New Releases | Preferred Partner Feature

Grand Battle Royale is a new battle royale game for mobile

Attack the block

Grand Battle Royale is a new battle royale game for mobile

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) is the game that launched a thousand games. Itself inspired by Japanese thriller Battle Royale, PUBG’s simple premise was to throw a bunch of players on an island sprinkled with weaponry and see who survives – the perfect basis for an MMO shooter. Grand Battle Royale is the latest of many to take its cue from the runaway hit, but what makes developer GameSpire’s take on the formula stand out?

Just take a look at the boxy graphics, for a start. The whole map is a 3D pixellated planet. That lends the frenetic free-for-all a light-hearted touch. You’re basically fighting your way around a dystopian Minecraft world, and let’s be honest – who doesn’t want to go Rambo in Minecraft once in a while? It’s also on the mobile platform, whereas PUBG excelled on PC. That means you have a multiplayer pocket shoot-out to jump into, whether you’re at home or on the go.

Grand Battle Royale takes place on a single island map. Each round begins with the familiar airdrop, when you choose your moment to parachute from an aeroplane onto the island below. You can land right amidst the buildings of the town, or glide to the outskirts of the island. Once you touch down, your priority is to find a decent weapon. These are dotted around on the ground, as well as occasionally airdropped in, so keep your eyes peeled. Tools at your disposal range from an axe to a sniper rifle, but the firepower is ubiquitous enough to make the melee weapons a rarely used backup.

Once you’re locked and loaded, you can defend yourself against other rogue players roaming the map. Camping behind scenery far from the action won’t save you for long, as the map gradually shrinks, PUBG-style. This drives all the players slowly and surely towards the centre and into a last-man-standing shootout. Even if you don’t end up victorious, you’ll pick up some in-game cash for taking part, which can be used to buy new skins for your character.

For a pocket-sized battle royale, you can pick up Grand Battle Royale from Google Play and the App Store for free.