on a team are in constant voice contact with each other.
https://youtu.be/nQOqMbiorLE
The Culling offers a fairly simple but in-depth crafting system which allows players to create new weapons (bows, spears) and defensive tactics (smoke bombs, mines). Simply pick up a rock and smash it together with another rock to make a hatchet or find a stick and make a spear or bow. However all these actions cost FUNC which is also used for opening crates throughout the world or calling in air drops containing weapons or armour. FUNC can be earned by staying alive for a set amount of time, found in containers and “previous contestants” found throughout the map. Speaking of weapons, combat is very melee focused. Hatchets, knives and sledgehammers are just a few of the weapons you’ll be able to craft. Players are also able to craft throwing spears and bows for longer range engagements. Players can also throw certain weapons but the aiming of these appears to be somewhat temperamental. I haven’t been able to hit a single thing while throwing even at stationary targets less than 5 meters away. There are guns in the game but I’ve never come across any in my playtime.
The customisation is fairly standard. Players can choose 3 perks that will give them buffs (take less damage while holding an axe) or certain items (a backpack to increase your inventory size from 3 to 5). You can also customise the appearance of your character and the clothes you are wearing which does help with camouflaging yourself into the environment. More clothes are unlocked at random at the end of each round.
While the game is still in early access I think it has a lot of potential to be a pretty good title as long as the developers continue to support it and don’t abandon it.
Mike Mc Grath
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Originally published March 8, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
