Back in summer of 2020, when India banned PUBG and 117 other Chinese apps due to several reasons, the need for a substitute rose instantly. People had been spending more and more of their time on the Tencent backed battle royale game, and now that it had been banned, they needed something to take its place. Thus, “Fearless and United-Guards” or FAU-G was announced, and many, including myself, were waiting to see what the Indian gaming culture had up its sleeve. Now, it looks like we finally have the answer.
FAU-G, for now, is a campaign driven game, where you are dropped into the shoes of Lt. Singh, who finds himself surrounded by Chinese soldiers on the day of the Galwan Valley Attack. From here, you fight your way to the end of the story.
First opinion? Meh.
The game was announced after the PUBG ban, and with a similar name (PUBG-FAUG), people had high hopes from the Indian endeavor. However, the game is as generic as it gets in the world of mobile gaming, with super repetitive gameplay and basic level design.
You start each level at a ‘camp’, and fight multiple enemies until you make it to the end. To drive the narrative, the game shows cutscenes in the middle, to give you the sense that the story is in fact heading somewhere. However, it’s the same in its entirety, with no noticeable progression as you make your way through the ‘campaign’.
Moreover, it lacks what made PUBG the frenzy that it became-a battle royale mode. The game does have options for 5v5 death match and free for all modes, which may be added in the future. However, a battle royale mode is missing, and without the thrill of being dropped into an island with 100 other players, FAU-G just fails to captivate a player like PUBG did.
Then, the game also has some glaring flaws. For starters, the movememt feels clunky (you can only sprint in the forward direction), the graphics, in no way shape or form, come even close to PUBG’s, and just a few dozen minutes in, you start to lose interest.
If you think we are cherry picking, how about this: the game has no guns. That’s right, in a game that is dedicated towards war, there are no guns. You have to physically fight your way towards the end of levels. Sure, you can pick up items like clubs and spears that bring some variety to the combat, but the lack of guns makes the game feel childish.
We do not wish to say that Indian gaming culture is not up to the task of competing against foreign game makers. Ubisoft recently announced a remake of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, which is being worked on by the company’s Mumbai and Pune branches. Another game by an Indian developer-Razi, is one of the most gorgeous Nintendo Switch games I have ever seen and takes the lore of Indian mythology to the International stage. However, FAU-G just feels rushed, and fails to meet expectations.
