Underdogs Review (Jon Withane)
UNDERDOGS is a game I cannot recommend enough for anyone with a VR set. This grungy smackfest is one of them most fun experiences I've personally experienced in VR.
The best I can describe the game is if Chappie, Real Steel, and Pacific Rim had a baby and threw it into the grimy underbelly of Cyberpunk 2077.
From the 2.5D cutscene presentation, grim dystopian world, and top-notch music tracks, this game is brimming with personality. But this game has plenty more than just style.
The game is a rogue-lite so you're expected to make multiple runs. It's not difficult to unlock new things, and with each run you're more than likely clawing your way further into each act. Experimenting is part of the fun, and there's always something cool around the corner. Rather than using Rogue-lite mechanics to pad out game time, it becomes a satisfying loop of experimentation and progression.
The moment to moment beats in actual combat are intense and engaging. Dragging around the 'Rilla (your Mech) by gripping the floor while throwing out haymakers into the hordes of bots you'll be facing is a primal high that hasn't been replicated in any game. The act of piloting the Mech itself is intuitive and only takes a few moments to get the hang of. There's a decent amount of enemy types with their own variants, and even additional modifiers on top that make each fight different in their own way. Arena formats change, enemy spawns differ, and the weapons and upgrades you find determine what kind of play style you'll favor. I ended my 12th run using a Nailgun to stun enemies while using a Flail to haymaker them into oblivion.
Outside of combat, you'll engage in a pseudo Tabletop style exploration where you pick different types of characters and events to interact with. There are benefits to working with certain types of people that even have knock-on effects later. The same goes for trying to screw them over in any way (like stealing from them). The random events keep the game fresh in a way that's engaging, and repeated playthroughs are consistently unique with little overlap.
I personally don't have too many qualms with this game, and it has a good amount of side content with an Endless Mode, Community Made maps, and even a Sandbox Gym to test out builds.
The only real issue I had was during the final boss fight my game took a dump and had an extreme performance dip before it cleared up and I beat the boss. But, honestly. That was a single time, and I was playing wirelessly. So it was a minor hiccup more than anything.
Again, I cannot recommend this game enough. This game really brings a whole new level of quality and love for VR games I just don't see that often.
10/10, would want to experience blind again.