Remember watching shows like Robotech or Voltron and wishing you could actually climb inside the cockpit and throw a giant, metal-crushing punch? Underdogs on Meta Quest finally makes that fantasy a reality. This isn’t a slow, button-mashing tactical sim; it’s a brutal, physics-based roguelike brawler where you use physical “gorilla movement” to pilot a five-ton mech through an underground fighting arena. Between the visceral, heavy-hitting combat and the addictive roguelike upgrade loop, it’s easily one of the most intense action games in VR. Here is my full breakdown of how the combat actually feels, how the gear system works, and how to survive the arena.
Game Introduction
Back then, I used to imagine climbing into a Veritech and launching like I was heading out in Robotech. I was so obsessed with giant robot fights that instead of writing in my elementary school language notebook, I just kept drawing mechs.
In those days, the biggest shows were all about huge robots. Robotech. Voltron. The Transformers. At first it was one hero mech taking on waves of enemies solo. Then you got the multi-part combo stuff, teams forming one massive robot, bigger builds, bigger transformations. Watching those combine scenes was pure hype.
Multi-part combining robots were awesome, but even now, decades later, what really stuck with me are the signature moves, the big, stupidly cool punches and beam attacks.
There’s no Mazinger Z on Meta Quest.
I looked through the store, and the only game where you can actually pilot a robot is the VR action title Underdogs. The mech in this game isn’t a towering 100-foot giant, but you do get to climb in and throw punches.
What surprised me is that Underdogs actually has a story. That’s pretty rare for a VR arena brawler. Even after watching about half of it, I didn’t fully grasp everything, but the basic idea is this: two brothers want to escape to a massive human city, and the only way in is to win in the robot arena.
We’ve got Gorilla No.1. All that’s left is to smash our way through.
A massive arena awaits.
Pilot your mech and charge into an arena packed with spectators.
When you start the game, the first thing you do is spread both arms and hold down the triggers to calibrate. Get that set up properly, and you’ll be able to unleash your moves at full power when it’s time to fight.
Controlling the robot is actually pretty simple. Here’s what matters:
- Grip button: Hold it while clenching your fist and slide forward like you’re skiing, and the mech moves ahead.
- Trigger button: If you’ve equipped open palms, you can grab enemies. If you’re using a meteor hammer, you can launch the hammer head.
- Swing both arms: Attack. You can throw straight punches, hooks, or even raise both arms and slam down with a gorilla punch.
- Slide both hands at the same time: Dash forward at high speed. If you crash into an enemy, it deals heavy damage.
This is the mech you’ll be piloting. Just looking at it, it kind of resembles Boss Borot, doesn’t it? Even the iron ball fists feel oddly similar.
Watch the enemy’s health bar, and when you slam both fists down at the same time, their “blood” gauge drops fast.
If you take a heavy hit, the cockpit glass cracks with a sharp snap, and you really feel like your life is on the line.
You only get one battle per day. After each fight, you head back to camp to rest. During that downtime, random events pop up. Repairs, shopping, cheating, incidents. Most of it is decided by luck. You might score rare gear, or you might get robbed. It all comes down to the roll.
I once spent 400 dollars in the shop on a charger. While I was there, I figured I’d grab something small too. I secretly picked up the shopkeeper’s glove, but I got caught before I could leave. I thought I’d just get yelled at, but instead I got blocked. Two days later, I went back to the shop, and it was suddenly closed, refusing to sell me anything.
Shops like that deserve one star.
At the shop, you can repair your mech, upgrade it, or buy a major repair kit.
When an event pops up, it’s all down to luck. You might pull rare gear, or it could get taken from you in an instant.
Before each night’s fight, you can choose a sponsor. The opponents tied to that sponsor are tougher, but the rewards are better. That’s just how this game works. Some enemies are brutal. A large hound-type mech can leap at you and deal serious damage, while the mech ostrich has insanely high durability and takes a lot to bring down.
Before battle, you can adjust your loadout. Equipment is divided into six main parts:
- Both arms: Adjust overall attack power.
- Both fists: Equip weapons like gloves, meteor hammers, open palms, or circular saws.
- Main body: If the core is destroyed, it’s game over.
Each part has a rank—Normal, Rare, Legend. The harder it is to obtain, the better the performance. You can also use upgrade kits to boost a part by one tier.
Before heading into the night’s fight, you can choose the difficulty and reward level. The higher the difficulty, the better the gear and payout.
Before a fight, you set up your gear. High-attack equipment deals serious damage just by smashing into enemies, and if it comes with elemental bonuses, the effects get even more intense.
When you win, you receive proper rewards. The higher the difficulty, the better the payout.
At the end of each chapter, it all comes down to a one-on-one boss battle.
Of course you’re going to get beaten up by the grunts before the boss fight. That’s how it goes. First you deal with the mech hounds and mech ostriches, take a few hits, lose some durability—then you finally stand face to face with the king. Only then does the “fair” fight begin.
Even if you go down, it’s no big deal. Just retry. Your gear gets stronger, your skills get sharper, and each run makes you better.
There are plenty of modes too. If you just want chaos, Berserk mode and Sandbox let you go wild with no restraints.
Boss fights are true one-on-one showdowns. But if you don’t clear out the small fry first, you won’t even get to see the boss.
Even if you lose, you can return to the menu and jump right back in.
There are plenty of modes to choose from, and your character keeps getting stronger the more you play.
VRPUPU crew, hop into your robots—it’s battle time!
Don’t worry, it’s totally fair… probably.
Game Rating
The Highlights
- Crank up the heavy metal and your hype goes through the roof.
- Every punch lands with a brutal thud, and that double-arm gorilla slam? So satisfying.
- The gorilla-style movement keeps motion sickness pretty low, too.
- With roguelike structure and tons of gear builds, there’s a ridiculous amount of ways to play.
The Drawbacks
- Load times are a bit on the slow side.
- And yeah, the story can be kind of hard to follow at times.
Setup & Safety
You’ll need to play this one standing.
Your character doesn’t physically walk around, but you’ll be turning your body and swinging your arms pretty hard. Make sure you’ve got about a one-meter clear space around you before you start.
Final Score & Comfort Level
Final Score: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 (Solid Choice)
VR Comfort Level: 🌀🌀 (Mild)
Video Overview
Meta Quest Official Information
Price: 29.99 USD
This title usually gets discounted during seasonal sales, Black Friday, and New Year events. You can typically expect around 30–40% off.
If you enter VRPUPU at checkout, you get another 10% off.
Rating: 4.9 / 5 ( 2,395 Reviews)
Official Description
The Meta Quest VR action game Underdogs.
Climb into a five-ton mech, throw down heavy punches in a dark industrial world, and feel the full-body impact of metal crashing into metal.
Smash. Shatter. Overwhelm. Tear enemy machines apart.
This is physics-driven mech brawling where steel roars and every hit feels brutally real. Let your fighting instincts run wild.
But it’s not just about rampaging in the arena. This game is a roguelike.
There are over 100 pieces of gear waiting for you—from chainsaws to wrecking balls—letting you build your own brand of mechanical madness.
You can even hire hackers and saboteurs, clash with the city’s criminals and lunatics, carve your own path upward, and fight your way to the top of the food chain.
This city is a battleground where mad dogs tear each other apart.
But don’t worry—you’re not alone.
Your partner, King, fights at your side.
While bloodthirsty crowds roar from the stands and you pulverize car-sized enemies like a raging beast, King hacks enemy systems in real time—and throws out plenty of trash talk along the way.
Welcome to New Brakka, the world capital of mech fighting.
This is the stage of Underdogs.
Step into the world of mech combat.
If the steel-on-steel brawling in Underdogs isn’t enough for you, then grab an axe or a sword and jump in yourself.
There are plenty of other must-play action games out there that you shouldn’t miss.
