PUBG New State first impressions: Are BGMI players missing anything?

PUBG New State is out and so far, it seems that the rollout hasn't been smooth. The game has been out on both Android and iOS, and already the bugs have been bothersome i.e., a couple of login issues, gameplay bugs, etc. Despite all these, we tried to get going with PUBG New State on Android and after about an hour, it seems there is not much that BGMI players are missing out on.

It carries the “PUBG”moniker and that obviously means the gameplay experience will be familiar. As promised by Krafton, the graphics are indeed uprated and there are minor improvements visible here and there. That said, don’t get swayed by the swanky trailer that Krafton released; it is not anywhere as good looking as PUBG on PC.

PUBG New State: Minor graphical touch-up

The core improvement seems to be related to better visuals and those are noticeable, but only slightly. I fired up the game on a Snapdragon 870-equipepd Realme GT Neo 2 and later tried it on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, which relies on the Snapdragon 888. Both these phones showed the ability to run the game at the highest “Ultra” settings, but the Extreme mode is still unavailable.

While playing, the new lighting system that Krafton talked a great deal of is visible. You can make out the sun rays and lens flares while jumping off the aircraft, or traversing empty fields in Troi. Coupled with better detailed textures on buildings and player skins, PUBG New State looks slightly better than BGMI.

That said, the game currently runs at a low resolution on Android and suffers from lower draw distances. Lush grassfields appear to have the grass growing in patches; it is not what was protaryed in the trailer a few months ago. I could not see better reflections on vehicles or window panes either. In fact, the world of Troi, Erangle 2051, and Station TDM maps look barely any different than BGMI.

At the expense of triggering PUBG fans, Call of Duty: Mobile at its highest looks much better than PUBG New State on either of these phones. I can give Krafton the benefit of doubt, given that these are early stages and future updates may only improve the experience. But at the moment, it’s not what was advertised.

PUBG New State gameplay experience

I tried both the battle royale mode on Troi and the TDM mode in the Station map. Whichever mode you play, you will notice the minor tweaks to the character animations and weapons. Characters do not feel like bots; there’s a certain amount of human fluidity while jumping, or transitioning to the crawl position. Weapon animations also look slightly better; I liked the visual effects from the grenade explosions.

The HUD has been tweaked too, and if you did not like the cluttered button layout on PUBG Mobile/BGMI, you will likely be spending an hour “un-messing” the HUD elements. There are a lot of control buttons thrown into the viewfinder and in its default state, it hinders a lot while aiming. I personally found moving the character in the right direction a task.

Similar to BGMI, PUBG New State also dials down violent blood effects with a green smoke – no more Tulsi leaves here. Compared to COD Mobile, getting used to the aiming and shooting requires a learning curve.

The battle royale mode, however, has the same concept of last-man survival as PUBG Mobile/BGMI. Apart from the few gadgets and the Trunk feature, it isn’t much different from what you see with BGMI right now. And yes, all players are clothed from the beginning.

PUBG New State first impressions

PUBG New State feels like a minor mid-life quality of life upgrade for PUBG Mobile; only that the world is bathed with futuristic elements. Long-time fans of PUBG Mobile and BGMI will appreciate these little improvements. Those looking for a “whoa, it blew my mind” experience are going to be disappointed, at least for now; the game isn’t as exciting as the trailer promised. BGMI still seems more fun.

Most importantly, it’s ridden with bugs and until Krafton irons them out, I suggest you stick to BGMI, or try Call of Duty: Mobile.