“Underdogs” is a Virtual Reality (VR) roguelike game released on the Meta and Steam stores Jan. 25. To many the game was seen as a savior as the last few titles to release for VR were empty and boring. “Underdogs” is probably one of the best VR games I have played in a while. It’s a love letter to all VR players and offers a unique experience to all players.

First, “Underdogs” has unique gameplay that isn’t seen anywhere else. The player will control a mech that only moves by grabbing the ground and swinging their arms. The player personally cannot hurt anything but the massive metal arms that the player controls are absolute weapons of mass destruction. There are many different types of arms the player can wield and bring unique and different fighting styles to the game.

The story of the game is simple but perfect. The progression of the story changes every run the player makes each time a new run is started. The goal of each run is to make it to the main city. Each character someone may encounter in the story can be a friend or a foe as each can benefit the player runs or can be a boss trying to stop the player from becoming the king of the arena. The story of the game is wonderful and is especially nice to see from a roguelike that is meant to be replayed multiple times. It hasn’t gotten old each time and fits for the gameplay loop they send every player through.

Many people playing the game have said that they don’t feel motion sickness while moving around. This is because of the way the game portrays the view of the mech. They are always still but the environment seems to be moving around the player. The heads-up display is also only appearing on the glass of the mech, which breaks the more damage the player takes. This gives less information on the enemies which I believe is absolutely genius. The movement style isn’t artificial either, since they would have to manually move their arms and push themselves forward.

The gameplay loop inside of the arena consists of rounds of differing enemies that vary in strength. Some can latch onto the player’s arms and some jump and fly in the air to catch the player off guard. There are multiple environmental differences in the many arenas the player can fight in. Some have massive waterfalls that electrocute the enemies and some have grinders that tear them to pieces. There is also a reputation system with many of the game’s characters that can be increased by adding hazards or annoyances to the arena. Boss fights in the arena are also super exciting as they are a real challenge and can obliterate a run if the player isn’t careful. The arena gameplay is a compliment to VR and is very fun to smash and destroy enemies.

With the reputation system, the gameplay loop outside of the arena is wonderful. Choosing where to go during the day cycle is genius. The player can only make a certain amount of choices, good or bad, during the day to either help or hinder their battle that night. Choices are also important as one can burn reputation with others by giving secrets away for powerful gear. I personally lost a run due to me gambling my only healthy arm away and losing all the buffs it had at the very last try. This system is amazing as money is given as a reward each night they succeed and are given chances to buy and even sell the gear they obtain each night and day cycle.

The music and art of the game is just astounding. The game features a cell shaded dark and gritty style that is amazing to play in. The art style fits the underground dystopian style and the music compliments it perfectly. The soundtrack features licensed music from multiple creators. The music features the United Kingdom grime and feels rebellious. Most of the game features UK slang and verbiage as for the main characters are from there. The art of the game is wonderful as it has a graffiti and comic book style to it that pleases the eye and I think fits perfectly. The grunge style of the game in the mech with the dangerous outside with others trying to take advantage and steal from is wonderful.

Overall, I say “Underdogs” is one of my favorite VR games of all time. It features wonderful and unique gameplay that is only possible in VR. It has amazing music and art that compliments the style of the game perfectly and features a fun gameplay loop that is satisfying to complete.