Wrestling games have been pretty consistent with sticking to their yearly, recycled releases and never really trying anything new. They have a safe system, and WrestleQuest is easily the most exciting use of the sport in video games since Fire Pro Wrestling World.
WrestleQuest
Developer: Mega Cat Studios
Price: $29.99
Platform: PC / PS5 / Switch / XSX
MonsterVine was supplied with a PC code for review
WrestleQuest opens with a young Randy Santos, a very clear homage to “Macho Man” Randy Savage, who’s dead set on making it big in the wrestling world. A literal thing, as the entire world these characters inhabit is fueled by the sport, going as far as erecting monuments to famous wrestlers like Sgt. Slaughter or the Macho Man himself. Everything about the game’s world is dripping with a love and appreciation for the sport of wrestling from all the easter eggs/callouts, to the game’s mechanics and story beats like a very clear Vince McMahon stand-in who’s trying to absorb all the more minor leagues under his massive one. Even the game’s aesthetic, where all the characters are literal action figures, calls back to being a kid and making up your own wrestling adventures with your action figures. The entire thing just feels like it was made by, and for fans of wrestling.
Being an RPG is obviously going to raise some eyebrows about how they’re going to make the wrestling side of things mesh, and it turns out they did it pretty damn well. If you’ve played Paper Mario you’ll be immediately familiar with the RPG system WrestleQuest is using, as it’s a turn-based game that will sometimes require you to hit timed button presses to successfully land your attacks or defend yourself from your opponent’s attacks.
The way developer Mega Cat Studios incorporates all the elements of wrestling into the game is simply a delight to get to play with. Each wrestler has their own set of abilities, called gimmicks, which vary from things like a stunner to tossing a microwave. Each party member you get has their own set of unique maneuvers they can do and it’s always a visual treat to see one of these little action figures climb the ropes just to elbow drop a dude. On top of this are tag-team moves you can do, where you can set a character to ready up for a devastating combo maneuver with either a second or sometimes third-party member. You’ll also be able to acquire managers to run your team that will provide you with their own passive and active effects while in the ring. No Paul Heyman, but I did rock with a smooth-talking alligator named Slimy for a while. Rounding everything out are summons that you can acquire that let you bring wrestling legends into the ring to lend you a hand if you need it; some of these summons are total spectacles as one sees a gargantuan Andre the Giant lift the ring and slam it back down.
It’s not enough to beat down your opponent though, you’ve got a crowd to entertain after all. While in a battle you have to keep a keen eye on the crowd’s “hype” meter. Performing a variety of moves, pinning opponents, or fulfilling other various requirements will cause your hype to increase which will grant bonuses like increased damage or higher rewards. This can work against you however as performing the same moves back to back, or allowing your opponents to perform better will cause you to start losing hype and suffer some disadvantages. Some fights will allow you to build early hype by cutting a promo, where you’ll be able to respond to the trash talk your opponent is dishing with your own, or crafting your own entrance walk with a variety of effects and music. I can’t stress enough how well this game captures every aspect of the sport.
My only issue with the game is that it’s got a few performance and UI quirks that it needs to iron out. I ran into a repeat issue where the game would continually load some older save when I’d hit “continue” from the main menu, requiring me to go back to the menu and load my recent save from the “load” option. Not a major deal, but did make me think the game lost my save a few times, and figured I’d mention it in case anyone had the same reaction. Interacting with characters or objects in the world can get very finicky too, as you play a game of twister to move yourself into a position the game is happy with to let it work. There’s also no map when in a zone either, and considering some of them can get a bit mazey it would’ve been a helpful feature to better know where you’re going; particularly when you return to 100% some of those earlier areas.
The Final Word
WrestleQuest is a delightful game that captures the essence of wrestling in RPG form.
– MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
