Highlights
- WrestleQuest is an indie RPG that combines classic RPG gameplay with a love for professional wrestling, specifically the golden era of American wrestling in the 1980s.
- The combat mechanics of WrestleQuest are turn-based, with timed button presses enhancing the damage dealt to an opponent, similar to the Paper Mario series. The combat system is engaging and lighthearted, making it one of the most fun aspects of the game.
- WrestleQuest tells a lighthearted and humorous tale set within the confines of a world of toys, incorporating iconic characters and toy lines from 1980s pop culture. The game's writing is tongue-in-cheek and self-aware, showing a care and appreciation for the toys and games of that era.
Fans of old school RPGs that may have been turned off by the departures taken in some of their favorite long-running series have been able to turn to the indie scene as of late to get their fill of games modeled after the genre's all-time greats. In just a few weeks, Sabotage Studios will release it's highly anticipated next title Sea of Stars, which proudly has its Chrono Trigger inspirations on full display. However, one week before that game's release there's another indie-developed RPG that absolutely should not be missed by fans of the genre. That game is none other than Mega Cat Studios' WrestleQuest.
Following in the footsteps of the great indie RPG-meets-sports game Golf Story, Wrestle Quest blends classic RPG gameplay akin to Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy 6 with an unabashed love for professional wrestling. Specifically, the game harkens back to the golden era of American professional wrestling of the 1980s where big personalities like "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan, and the Ultimate Warrior reigned supreme and held the attention of millions of fans. Combining a solid understanding of the foundational elements that make the best RPGs shine as well as a clear love of its setting, source material, and aesthetic, WrestleQuest is another great indie RPG that fans should keep an eye on.
WrestleQuest's Combat Draws Inspiration From Another Classic RPG
While the visual presentation of WrestleQuest calls to mind some of Square Enix's best output on the SNES, the game takes much of its combat mechanics from a later much-loved RPG series. Encounters in WrestleQuest are turn-based and aren't controlled like a match in WWE 2K23. This is an RPG, after all. Instead, players select from a series of basic commands such as Strikes, Gimmicks, and Taunts. After successfully selecting a menu command in a turn-based battle, players have the opportunity to execute timed button presses that enhance the damage dealt to an opponent, just like in the Paper Mario series.
And, just like Paper Mario, the timed button presses add a dynamic element to turn-based encounters that helps to make them more engaging. Combat animations are also over-the-top and humorous given the wrestling-themed action on display, and in a genre that features plenty of battling for leveling up and increasing player stats, having an engaging combat system is a massive boon. WrestleQuest even features a setting-appropriate Hype Meter for players to maintain where keeping the crowd (and, by extension, the player) entertained improves performance in combat. All the elements work together in sync to create one of the most fun and lighthearted combat systems of any recent RPG, indie or otherwise.
The Setting and Presentation of WrestleQuest Give it an Undeniable Charm
Regardless of its mechanics, any RPG worth its weight will ultimately be judged on its ability to tell a captivating story. Thankfully, WrestleQuest gives players a lighthearted and humorous tale very similar to the tone of Golf Story in that the game doesn't take itself too seriously while also showing a reverence for its source material. Additionally, the tale told in WrestleQuest is told through a framing device tailor-made for children of the 1980s and 1990s. Instead of taking place in the real world, the entirety of WrestleQuest occurs within the confines of a world of toys, allowing the developers to incorporate a wide range of iconic characters and toy lines from 1980s pop culture.
Players will, of course, navigate a sprawling world map split up into distinct biomes and enter cities and towns spread out across the map. There are main quests as well as plenty of NPCs that deliver side quests for Randy "Muchacho Man" Santos to complete, and the writing is all very tounge-in-cheek and self-aware. One of the main things that shines through in WrestleQuest is the care and appreciation for the toys and games of yore held by the developers, and the full game is shaping up to be very different from Sea of Stars but still equally worth any RPG fan's time.
WrestleQuest launches on August 22 for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.