Virtual Boxing League is a fairly new boxing VR game that has great potential as a trainer, confidence booster, and a workout tool. There are also several mini-games you should take advantage of that will teach you, mechanics of the game, while working up a sweat. I’m particularly fond of Ball Blaster and Ping Pong Punch, which offer interesting ways to get more out of the experience.
In the ring boxing prowess is the key to victory. Here are a few tips to help you perfect your game and reach the highest rung of challengers.
Muscle Groups
I recall watching a Pride fight with a friend where one fighter repeatedly struck his opponent’s leg. By the end of the match, bruising was very visible and the fighter’s reactions were slowed. If you focus on specific muscle groups in VBL you get the same effect. Opponent ducking your hooks too often? Body blows to the ribs will solve that problem. Punches too hard, or too fast? Hit their arms and bruise them up a bit.
Focus your attacks on the same spots and you will find your opponents succumbing to various effects. Headshots cause opponents to stagger and wobble a bit. Body blows force them back and slow their movements. They will also shift their guard to defend their damaged points, leaving openings elsewhere in their defense.
Hits and Criticals
If you watch boxers training, you will notice they go for a lot of two and three hit combos all aimed at the same spot. There are two concepts to maintain awareness of in VBL, the first being glove color. The grid around your glove changes from green to red indicating power of your punch, so reds will tend to score more critical hits. Criticals are your key to KOs, just like Thrill of the Fight, and it’s important to tell when you land one. Look for a burst and a point on the board when you hit one. You can also aim for the jaw, temples, nose, or sides (liver).
Putting this together, you get a favorite tactic of mine. I lead with a few lefts to the body or face to train my opponent’s guard. On duck or move, I aim hooks for the chin, ribs or solar plexus to score a knockdown. I step in and hammer body blows to make the point. This isn’t a guaranteed KO, but it’s a great way to score points and keep your opponent on the defensive.
However, you can also suffer criticals. If your vision goes blurry and it becomes hard to see, block or step back. You don’t want to be on the receiving end of too much power.
Blocking
Hands up! That’s the key to blocking. Hands in front of your face, inches from the visor, will stop almost every headshot. Keep them tight and turn at a profile to absorb some blows to your arms. Work on your punch parry so you can block and counter punch quickly. The system for punch parrying isn’t perfect (I took more shots to the face than parries), but if you’re fast you can score a counter.
Sometimes, it’s better to duck. Just be careful you don’t telegraph your movements because opponents will have a fist waiting for you if you show the same stance.
Stars
Earn stars that rate your overall performance and improve your own skill as a boxer. You earn more stars if you finish in the first round, win by knockdown and maintain a high point score. Avoiding a knockdown is a given, but aim for critical hits to drop your opponent for the best scores. Stars don’t unlock anything at the moment, but the achievements help keep score and track your progress.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUll92v3360&w=560&h=315]
Fitness Hacks
I’ve found a few ways to improve my own workout in VBL that I thought I’d share:
- Harder Isn’t Necessarily Fitter: My skills aren’t the best, but harder opponents are just better fighters. They don’t appear to take more blows to go down. If you can’t beat tougher opponents then stick with amateur or journeyman difficulty for a good balance of skill and workout. Move on once you routinely score 5-star knockouts.
- Leg or Wrist Weights: Your opponents are too easy? Try ankle/wrist weights and then see how well you dance. Boxing is heavy on cardio so start light and work up.
- Ping Pong Squats: I like to try and see if I can do a squat in between striking the ping pong ball in the ping pong mini game. I try and hold myself to a “don’t punch unless you squat” rule. A good way to start or end your session.
Ball Blaster is a great mini-game that functions a lot like Soundboxing with maps already built for 20 songs. There’s a lot to do beyond what’s in the ring. How have you hacked Virtual Boxing League to increase your heart rate and get more out of this game?
Virtual Boxing League was created by Spellbook.
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