Action Arcade Wrestling review

Action Arcade Wrestling is a full-on arcade wrestling game with fictional wrestlers with a simplistic control scheme but a surprising method to the madness as they say. The game features a bevy of matches and also a surprisingly deep customization system; things I’ll go into within this review.

Action Arcade Wrestling’s simplicity can reminisce players of classic Super NES/Genesis (Mega Drive) games such as WWF Royal Rumble or WWF Raw. You can pull off weak and strong attacks, tie up with the opponent and by winning the head grab, you can pull off moves and throw your opponents in the ropes.

The Arcade term in the name comes into play with the game’s power-ups. As you beat up your opponent(s), they’ll drop different types of power-ups such as health refill, increased speed or defence; among others. While this might sound odd having those in a wrestling game, it’s definitely a fun and unique inclusion that works well. If your health is too low, you can sacrifice a power-up to get out of a pinning situation.

One of the game’s best features is the number of match types; 1 vs 1, Tag Team, 3-Way, 4-way, Battle royal, Elimination matches (with varying number of wrestlers); just to name a few. While it does lack a proper Career mode, there’s something for everyone.

The roster features around 30 unique super-like hero wrestlers; but thanks to the detailed customizing system, you can create your own wrestler that you can also share online. As of this writing, there’s already a bevy of custom wrestlers available for download; players have been having a blast making current and ex-superstars such as CM Punk, Doink, Bray Wyatt, Cactus Jack, The Undertaker, Bret Hart; just to name a few.

The game’s main nuisance is when throwing an enemy in the ropes and wanting to hit them as they go back your way. It takes forever to pull off the attack that you basically have to press the attack button a few milli-second after you’ve thrown them into the ropes. There are also only two arenas unless you create your own or download new ones made by the community.

The game looks great and colorful with its 3D cel-shaded visuals and colorful cast of characters. Not much in terms of details; such as you could see with RetroMania Wrestling, but there are no two alike. On the audio-side of things, there’s nothing spectacular to report. The soundtrack is a light rock-ish score and during matches, the game is filled with spectators “yelling”; it’s pretty underwhelming.

Action Arcade Wrestling is definitely a nice little package filled to the brim with content and upcoming content as the community creates more arenas and wrestlers. It’s easy to pick up and play, the power-up system does a great job of adding a bit of depth to the wrestling and it’s a blast with friends. Although, it does feel a bit more shallow and is ideal to play in short bursts. A great new entry for wrestling fans.