A Deeper Melee Combat System
Melee combat in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds isn’t very nuanced. Players can punch and do a running jump punch. A more complex melee system would certainly add a new level of strategy to a the battle royale genre. Guns and grenades would have to be removed and the map would have to be shrunk a bit in size for it to work though.
Games like For Honor and Absolver already utilize a complex assortment of strikes, parries, blocks, dodges, and grapples. They create intimate duels between two players that can erupt into a harrowing battle of multiple opponents at any time. Imagine such a conflict on a massive scale. Players would still spawn in a massive arena where they’d have to scavenge for health items, like bandages or painkillers, and weapons, like brass knuckles or knives. They would then have to seek out challengers to kill, or run and hide to wait for the finale. Fights at the game’s start would become less about who can find the stronger gun first, and more who has the better skill. Even if one player finds a knife, the ability of another player to parry or disarm their opponent could still result in victory.
Fights amongst three or more players would still be hectic and nerve-wracking though, and really test players on how well they can respond to being surrounded. Such an encounter usually results in death when guns are involved, but, as anyone who’s played For Honor can tell you, one player can overcome three other players if they’re patient enough and know what they’re doing.
