Since the professional wrestling boom of the 1980s, there's been a nonstop stream of new wrestling games to play. While the biggest professional wrestling video games of today are relegated to home consoles, wrestling video games used to have a presence in arcades as well. One of the most notable wrestling arcade games was WWF WrestleFest, a classic game that is still remembered fondly to this day. Fans of WrestleFest who are longing for a similar experience are in luck, as RetroMania Wrestling serves as a spiritual successor to the early 90s arcade hit, though it doesn't exactly feel finished in its current state.
RetroMania Wrestling plays exactly like an updated version of WWF WrestleFest, albeit without the WWF brand name. While it may not carry the WWF or WWE name, RetroMania Wrestling still has one of WWE's active wrestlers on its roster in the form of Johnny Retro, the RetroMania version of WWE's John Morrison. Johnny Retro is the main character of RetroMania Wrestling's story mode, which is both one of the game's more interesting modes and also one of its most glaring deficiencies.
RetroMania Wrestling's story mode sees Johnny Retro returning to the ring after he was injured by popular independent professional wrestler Zack Sabre Jr. Retro's quest for revenge sees him interact with various indie wrestling personalities and old-school legends, like the Blue World Order, Tommy Dreamer, and Jeff Cobb. The cutscenes are mostly static drawings, but the writing is strong and hardcore wrestling fans will get a kick out of all the insider references.
Truly hardcore wrestling fans who watch more than WWE will get the most out of RetroMania Wrestling's story mode, as it's written to appeal directly to them. It makes clever nods to various events in the professional wrestling business, from things that have happened in North American independent promotions to scenarios in New Japan Pro Wrestling. It even features an appearance by professional wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer, so the story has some deep cuts for those that follow the industry closely.
Like most other professional wrestling video games, the events in the story are basically excuses for wrestling matches to take place. Players will compete one wrestling match after another to advance the plot forward, though RetroMania Wrestling makes things more interesting by giving players some significant decisions to make outside of the ring as well. Oftentimes players are given dialogue options or allowed to make decisions that will alter the course of the story and can even change Johnny Retro's alignment as a "face" (good guy) or a "heel" (bad guy).
This harkens back to some of the most popular wrestling games ever made, like WWF No Mercy and WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth, which let players make choices to direct the course of their in-game career. The big downside to RetroMania Wrestling, though, is that the story isn't complete. Players can finish it in roughly an hour or two, and it ends on a head-scratching cliffhanger. While the story is fun while it lasts, RetroMania Wrestling players will be left asking, "That's it?" when the credits roll.
And unfortunately, that's the general theme for RetroMania Wrestling. It's a barebones wrestling video game experience that feels unfinished in its current state. There are only 16 wrestlers on the roster and everyone plays pretty much the same, not to mention there's really only a handful of distinct game modes and match types. There's a mode where players can pursue Nick Aldis for his NWA Championship, a Royal Rumble-style mode, and then the local multiplayer options, and that's basically it. There didn't seem to be any real unlockable content for players to pursue, and in fact, players should be able to unlock all of the achievements/trophies in no time at all.
From its brief story to its general lack of game modes, it's clear from the jump that RetroMania Wrestling is severely content deficient. Unfortunately, the core wrestling gameplay doesn't really make up for the lack of things to do, as it's similarly barebones. This is expected since RetroMania Wrestling is the follow-up to a 1991 arcade game, but it will likely still leave players feeling underwhelmed.
The actual wrestling in RetroMania Wrestling revolves around a meter and button-press timing. When a grapple is initiated, players that hit one of the face buttons at the right time will be given the opportunity to perform a wrestling move. The higher their meter is filled, the more powerful moves they will be able to pull off. Basic strikes, running attacks, and smacking opponents with steel chairs are all on the table as well, but that about sums up RetroMania Wrestling's core gameplay mechanics.
Gameplay-wise, RetroMania Wrestling doesn't give players much reason to buy the game. The in-ring action is serviceable but nothing special and there simply isn't a lot to do. This issue is exacerbated by RetroMania Wrestling's price tag, which puts the game at a staggering $29.99. Considering the amount of content that players get for their money, RetroMania Wrestling is vastly overpriced and will likely leave a lot of professional wrestling fans feeling shortchanged.
That being said, the most hardcore pro wrestling fans will likely still get a kick out of the game. The retro arcade graphics look great, and it's nice to see popular indie wrestlers represented in a video game. RetroMania Wrestling's story mode is entertaining while it lasts, and is far superior to the story modes in other modern wrestling games, like WWE 2K20, for instance. There's something to be said for its polish as well, as it didn't seem to have any major bugs or technical issues at all.
RetroMania Wrestling is a game designed with a very specific type of professional wrestling fan in mind, and those individuals may be able to enjoy it for what it is. It has a nice selection of arenas and a small but decent roster. The biggest problems with RetroMania Wrestling are its lack of content and high price point, but maybe future updates will make it a more fully-featured game that matches its asking price.
RetroMania Wrestling is out now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. Game Rant reviewed the game on Xbox One.