7 Amazing UNDERDOGS VR Tips And Tricks

UNDERDOGS is pretty hard VR fighting game to complete all the way to the end. Of course it is! It’s a roguelike. So here are 5 UNDERDOGS VR Tips and Tricks will help you get further along in the game before getting destroyed, and will help you win the whole game, become a champion mech fighter, and save your little brother.

As an intense VR Fighting Game and a roguelike, UNDERDOGS is pretty difficult to actually complete all the way through. That is, of course, because if you get smashed and lose the game you have to start all over again from the beginning.

So every playthrough has the potential to end with early failure, or take you all the way to the end. Though each attempt can also end at around the same place the last one did, leaving you frustrated and feeling like there’s a point in the game that you just can’t progress past.

Well if you feel that way, or just want to get better at UNDERDOGS in general then try these fantastic UNDERDOGS tips and tricks that are sure to give you a fighting chance out in the arena and increase your chances of making it up to New Brakka and winning the game.

1: Stay Mobile

The number one most important tip in UNDERDOGS that will improve not only your offensive, but also your defensive potential, is to not stay still and stay on the move.

Staying on the move in UNDERDOGS will cause enemies to attack where you used to be instead of where you are.

You will be outnumbered almost all of the time when fighting in UNDERDOGS, and the hordes of bots you will fight will do their best to surround you, corner you, and attack you from the sides and back where you are vulnerable.

Don’t let your enemies do this. Always stay moving and only stop for as long as it takes to strike. Don’t keep attacking a single enemy for too long, and try not to leave your back vulnerable for too long. King will also often shout a warning when an enemy robot attacks you from the side or rear.

While being outnumbered may make it seem like the odds are stacked against you, UNDERDOG’s unique movement system makes staying on the move somewhat easy. You just having to grab the ground and drag yourself in whatever direction you want to move.

You can generate momentum in any direction from a complete standstill, and moving only requires a quick arm motion. Despite the size of your Gorilla mech, speed and mobility is one of its greatest strengths.

Of course awareness is also an important component in your mobility, so also make sure to not get tunnel vision on a single opponent and be aware of other bots preparing to jump you. Constant movement and constantly looking around at your surroundings will help with this.

2: Hit and Run Against Bosses

Staying mobile also applies when you are fighting any of the bosses in UNDERDOGS.

Each of the bosses are bigger, faster, and hit harder than the normal enemies you will meet. Don’t think that just because they’re around the same size as you that means you should be standing face to face with them and duking it out blow for blow.

When a boss winds up an attack in UNDERDOGS it is time to move.

The bosses deal lots of damage and have huge health pools. They can withstand a lot more punishment than you. They can also deal out punishment much faster than you.

So when fighting any of UNDERDOG’s bosses keep in mind that mobility is still key. Get in when you can, deliver a blow or two, and then get out before the boss hits back. Stay on the move and stay alive.

3: Hit Weak Points

Bosses, and a lot of enemies, also have weak points that you can strike for extra damage, and these weak points also sometimes coincide with other mechanics in the game, like overcharge and overheating.

Starting with the bosses, each of them have weak points that you should always aim for to strike for maximum damage. For instance, the champions of each arena are in mechs that are a lot like yours, and just like yours the weak spot is the bubble that protects the driver.

Striking your enemies in weak spots will drastically increase your damage in UNDERDOGS.

Hit this bubble to deal the most damage when you strike at these bosses, and keep in mind that this applies to robot enemies as well, especially the larger ones.

The very common dog robots are all weak to strikes in the head, and their heads won’t have armor on them, so you should always aim there.

The big gorilla robots are also vulnerable to strikes to the head, though their heads are much smaller, and the rhino robots reveal a massive engine inside their backs after they charge, so strike those as quickly as possible to deal massive damage.

Rhino robots, conversely, are actually very hard to hit in the head due to the spikes surrounding their noggins, and so body shots are actually preferable on them.

Oh, and just like with the rhino it’s always better to attack a bot when it is overheated and vulnerable, like the more common Alphas which will always bite and latch on when overcharged, but are harmless during their brief periods of overheat.

4: Use The Environment

You’ll notice pretty quickly that the arenas of UNDERDOGS are full of traps and objects that will affect the fight between you and your many opponents.

Well this UNDERDOGS Tip is here to remind you to take full advantage of the arena that you are fighting in. Seriously, if you make use of the many traps and deadly pieces of scenery spread throughout the arena you will significantly improve your ability to deal damage and therefore survive and win.

Impaling a pit dog on a spike in UNDERDOGS. An important tip is to always use the environment to your advantage.

Take the Killbox, the very first arena in the game, for example. King will announce when the grinder opens, and you’ll definitely notice the massive pinkish glowing swirling blades.

It is super easy to knock robots into those blades with the wrecking balls you start the game with. All you need to do is punch the robots in the direction of the blades and they’ll fall right in.

The same goes for the other rotating spike traps that you will find in the arenas, or the spikes on the walls. Knocking an enemy bot into a wall full of spikes will deal a ton of damage, and stick them there for a while to buy you some more time to deal with their buddies.

Even the car wrecks and explosive barrels can be useful, especially if you have a grabber arm to throw them with. So don’t forget to utilize your environment to deal extra damage.

5: Knock Bomb Robots Into Enemies

Bomb bots are a unique enemy in UNDERDOGS in that they can be just as much of a danger to your opponents as they can be to you.

As long as you are mobile and aware of your surroundings the bomb bots should have a very hard time sneaking up on you and exploding themselves. Even if they do get close they will make a very loud noise when activating themselves.

Another UNDERDOGS tip, bomb bots deal a ton of damage to your enemies.

It’s easy to get rid of them by knocking them over to the other side of the arena and letting them blow up harmlessly and far away.

Though a better alternative is to knock them into an enemy. The bomb bot will stick to them and then blow up shortly after. This can be especially effective against a large group of enemies, and deals a ton of damage while also getting rid of the bomb bot.

Make sure to utilize the bots just as you would utilize your environment to deal damage to your enemies. Oh, but keep in mind that doing too much damage to a bomb bot will cause it to instantly explode, so be careful when handling them.

6: Save Some Money

This UNDERDOGS tip is especially relevant once you start surviving far into your runs and reach the late game.

While buying new equipment and weapons is a great way to increase your combat potential, it is also important to try and avoid breaking the bank so badly that you don’t have the money to afford repairs you might need before next fight.

Always make sure you have the cash to repair your mech in UNDERDOGS.

In UNDERDOGS you have to take what brief opportunities you can get to upgrade the Gorilla, because they don’t come as often as you might like, but at the same time make sure that you have enough cash on hand for any repairs you might need. It’s a delicate balance, but your first priority is always to not be destroyed, and so prioritize cash for repairs first.

When you are about to defeat the second mech boss in the game and are nearing the start of your Backdoor Run to complete the game, don’t think that you should spend all of your cash before the run begins.

You will actually have a couple of opportunities to spend your money on repairs during the Backdoor Run. Trust me, you’re going to want to have the money to afford those repairs.

7: Choose Your Gear Wisely

Before each non boss fight in the arena you’ll be given a choice of patron, each of which changes something about the fight, but that’s not what is important about which one you pick.

What’s important is what kind of gear the patron gives, and what kind of gear you already have for your mech during your current run.

Choosing a patron in UNDERDOGS is more about what rewards they give then the challenges they add.

Your most consistent source of equipment to upgrade your mech will be as rewards for completing a fight, though you can definitely supplement this with random finds and purchases in between battles. Still, read what sort of gear each patron gives you, and see if those rewards are helpful for your current situation. For instance, if you’re spending a lot on repairs, consider going for a patron that offers Tanking gear.

What’s more important though, is getting gear that synergizes well with your current loadout. Now this isn’t something you will be able to master in a run or two, it takes time, but winning UNDERDOGS is more than likely going to take you quite a few runs. That’s the nature of the game as a roguelike.

Still, during each run make sure to read the descriptions of items and really think about what they might go well with. If you’ve got an arm that shocks an enemy each time you hit it, then pick a patron that offers shock damage gear and upgrades.

Buy some items that give bonuses when enemies are shocked, and you might find that you create a combo that does incredible damage. Basically focus on getting add-ons, quirks, and upgrades that give bonuses to the equipment you already have.

With a little luck and some forethought you can get fists powerful enough to destroy enemies in one or two hits.

This UNDERDOGS tip might seem obvious, but make sure you choose your gear carefully.

You can also try out combinations of items in skirmish mode to increase your familiarity with them, and try out new combos to see what works and what doesn’t.

At the end of the day luck is a big component in what equipment you get, and you can always win with lacking equipment if you use your patience, skill, and stamina. Mastering the numbers and equipment of UNDERDOGS just makes the fights a lot easier if you do it right.

Anyway those are all of the UNDERDOGS Tips and Tricks that I’ve got for you. Enjoy yourself out there in the arena and good luck making it to New Brakka. See you there.

UNDERDOGS VR Review On The Oculus Quest 3 - A Fantastic VR Mech Fighting Game

You might be wondering. “Is UNDERDOGS VR Worth It?” or “Is UNDERDOGS VR a fun game?” Well I’m here to tell you that yes, it is, and to find out why we’ll dive deep into what makes UNDERDOGS a fantastic futuristic mech brawler in Virtual Reality from VR game developer One Hamsa.

UNDERDOGS is a VR game where you fight robots in a huge gorilla mech suit. If that sounds like a good time to you, then you'll like this game.

UNDERDOGS VR Review - The Sights and Sounds of the Arena

The visuals of UNDERDOGS VR are crisp, even running standalone on an Oculus Quest 3. It's a very stylish game too, from the look of the gameplay to the comic strip style story panels.

The colors are splashes of vibrant and messy neon so fitting for the dystopian, cyberpunk world that the game takes place in.

The crowd just before the arena lights up

Everything is gritty, but a futuristic gritty where you might get robbed or get smashed in the arena, but at the end of the day there's always another mech, more robots, and an intense soundscape to go along with it all.

UNDERDOGS VR looks great with a unified aesthetic and vibe to it all, and that extends to the sound design. You can hear the frenetic energy all the way throughout the fight. The combination of EDM and drill rap that makes most of this VR game's soundtrack go extremely well with the crisp crash of metal on metal as your Gorilla's steel fists snap another bot in two.

The music keeps the energy high and the sound gives each action you take an additional sense of weight, contributing to the feeling that you really are inside of a massive mech suit and that you really are smashing hostile robots in an underground arena.

A frenetic fight in UNDERDOGS VR

Virtual Reality does a lot to give you this sense of immersion, but it's nothing without touches like good sound design, and UNDERDOGS VR knows this and does it extremely well. Though if you're not a fan of this sort of music then you might find it overwhelming or annoying.

The same goes for your companion "King" who will shout encouragement and share useful warnings in your ear. Like when an enemy is about to pounce from behind you. He could get a little old, and possibly annoying. Luckily you can shut off King and the Music in the Settings if you want to.

Though the warnings that your friend and business partner give you are genuinly helpful and the game just isn't the same without the frenetic pace of the music contributing to the intensity of the combat.

Oh and a quick sidenote here: If you're not comfortable with all of the swearing there are some language filtering options in the Settings menu. I guess the developers figured a game doesn't have to be crass just because it's gritty. Now back to the review.

The Settings menu where you can turn down the music, and King

The real draw of UNDERDOGS VR is the combat. UNDERDOGS is a fighting game, but with the added cool factor of you being inside a gigantic Gorilla mech suit. All of your fighting and moving is done purely with your arms, and trust me your arms will be pretty tired after playing this game for long enough.

Personally the only reason I stopped playing was because my arms hurt from constantly swinging them. Whether this is a benefit or a drawback of this game is up to you, but expect to sweat a bit after a few bouts in the arena. So for VR fitness enthusiasts, this might just be another arm workout to add to your collection.

That's because you'll be punching a lot, and swinging your arms to move as well. The punching is kind of self explanitory, but wow does it feel good to move your arms, which you can see in front of you, and also see and more importantly feel the gigantic metal arm of your mech crash into an enemy.

Punching a huge gorilla robot in the face. Very satisfying

UNDERDOGS gives great tactile feedback through the Quest's touch controllers and gives a good sense of feeling like you're actually a man in a mech suit. Even physically moving around your playspace won't move your mech, but instead shifts your position inside of it.

It's these little touches, most of which you probably won't even notice, that take the immersion of Virtual Reality to the next level in UNDERDOGS VR.

Not to mention the movement. It's no secret that VR has a bit of a movement problem, and that slide movement using a joystick is not only lacking in immersion but creates a lot of problems of its own.

Luckily UNDERDOGS doesn't rely on slide movement like so many other VR fighting games, but instead has you pulling yourself around by holding down the grip button while pulling your touch controller behind you.

It's like you're actually grabbing the ground and pulling yourself forward, which is exactly what your Mech does to move, and boy does it move quickly. I've heard this movement system compared to Gorilla Tag, but it's really more like a more responsive version of Gorn's movement system, which also has you grabbing and pulling yourself forward, albeit much more slowly than in UNDERDOGS VR.

Moving by grabbing the floor and pulling

This movement system is not only intuitive, but is also integrated into the combat. If you pull yourself forward sharply with both arms at the same time you rush forward very quickly and body slam anything that you run into. This isn't only a great way to get out of trouble, but gives you a great option in combat, especially against armored enemies.

UNDERDOGS VR Review - A Deep Combat System

You might think that combat would be simple and just come down to punching really hard and the occasional bodyslam, but you'd be wrong.

The arena isn't a simple place, and is full of all sorts of traps, like a massive hammer that slams into the ground, or a grinder that opens up on the side of the arena. Perfect for throwing bots into for crunching, but also something you should avoid yourself.

Throwing a Junk Dog into the grinder

The combat doesn't get old not only because of how satisfying it feels, but also because of how quickly enemies come at you in swarms and force you to utilize every option that you have. Smacking one robot out of the way to buy yourself some breathing room, quickly smacking another into a crusher to destroy it, and then moving out of the way of another's attack.

Combat in this game becomes a quick dance of avoidance and smashing. Trying to reduce your enemies while at the same time not being overwhelmed by their numbers.

You can play the combat methodically by keeping your distance and rushing in and out for hit and runs, or you can try to overwhelm opponents and keep them off balance. Hit one fast enough and they'll be stunned, but you might get jumped from the sides or behind while you're focusing on the enemies in front of you.

So combat becomes a constant whirling, frantic paranoia of making sure you're dishing out destruction and not about to be attacked.

Some overcharged enemies which are stronger and tougher

Speaking of being attacked, UNDERDOGS has an interesting health system. Each arm of your mech and your cockpit all have separate health pools.

If an arm's health goes to zero it breaks right off, which is a major disadvantage. You can't move or attack or block with that arm anymore.

If your cockpit health goes to zero it breaks and your human body is exposed. Take one hit to your fragile fleshy shell and it's game over.

It's an interesting system that forces you to make a lot of small decisions, and also be very careful with your arms during combat

More than once I had to make a snap judgement to block my cockpit with an arm and further risk it breaking off, or trust that my cockpit could take the damage. Your moment to moment decision making in each fight is also complicated by a myriad of status effects, damage types, and modifiers.

The health bars of the left arm and cockpit in UNDERDOGS VR

Some enemies will be armored on parts of their bodies, or go into overdrive where they deal and take far less damage. You can also get allies in the arena or decoys to help you out. There are so many different strategies and ways to fight to discover in UNDERDOGS VR, and this UNDERDOGS Review would be as big as a book if I tried to list them all for you.

There's a surprising amount of depth to UNDERDOGS VR's combat system that becomes more obvious the more you play the game, and there's also even more offensive options than just smashing. UNDERDOGS VR has an equipment system as well.

Your arms can be more than just wrecking balls, but also grabbers that can grab enemies to more easily throw them wherever you like, or even a nail gun that temporarily stuns them.

UNDERDOGS Review - It’s A Roguelike Too

You'll have to work for these options though, because UNDERDOGS is also a roguelike. Now before I say anything else I'd like to address that this might be a disheartening thing to hear for those very familiar with the VR gaming scene, which has a lot of roguelikes, and a lot of those seem like they are roguelikes more for the purpose of padding out game time than anything else.

For those unfamiliar with the concept a roguelike is a game where you progress through a series of challenges, but failing and being destroyed means that you have to start all over again from scratch like you just started the game.

Playing a lot of VR roguelikes can be tiring, but VR games like The Light Brigade and also UNDERDOGS have shown that a game that uses roguelike elements well to tie into the gameplay can enhance the game's experience.

UNDERDOGS VR uses its roguelike elements well. Between matches in the arena you have opportunities to get into various shenanigans to acquire mech parts or spend your money on equipment, enhancements, and repairs. This is all conveyed through comic strip panels and text prompts.

Repairing the ‘Rilla between matches

Getting a great new part is very satisfying, and some have benefits and drawbacks that make you really choose how to use them. After you choose a few options you're presented with another arena battle, and a choice of merchant with a special modifier and pool of equipment to win as a reward to sponsor you in the match.

These roguelike elements work pretty well in UNDERDOGS VR, but this system does still have some drawbacks. While the progression of equipment through each run is satisfying and gives you some interesting choices that affect your playstyle through each run the heavy consequences of losing mean you won’t feel as encouraged to experiment.

Though there is a Skirmish mode that lets you try out different combinations of parts without risking your run. Skirmish is a great way to test out any new equipment you might have gotten without any risks, or to warm up before your next arena bout.

As far as equipment goes you generally just choose what you think is best and sell the rest. That leans into another common problem in roguelikes. Starting over from the beginning feels a bit more boring than it should because you're going up against the same enemies yet again, just with worse gear.

You're playing the game on easy for at least the first of the three arenas just so that you can get to the harder arenas that are going to be more of a filter and a challenge.

Nailing a Roach to the floor with the Nail Gun arm

So those early fights can feel like a chore when you've already gotten some experience with the game. Luckily they're at least short, but they still feel too easy when you've got a few runs under your belt.

Part of this is because there isn't enough enemy variety in UNDERDOGS, though this will only be a problem after you've already got quite a few hours in the game. Still, you'll find yourself fighting the Roaches and Junk Dogs a lot, they form the overwhelming majority of the enemies you will be fighting early on in the game.

Later on there are more advanced versions of these enemies, but they really amount to being a little faster, hitting a little harder, and having more health. There are some interesting opponents, but way more Roaches and Junk Dogs in every wave.

Though fighting the arena champion at the end of each set of arena battles may very well make up for this. The boss fights are also incredible. Difficult, but a lot of fun.

As far as the roguelike city exploration it is still nice to get a little downtime to cool off between matches with the time you spend hustling, repairing, and upgrading.

Each fight gets you some cash and a choice of reward

UNDERDOGS VR Review - The Story

There's a story to, a story of brotherhood and beating the odds when you've got almost nothing going for you but your skill and perseverance. The story isn’t the main draw in a game like this, but seeing the camaraderie and the odds you’re against written in each of the game’s story panels makes you want to win even more for the sake of the characters.

The possibility of failure that a roguelike brings enhances these story elements by giving each fight genuine stakes.

Even a fight that you win can be a drawback if your mech takes a lot of damage, which persists, and you have to spend a lot of resources to try and get it back into shape before lumbering into the arena again.

There are a lot of these very stylistic and well made comic book style panels to convey the story and events of UNDERDOGS VR

As I said at the beginning of this UNDERDOGS VR Review though, if you want to pilot a giant mech suit and smash robots, then this game won't get old and it is the best VR Mech fighting game on the Oculus Quest 3 and even all of PCVR. At the end of the day that is the core of the game, and that core is an absolute gem of responsive touch controls and solid VR game design.

If you love VR fighting games or just the fantasy of this concept then you'll get more than your money's worth from UNDERDOGS. It’s available on the Oculus store and on Steam for PCVR.

Good luck in the arena and enjoy yourselves VR gamers.