System: Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift & Windows MR
Price at Time Of Review: £15.49
Comfort Rating: Green
Genre: Sports
Input: Tracked Motion Controllers
Best Playing Position: Standing
Multi-Player: No
Age Rating: PG
VR Shop Score 1/100: 85
Description: Welcome to Knockout League, a single-player arcade-style boxing game built from the ground up for virtual reality. Dodge flaming uppercuts, block sweeping tentacle attacks and pummel your opponents using 1:1 tracking of your head and hands. Work up a serious sweat with various boxing drills like the focus mitts or the one and only Reflex Alley. Take on a crazy cast of characters, including a mad scientist and a wily octopus, each with different fighting styles and unique gameplay. Fight through them all to become the champion of the Knockout League!
Review: Knockout League is an arcade-style boxing game that has a classic ‘Punch-Out!!’ style to it. Here you will not just be fighting boxers, but pirates and even an octopus! But don’t be tricked, it might have a cartoon style to it, but this game is mature all the way when it comes to gameplay. This is not an all-out punchathon, you need to duck, dive and weave to be in for a chance of hitting your opponent.
I will say that this game takes a while to get used to especially the blocking and constant defence gameplay style, but once you get the hang of it, you will start to realise just how much fun it is. Just be warned that this is a very physical game, you will be very tired after just a few fights. But you will start to swear blind you can feel the punches hitting the opponent after a while and each hit you get in, no matter how small will feel very satisfying.
Sadly for those looking for a punch-fest game, this is not the game for you. It’s more about strategy, more about skill than you would think. Sure it has that classic “Punch-Out!!” style to it in looks and sounds, but this is no retro refresh. It’s a game that has clearly been designed from the ground up for VR and it is all the better for it. It does have a cartoon style to it, but this is a game that is very mature and playing this for a few minutes is like doing cardio exercise for an hour. This game hits the mark and feels deeply satisfying to play. If this is what the early access game looks like, the finished game will be amazing.
