Fearless and United Guards — is it India’s answer to PUBG?

Earlier this year, India banned PUBG Mobile – – the incredibly popular battle royale game – after border skirmishes with China. Soon after, FAU-G, a game that was more than a little PUBG-inspired, gained momentum. The announcement for the shooter was supported by well-known Bollywood actors on social media. It was positioned as the developer’s response to India’s ambitious call to increase local production.

FAU-G – or FAU-G: Fearless and United Guards, to give it its full name – received over a million pre-registrations on the Play Store within 24 hours, the highest in India. To date, the game has managed over four million pre-registrations. Now, on the occasion of the celebrations for Republic India Day, FAU-G will finally go live.

I spent a bit of time with the game to cut the chaff and see if FAU-G lived up to the hype. Does it have what it takes to be a real competitor to PUBG? Let’s find out.

How is the gameplay?

The developer nCore Games is taking a staggered approach with the launch of the game. FAU-G starts with a short single player campaign that is inspired by real incidents.

See also: The 5 best alternatives to PUBG Mobile in India

However, the game doesn’t have a lot of options. While you can adjust the graphics settings, I didn’t see a huge difference in texture quality between the settings.

Players start with a single character option and are thrown straight into the action after a short video sequence that sets the tone for the campaign. The control scheme here is very rudimentary. In addition to being defensive, there is only one tip to attack.

If you’ve played a smartphone game, the motion controls are the place for you. Just don’t expect a very polished experience with responsive controls. Movement has a certain weightlessness, and combat sequences can be downright ridiculous in some places.

Now the map is very linear with little exploration. I played through most of the 25 minutes of the game (there is a timer) and there isn’t a lot of variety here. The campaign is divided into four sections, each with a level of difficulty. These sections are also marked by campfire checkpoints. You can fully restore your health there, similar to games like Dark Souls.

Ironically, for a military rifleman there are no real weapons here. Instead, you’ll have to settle for hand-to-hand combat mixed in with clubs and pickaxes. The game seems to lean in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild because of its weapon durability element. Also, the only way to get weapons is to take them from enemy fighters.

Does FAU-G have in-app purchases?

A rudimentary in-app store is available to purchase a range of weapons. These are cosmetic additions and I didn’t see any difference in gameplay. In addition, two-character skins are available in case you want to use a different character model.

Does FAU-G have a Battle Royale mode?

At the start, FAU-G has no multiplayer modes at all. In a recent interview, developers claimed these will be added over time. Players can expect robust multiplayer, including Battle Royale similar to PUBG a few months later.

Where can I download FAU-G?

When you pre-registered for the game you should have received a pop-up notification. FAU-G is now available in the Google Play Store. An iOS version is expected to be released in the coming months.

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So there you have it. With the fast number of pre-registrations, FAUG has a lot of hype. However, due to its limited functionality and single player focus, it is not yet an alternative to PUBG. With the popular Battle Royale game set to make a comeback in the country, it remains to be seen whether FAUG will be able to keep its user base once development of its multiplayer modes is complete.