Beyond the raw brutality of boxing lies a sport that is more about timing and accuracy than sheer brute force. The power of each punch succession and the subsequent flying sweat droplets aren’t easy to convey in a videogame, but Undisputed is taking a fierce jab at the competition with a strong early access start. Stepping into the ring with a bold spirit, Steel City Interactive unleashed a somewhat shallow but extremely punchy version that offers a good taste of things to come.
Get in the Ring
Much like any fighting videogame worthy of eSports backing, Undisputed is a test of skills and timing where practice will yield the best results and no amount of button spamming shall suffice. This is a pure tactical simulation where footwork is just as important as landing a punch, as you carefully judge your distance and quickly work out the best approach on each moment. The adrenaline rush is real, the impactful way a punch lands as your opponent leaves their guard down for a moment is portrayed in a way that feels visceral, combos too authentic to immerse us in a nail-biting spectator sport.
Undisputed shines because it pulls no punches, a wildly adequate pun for a game where you have so many options at your disposal that it will take several fights to explore a tiny fragment of the possibilities. Dodges, uppercuts, hooks, counters, movement modifiers to adapt to a style that may be more suited to you or your selected fighter, and so much more – all of this with a very robust physics system that for once make you feel like a hulking fighter with actual weight and fatigue, not a standard videogame character with a complete disregard for things like damage or stamina.
Speaking of stamina, this is one of the key factors in every fight and could tip the scales in your favor if you play your cards right. It requires constant management, as every attempted punch will consume stamina up to a point where your hits will be sorely lacking, and you must get to a safe distance and recover your breath. Hitting the opponent’s lower body is how you drain stamina, effectively reducing their ability to chain hits and delivering a solid blow to their ambition, but the same can be said about your fighter – protecting the head is crucial, but leaving your body wide open is an invitation to a succession of literal punches to the stomach.
Power punches consume more stamina than normal hits, but if you land enough of these you can daze your opponent and enter adrenaline mode, a state where you have unlimited stamina to knock your adversary down. If you’re on the receiving end of a potential knockout, you have a few seconds to try and get back up through a minigame where you must keep two markers within the required zones, with the caveat that these are moving. It’s slightly harder to achieve than expected, as your senses may get muddled by the two markers moving in different positions, but the rewarding feeling of recovering from an almost warranted defeat is unmatched.
The current roster brings more than 50 fighters to the ring with some legends to be reckoned with. Across the welterweight, lightweight, middleweight, and heavyweight categories you can find names such as Muhammad Ali and Rocky Marciano, to more recent figures including Tyson Fury, Terence Crawford, or Saúl Álvarez. The Women’s Division wasn’t forgotten, with Katie Taylor, Jessica McCaskill, and a few more featured.
Each fighter comes with a robust set of attributes and traits that are more than mere bullet points; they affect your fighting approach and will be scrutinized and deconstructed to the tiniest detail by genre experts, potentially triggering heated debates about balancing and accurateness. Some fighters seem more prone to being selected for online matches as their stats are pretty much top tier, with Muhammad Ali being one of the current picks. However, a great fighting game must give every character a legitimate shot at beating a technically superior fighter, and this is where Undisputed may yet see some improvement.
The Depth Is Yet to Come
Undisputed throws some good jabs and hooks, but there isn’t much to bite in terms of game modes right now. A career mode is planned and will surely be the main draw for solo players, and there are promises of additional moves, fighters, character customization, and gameplay balancing, among other things. So far, it’s an exciting but barebones representation of everything boxing, with some rough edges to polish.
Take the body damage as a case in point. Even after several rounds of unrelenting scuffles, the cuts and bruises seem ever so slight, considering the strength of the exchanges. The absence of a referee is also noticeable, something that Fight Night Champion realized with unabashed confidence.
Not for lack of actual competition but due to its own qualities, Undisputed has a genuine shot at the title. It’s a boxing game with an enthralling match flow, with movements that often feel organic and substantial. There’s work to be done in areas that emphasize realism and longevity, but so far, Undisputed could be a few fights away from becoming the new owner of the genre’s championship belt.
MP1st was given access to a preview build of Undisputed for our hands-on session. Undisputed is currently in early access for PC and is also planned for PS5, Xbox Series X|S.