Starve.io vs The Culling
Starve.io
Starve.io is a unique IO game mainly because it is more of a base-building and survival game rather than just a hack-and-slash arena. In this game, you will need to collect resources and turn them into useful items which will marginally improve your chances of survival. The crafting aspect of the game is very much simplified but it can still take you a while to figure out crucial crafting details like how much resources you need to create a certain item. Also, a quick tip if you will - grab as much food and wood as you can at the get-go.As a survival game, there are several important "meters" that you will need to keep an eye on, such as temperature and hydration. Hunger also something that you will need to frequently deal with, aside from other potentially hostile players as well as other monsters like vampires and zombies if you happen to play its other game modes. There is even a "hunger games" version which frankly feels a lot like a battle royale game.
Unlike many other IO games where players are always pitted against one another, Starve.io is a game in which you can actually choose to coexist with other players rather than just swinging whatever weapon you have in hand at anyone you see... though, many players still do that pretty often, especially those better-equipped ones.
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.