The Culling

"The Culling: Origins" is a free-to-play Battle Royale game, taking you back to the original island where you must scavenge, craft, and build to be the last one standing. All gameplay aspects are available to all players, with optional paid DLC and premium currency for exclusive items. The game is designed for cunning and skill, with no pay-to-win mechanics.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

58%

Audience ScoreBased on 8,211 reviews

gameplay225 positive mentions

optimization110 negative mentions

gameplay
680 mentions
33 % positive mentions
55 % neutral mentions
12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "The Culling" has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing frustration over frequent updates that have altered core mechanics, often detracting from the original fun and skill-based combat. While some appreciate the unique rock-paper-scissors style of melee mechanics and the adrenaline-fueled matches, others criticize the game for being unbalanced, buggy, and overly reliant on luck rather than skill. Overall, the game shows potential but suffers from inconsistent gameplay experiences and a lack of polish, leading to a divided player base.
- “The combat system adds a fun randomness to every encounter, and the game mechanics are clever and well-integrated.”
- “The gameplay is very fun, especially in team games, where you can play with a mate and own the arena.”
- “The gameplay is unique, the setting is memorable, and there are a thousand little things that I've never seen a developer do before that make the experience enjoyable.”
- “Unfortunately, the devs killed the game after making updates that made the overall gameplay worse every time.”
- “The developers killed the game when they changed the combat mechanics to be less skillful and more bloated.”
- “The fighting mechanics are broken; they cannot fix the old content before adding new stuff.”
optimization
369 mentions
18 % positive mentions
53 % neutral mentions
30 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including low frame rates and lag, particularly on lower-end systems. While some updates have improved optimization and performance for certain users, others still experience severe stuttering and crashes, leading to frustration. Overall, the game is considered poorly optimized, especially for those without high-end hardware, and many reviewers recommend waiting for further improvements before purchasing.
- “Its crazy well optimized, runs smooth, and is fun to play!”
- “The new map is very fun, as well as all the new additions such as the crate and skin system, huge optimization, more weapons, more balancing and it has become such a fun game again.”
- “With a good development team constantly cranking out updates and with the most recent patch improving performance/optimization issues by a lot, this game is a must buy for fans of a battle royale survival type of game.”
- “The game is poorly optimized, there is no reason my i7 4790k gtx 980 build should get less than 90fps (I get around 50ish, with the games I play I'm used to 100+, to each their own).”
- “What was once a fun hunger games simulator is now a buggy, lag fest that is completely unoptimized and unplayable.”
- “The optimization seems extremely poor, basically unplayable due to poor frame rates and choppiness.”
graphics
316 mentions
34 % positive mentions
53 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players praising the improvements and beautiful visuals, while others criticize poor optimization and performance issues that lead to low frame rates. Many users note that the graphics can be demanding on hardware, resulting in a frustrating experience for those with lower-end systems. Overall, while there are commendable aesthetic upgrades, significant optimization and balancing challenges remain.
- “The graphics are pretty awesome and the fighting system is great!”
- “Beautiful graphics as well and an interesting crafting/looting system.”
- “The graphics are great, the mechanics are very well made, and the game is just smooth overall.”
- “Back before battle royale was all the rage, I romped around this game with potato graphics, getting executed by 3 pixel-tall enemies from 100 feet away.”
- “The graphics are lacking.”
- “The game is poorly optimized, stutters frequently, and has graphical problems abound.”
stability
152 mentions
5 % positive mentions
1 % neutral mentions
94 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with many players reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and performance issues that significantly detract from the overall experience. While some acknowledge that the game is in early access and expect such problems, the frequency and severity of these issues have led to frustration among users. Despite the fun gameplay elements, the consensus is that the game is currently too unstable for a fully enjoyable experience.
- “Great, satisfying, not buggy melee combat.”
- “Game runs great for early access and it's fun.”
- “Runs great and feels optimized.”
- “This game was dead on arrival and probably the most buggy/unrefined launch of any game I've ever experienced.”
- “The mechanics are really broken, and make no sense whatsoever, full of bugs, too buggy even for an alpha game, a total mess in general, don't bother wasting your money on it.”
- “I just really wish it wasn't so buggy; it crashes so often but it's pretty good other than that.”
humor
134 mentions
96 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The humor in "The Culling 2" is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating the dark, juvenile, and sometimes slapstick comedy delivered by the game's announcer and in-game scenarios. While some reviews highlight the game's potential for hilarious moments and entertaining gameplay, others criticize the humor for becoming repetitive or falling flat after updates. Overall, the game is seen as a chaotic blend of intense combat and comedic elements, appealing to those who enjoy a lighthearted take on the battle royale genre.
- “Goes through bad patches but overall an amazing battle royale with a ton of funny moments.”
- “Imagine a dark humor version of Hunger Games and you have The Culling.”
- “The humor is on point ;p.”
- “The Culling 2 is just copying other games, not funny at all. I know this game has 0% chance to come back.”
- “After the last three updates, The Culling is not funny to play and has a terrible fighting system (pre-patch).”
- “For the love of God, devs, he's not funny. Please stop trying to show off your kooky sense of humor.”
monetization
53 mentions
6 % positive mentions
43 % neutral mentions
51 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has drawn significant criticism, with many players labeling it as a cash grab and expressing frustration over the developers' approach to microtransactions. While some reviews note that the game has transitioned to a free-to-play model with cosmetic loot crates, others warn against potential future monetization strategies that could detract from the gameplay experience. Overall, there is a strong sentiment among players urging the developers to avoid predatory practices and maintain a fair monetization system.
- “The game is pretty good right now, I enjoy it. I mean sure it has microtransactions, but it also became free to play, so I'll accept that.”
- “The game is updated regularly and is not in any way pay-to-win, since there are no microtransactions.”
- “This game has extremely active developers only looking to improve their game and not fork you for microtransactions like other games.”
- “I cannot recommend this game in good faith, since while the game itself is still good, the devs planned to add a really bad monetization method that would've killed all forward drive it had. Disassociate yourself with this game and its developers and save yourself a world of headache.”
- “The game was trash then, and your predatory monetization is trash now.”
- “£18.99 for a game that is nothing but empty all the time. Such a shame it had such promise, but the devs are just in it for the quick cash grab.”
story
53 mentions
15 % positive mentions
77 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth and originality, with many players noting that it feels non-existent or repetitive. While some reviews mention a cool plot and engaging gameplay elements, the overall consensus is that the absence of a compelling narrative detracts from the experience. However, players do find that the chaotic nature of the gameplay creates its own unique stories through player interactions.
- “Good storyline + competitive nature + quality graphics + (risk + reward) + difficulty = amazing game.”
- “Potentially it has the concept, the graphics, the storyline, and the humor in such a gory and raw and random game.”
- “My story begins in a cave with a katana and 2 smoke bombs; I hear a man outside crafting.”
- “No story, no originality in concept, no new or exciting game mechanics.”
- “It's the same story over and over.”
- “Despite the lack of story, and the lack of real plot, the way you are thrust into an arena to fight against other unknown people creates a story of its own.”
replayability
51 mentions
63 % positive mentions
29 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag among users, with many praising its high replay value due to varied gameplay mechanics, random events, and enjoyable combat, leading to hundreds of hours of playtime for some. However, others criticize the lack of content updates and a stale meta, which diminishes long-term engagement. Overall, while many find it fun and replayable, concerns about optimization and content depth persist.
- “There's excellent variety and replayability in the game; the combat is rewarding and enjoyable, and it runs on my fairly old PC.”
- “The game is very fun to play and has a lot of replayability, even though it may not look like that at first glance.”
- “The culling is a fantastic game that offers unlimited replayability and excessive amounts of fun by yourself or with friends.”
- “Terrible optimization and the developers have ruined the fun and replayability of the game.”
- “The developers don't know what they want this game to be, and have mangled this game's corpse to an unplayable mess with even less skill, replayability, and reason to play than Starforge.”
- “There is no replay value; we unblock skins and that's it... seriously?”
grinding
21 mentions
5 % positive mentions
5 % neutral mentions
90 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often requiring excessive hours to gather resources or unlock items, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. Many express frustration with the combat mechanics and the need to grind for better weapons, leading to a sense of staleness in gameplay. While some appreciate the potential for updates to improve the experience, the consensus is that the current grind can overshadow the excitement of competitive play.
- “If you're looking for an exciting, competitive, nuanced multiplayer experience with no grinding whatsoever, then look no further!”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The game is very tedious.”
- “It is very grindy to make weapons and the gameplay wasn't really fun at all.”
atmosphere
15 mentions
67 % positive mentions
13 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and engaging qualities, reminiscent of a futuristic game show with a darkly humorous twist. Players appreciate the intense and realistic tension, likening it to "The Hunger Games," while the well-designed map and dynamic gameplay contribute to a sense of excitement and replayability. Overall, the combination of crafting, announcer commentary, and environmental design creates a unique and captivating experience.
- “The atmosphere of the island along with the announcer makes you feel like you are on a game show from the future fighting for the cameras and viewers.”
- “The gameplay is fun and keeps you on your feet, and the atmosphere is intense and realistic.”
- “Had such a unique atmosphere, looting and combat system - it actually felt like a proper Hunger Games in a way.”
- “The atmosphere of the island, along with the announcer, makes you feel like you are on a game show from the future, fighting for the cameras and viewers.”
- “The whole atmosphere has a 'Hunger Games' vibe, and I haven't left a match without feeling on the edge of my seat the whole time.”
- “Any game attempting to create a battle royale atmosphere could learn a lot from The Culling.”
emotional
13 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional response to the game, highlighting its intense and often heartbreaking moments, particularly in its multiplayer format. While some find the experience frustrating due to technical issues, others appreciate the emotional depth and excitement it brings, describing it as a potential masterpiece that evokes feelings of anxiety and empowerment. Overall, the game elicits a complex mix of emotions, from confusion and frustration to exhilaration and heartbreak.
- “It is by far the most emotionally tense multiplayer game I've ever played!”
- “Usually you would be thinking 'how could you be upset with this?' It's because the way it's placed on the plate to reveal a heartbreaking quote 'we wasted a chromosome creating you.'”
- “It is a potential masterpiece that even now manages to provide a great deal of exciting, brutal, breathtaking, and heartbreaking (sometimes literally) fun.”
music
8 mentions
38 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
38 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players expressing disappointment over the lack of engaging tracks and the repetitive menu music. While ambient sounds enhance immersion, the minimal use of music can be irritating, especially in a gameplay context where sound cues are crucial. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as underwhelming, with a call for a return to original compositions.
- “So when they announced that, for origins, they would place a special emphasis on opening a dialogue with the players, it was like music to my ears.”
- “There isn't much music in this game, but the ambient noises of crickets and birds make it very immersive at times.”
- “Granted, not every win is something people will write songs about, but the intensity is there.”
- “You better bring back the original menu music too and not that garbage!”
- “It gets irritating as well when you have to listen to the damn menu music for that long, which is a horrid experience.”
- “Music in a game where you have to hear every opponent's step is not very effective.”
character development
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
While the character designs are visually appealing, there is little mention of depth or growth in character development, suggesting that the focus may be more on aesthetics than on meaningful narrative progression.