Last Man Standing vs The Culling
Last Man Standing
Last Man Standing is a battle royale game that is similar to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) in many ways, including graphically and gameplay-wise, but you often have to remind yourself that being a free-to-play version, this game does have its own set of flaws. For starters, although the map in this game is as vast as PUBG's, there are no vehicles in Last Man Standing, forcing you to travel large distances on foot. There isn't any bullet tracers or obvious muzzle flashes in this game either so it can be quite difficult for you to pin-point from where you are being shot at.Some players also report having frame rate drops which may indicate poor game optimization and well, since there isn't any anti-cheat in the game, you will have to content with having some cheaters in the game (still less than 50% of the time though). Matchmaking takes quite some time as well since the player base in this game is obviously a lot less than PUBG or even Fortnite Battle Royale.
That said, the game has some redeeming qualities aside from being free-to-play, such as having a fun and sometimes intense and competitive gameplay; insanely in-depth character customizations where you can earn more outfits and clothes by playing; a nice arsenal of weapons that you can find and use, including the very useful riot shield-like barriers; multiple game modes (solo, duo and team-based), and more.
So, Last Man Standing is a pretty decent alternative - the free-to-play sort - if you're looking to play a game that's more similar to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds rather than the more cartoonish-looking Fortnite Battle Royale. Granted that this game isn't at all perfect and that apparently the devs won't be patching this game up anytime soon, this is the best you'll probably get!
The Culling
The Culling is, in many ways, a potentially great PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds alternative game. In fact, many would say that this is perhaps the very first standalone, battle royale game that is inspired directly from the Hunger Games. As such, you'll expect a pretty brutal arena set on a remote island where players will not only need to explore the foreign land to scavenge for resources but also to craft a wide variety of weapons, traps and tools just so you can ambush your fellow players. Naturally, being battle royale and all, the last man standing will be the victor.Each match can contain up to 16 contestants (and yes, like Hunger Games, The Culling is apparently a game show) and the game lasts for around 20 minutes. There is also a tutorial, a training mode where you play against AI bots, and a special 8-player Lightning Round where players get access to the best weapons early on in the game. As a game show, the "organizers" will often spice things up with special in-match events that have some pretty crucial rewards too. Like the Hunger Games, players can also each call in an airdrop (a.k.a. "care package") containing valuable items but getting to that airdrop in one piece without having your stuff stolen before you reach there can be quite a challenge in itself.
Now, unlike PUBG's shooter-heavy gameplay, The Culling has a more visceral, action-based, melee-oriented gameplay that will make every successful kill a very satisfying one. Don't get me wrong - the game does have ranged options like bows and guns but having a firearm or any ranged weapons may not be an advantage if you don't know how to keep your distance. Players can easily be disarmed of their ranged weapon if they are ambushed by a melee player, and of course, if you missed your aim, you may not have a second shot.
However, due to a plague of problems between the developers and its community, The Culling seems to be a pretty dead game at the moment and hence, finding a match can be quite difficult. Similar to PUBG, The Culling is not a free game either and this game is on the pricey end considering its almost non-existant player base.