Do you find normal VR boxing and brawling games a bit plain? Want to know what it feels like to “Hulk Smash”? Or just slap a few mechs and robots using your powerful robo-arms? Have no fear, Underdogs is here.
As you start the game, Underdogs warns you that things can get physical and the tutorial eggs you on to take bigger, more energetic swings. (Which is great, but I thought my punches were perfectly adequate!) Once things start to get wild with mecha-dogs and exploding crabs, I found any semblance of technique left me, and random flailing took over. I had some mixed results with that approach, and it was more tiring than I’d like to admit. But seeing the impacts wreck my opponents or catapult them across the arena was plenty of motivation.
Float Like A Butterfly..
You’ll also use your arms for mobility, dragging yourself across the floor like a legless ape. It’s fun, effective and more immersive than using the sticks. The game also encourages physically turning rather than using the sticks. But with PSVR2, that does mean being aware of the cable.
As you take on each arena event, you’ll come up against a variety of robotic enemies before taking on another piloted mech boss. There’s a good number of enemies that force you to change up your tactics and pick your targets. They’ll pick at you or try to rush, and you’ll also want to keep explosives away from you and look out for weak points and armour.
Some modifiers can come into play, which depend on your choices in the narrative sections between brawls. These sections are also where the roguelite route-picking comes in; do you go see a mechanic for cheap repairs with a chance to fail? Or go scavenging with a risk of running into bandits? The setting has a wasteland kinda vibe and uses some form of London accent that I can’t quite place, so to me it feels like the Belter Creole used in The Expanse.
Sting Like A Bee
Alongside the graphical style, these choices make for a distinctive, memorable presentation. There’s a cell-shaded quality, but rather than bright blocks of colour, it’s toned down with a grimy feel to it, with more of a suggestion of colour.
It took me a few runs to really get anywhere, so there’s definitely a learning curve and plenty of weapon options to experiment with before finding the best build. You’ll also unlock new items that can appear on later runs. That’s a fair bit of replayability, but there are also additional modes, including a sandbox for user-generated content, a challenge mode and two different wave-based survival modes that strip back some of the roguelite elements and let you get straight to action.
There’s a fair number of roguelites in the VR space, but Underdogs stands out with its visuals and concept. It then backs that up with immersive gameplay and a solid roguelite structure. The additional modes and updates help make Underdogs feel like a complete package.
Platforms: PlayStation, Steam, Meta
Developers: One Hamsa
Publishers: One Hamsa
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