Underdog Arena
What is this game?
The goal is to score a set amount of points faster than your opponents. However, with each death, your character becomes stronger. So, the player who does the most poorly will eventually gain the upper hand. This mechanic evens out matches that could otherwise have a pretty clear winner, which is more fun for everybody involved. It also makes it a lot of fun to spectate!
Why is this game?
I’m glad you asked! Remember the good old days of huddling up on your friend’s worn down couch to slap the pixels out of each other in a video game of questionable quality? Oh, you don’t? Well, I do, and that’s what inspired the creation of this game. It’s made for anyone who enjoys playing video games, regardless of experience. It’s easy to understand the objective of the game and the controls are configured to suit inexperienced (intuitively jump with the A button) and more experienced players alike (jump with a shoulder button to enable full twin-stick control). So jump into that couch (physical or digital via Remote Play Together) and have some fun!
What is included?
The game includes three modes:
* Free-for-all:
Fight against each other in a classic, winner-takes-all game mode, where every competitor fends for themselves. That is, unless you decide to help each other take down the strongest enemy in order to get a leg up.
* Team Versus
Team up with one or more friends. This mode is ideal for 2 vs 2 or if you want to team up against the most confident player in your group. As a father, this is the game mode I play with my kids. They team up against me, but I’m sure that will change once they become better video gamers than me…
* Capture the Flag
The classic game of Capture the Flag changes up the format. You win by capturing the other team’s flag, but the enemy still grows stronger with every death. It mixes a little strategy into the frantic platforming fighting.
Summary:
This is a pretty simple (as in easy to pick up) action game with a twist; the worse you do, the stronger your character becomes. You might think that this is some profound metaphor for life or something. It isn’t. But it makes for some fun, exciting gameplay, which is why you’re here in the first place, right? So, grab a couple of friends, jump up on that old couch (physical or digital) and duke it out for old time’s sake!
Game Discussion
Steam User 2
Underdog Arena is a fast paced and simple platform fighting game.
Every player starts out with a short ranged attack, one hit point and the ability to double jump. Every time a player dies, either by another player's attack or by an environmental hazard, that player gets an upgrade. If the player dies again, they get the next upgrade. All upgrades stack and there are 20 of them in total. They include better weapons, faster movement, higher jumps, more possible jumps without landing, a shield that can be activated to reflect damage and more hit points. This mechanic typically helps to weaker players to get even or manage a comeback. It's also possible to play in Mayhem Mode, which has all upgrades unlocked from the start though.
Every map/arena encompasses a single screen. Some of them have exits at the sides or holes in the ground. When you exit a map on one side you enter it from the other side again. When you enter the map through a hole in the ground you fall back into the map from the top. Some maps have spikes in them, that kill players who fall into them. There are also sand bridges that collapse behind the one crossing it and then respawn shortly after.
The game can either be played in free for all, team deathmatch or capture the flag. 2 to 4 players can play locally. As of now the game doesn't offer AI opponents, which would be something I'd love to see implemented in the future. The maps are the same across all modes though in capture the flag two flags were added obviously. The player count doesn't have to be even in team games. So one experienced player can take on two or three inexperienced players.
Underdog Arena offers fast paced matches, is easy to learn and can be enjoyed by players of all skill levels due to its upgrade system.