Jump off the turnbuckle to lay the smack down in WrestleQuest!
It’s that time of year again when all the cool kids make their way up to Boston, Massachusetts for the Penny Arcade Expo or PAX East. This is the second year PAX East is happening after the two-year break during Covid-19. That being said, it felt good to get back to the convention scene and see some great games. First stop on the PAX East tour was Megacat Studios at the Skybound Games booth. This booth was going all in on the wrestling theme this year with an actual wrestling ring for photo opportunities. The ring was also used for actual wrestling matches over the course of the weekend as well.
WrestleQuest takes the players on a ride that’s part role-playing game, part strategy game with everything in-between. You play the role of the Muchacho Man, who thinks wrestling is real and wants to be just like his hero, Macho Man Randy Savage. The game also pays homage to several classic wrestlers so make sure you keep an eye out for some of your favorites. Climb the ranks of the wrestling elite and make a name for yourself!
One of the coolest things about Wrestlequest is the inspiration for the game. I mentioned earlier that it is an RPG but the characters are all toys. I think we all had some WWF figures when we were kids and the toy characters are supposed to replicate this. It’s an interesting way to take a trip down memory lane by making something new at the same time.
Learn the tricks of the trade and master your craft to become the best wrestler in the world. You’ll have the chance to customize all kinds of things for your wrestler. From your entry music/routine, to your accessories, you’ll be able to make your fighter just the way you want them. Did I mention that you’ll be able to hire your own hype man?
The ring is where your fights/battles occur and you better be on you toes so you don’t lose. The matches could take a little getting used to but when you learn the ropes, it will feel like you’ve been fighting for years. Use your moves in the ring to attack your opponent and stun them. After stunning your opponent, you’ll have to pin them to remove them from the fight or win the match. You’ll also have objectives that you can do during matches and those will reward you with perks.
WrestleQuest feels right out of the golden age of wrestling. What I mean by that is it feels fun, crazy, and serious all at the same time like the golden eras of wrestling in the 80’s and 90’s. I think one of my favorite parts of the game is having to pin your opponent to remove them from the fight. In turn based RPGs, you don’t really think about having to remove someone from the match but this is a perfect way to do it. Miss the pin, you’ll have to weaken the fighter again and do it all again. Wrestling has all kinds of interesting characters so it only feels right for the genre to have a role-playing game based around it. It will be perfect if I can fight toy forms of Hulk Hogan and Scott Steiner at some point!
