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WWE meets RPG in a colorful toy box adventure - WrestleQuest Quick Review

4K View2023-08-07

WrestleQuest

5.5

JRPGRPGAdventureSingleplayer

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SHOULD I PLAY WRESTLEQUEST?

Definitely play it if you’re at all a fan of wrestling games and old-school, turn-based RPGs. WrestleQuest may be a wrestling game, but it plays more like Super Mario RPG than AEW: Fight Forever. I played as (and fought against) action figures inspired by legendary wrestlers—and even ran into some characters officially licensed from wrestlers like “Macho Man” Randy Savage, who’s basically this world’s god. Wrestling plus RPG may seem like a strange mix, but it works beautifully, coming together as a love letter to both the drama of the squared circle and the imagination and adventure of SNES-era role-playing games.

TIME PLAYED

So far I’ve spent about five hours in WrestleQuest, which has taken me through the story setup and most of the tutorials and unlocks for major mechanics. I was also able to make my way through the first couple dungeons in the game, complete a couple sidequests, and overcome some early boss fights. The game doesn’t offer a completion percentage, so I can’t say how far in I am for sure, but I’ve only unlocked fifteen Steam achievements of over one hundred, so safe to say that there’s a lot of game left ahead of me.

WHAT’S AWESOME ABOUT WRESTLEQUEST?

• Turn-based combat with a twist. As I mentioned above, WrestleQuest reminded me a lot of Super Mario RPG. That’s largely because, like that Nintendo/Square classic, WrestleQuest uses a turn-based combat system but implements timed button presses to add some light action/rhythm elements. Instead of sleeping through combat while choosing the same few moves over and over, I had to pay attention; beyond just doing extra damage, button presses were essential for counters and defense. If my attacks sent an opponent into the ropes, I had to hit a timed button prompt to perform an extra attack, or else leave myself open to my enemy slamming into me with extra momentum.

• A fun, lighthearted story. WrestleQuest splits its narrative between two lead characters: Randy “Muchacho Man” Santos, a newbie to the wrestling world looking for his big break; and Brink Logan, an established tag team wrestler whose family runs one of this world’s smaller promotions. I’m assuming these two will come together at some point, though it hasn’t happened yet. But even just a few hours along, I’ve met a number of memorable allies and found myself having fun watching the story of Muchacho Man’s hopeful rise...all the way to the top! Oh yeah, brother!

• Much deeper RPG roots than I expected. Going into WrestleQuest, I assumed the RPG stuff would take a back seat to the grappling, but that’s not the case at all. Combat features a lot of complexity, with a bunch of different status effects to avoid or try to burden your opponents with, matches that come with bonus objectives as part of the “script,” and even the need to not just knock out but actually pin some enemies for the three-count. I also had to manage a hype meter, building up excitement with the crowd before I could use my biggest and most exciting powers.

Juggling gear between party members is important, and some equipment gave me an edge in specific fights by making one of my party members immune to a status effect or able to better defend against certain damage types. It seems like party management on the whole will become increasingly complex as I recruit more stable members, and I was even able to set my team up with a manager who could provide both passive buffs and in-match interference options. There’s a lot going on under the hood here!

• Overflowing with references and easter eggs. You don’t need to be a wrestling aficionado to enjoy WrestleQuest, but the hardcore fans in the audience are going to find a lot to mark out about here. Beyond including around thirty real wrestlers as cameos, boss fights, and summons, the game is packed with nods to wrestling lore. From inside baseball terminology to spins on popular catchphrases, I was grinning ear to ear at all the clever little reminders of how much developer Mega Cat Studios clearly loves the world’s greatest fake sport.

WHAT SUCKS IN WRESTLEQUEST?

• Grating, generic music. Wrestling isn’t necessarily known for being paired with exceptional taste in tunes, so I can definitely see how WrestleQuest had a difficult task in filling out the game’s soundtrack. Unfortunately, the road they went with was super boring, low-energy, and forgettable tracks. Most of the game’s music would feel more at home as elevator music than backing an intense back-and-forth battle.

• A slow start. Like any great wrestling rivalry, WrestleQuest takes some warming up before it gets to the good stuff. The downside here is that the first two hours or so of the game are paced pretty slowly, with a heavy focus on tutorials explaining the complex game mechanics. That complexity is welcome, but try not to let the slow pacing discourage you; once WrestleQuest gets going, it’s great!

[Review written by TapTap editor Kef]

💬 Are you ready to step into the ring in WrestleQuest, or would you rather not add beefy muscle boys into your Final Fantasy formula? Share your thoughts in the comments!