WrestleQuest

Just as movies can sometimes feel watered down with their abundance of certain genres (Superheroes... cough... cough...), the gaming climate can sometimes feel a bit stagnant as well. I can understand that it's hard to find a unique angle, revolutionize a genre or reinvent the wheel, but often a lot of games feel like variations, or worse - copies, of each other. I'd be exaggerating if I said that WrestleQuest is something completely new, because it has a touch of what we've seen before, but at least it feels like something that is fresh, different and above all very entertaining.

Since I don't have any particular relationship or knowledge of the legendary wrestling icons featured in the game, neither names like Jake the Snake and Randy Savage, nor the game's thin storyline, are things I'm engaged with at all. However, the role-playing garb that the game surprisingly embraces is something that definitely suits me, and the execution is in many ways fantastic. This is especially noticeable in the ring, where the matches are turn-based with classic attacks, but of course in a wrestling style. In addition to wearing down your opponent so that you can pin them, there is also a hype meter for the audience. If you do the same attacks, it drops and your opponent becomes stronger, but if you entertain the audience, you gain strength from it. This part feels a bit gimmicky and doesn't affect the outcome significantly, but is a fun element that mainly highlights how much this game is a game for the spectators. Other things like tag teams and crazy special attacks are present, as well as the fact that the bunch of characters you get in your team all have their unique abilities.

I think these battles are in many ways a good summary of the whole game. They are very charming and entertaining in their execution, both visually and how they are set up. This then goes on throughout the rest of the experience, where the pixel graphics are mainly pleasing to look at, but I also like how much focus the animations actually get. The charm and humor lies in many of the details and I don't really want to reveal these, but let me just say that most of what you expect from wrestling is somehow baked in here. It's clear that the developers are big fans of the whole spectacle and have included everything you can think of. Even if the story isn't anything to shout about, at least the overall design of the game is brilliant.

The meeting between wrestling and role-playing is the most unique thing here. The latter is noticeable, besides the already mentioned turn-based battles, in other classic things like a world map, getting new skills, winning matches that give you experience points and leveling up. The exploration of the game's environments also feels very traditional, and each unique environment has been filled with fun things to discover. I often wander around the areas just to see what there is to find and speaking of environments, the design is also worth writing a few words about. Everything is done with a playfulness in the sense of the word where toys and the mixture of all kinds of action figures have a place in this crazy universe and just like the mix of game genre and sports, it works just fine. There are lots of exciting environments to explore and soaked in the fantastic pixel graphics, every new discovery of a place becomes something fun.

I like a lot about this game but there are a few things that drag down the experience a bit. In addition to the fact that the game's story and characters leave me completely indifferent, the soundscape is also a bit flat in places. There is a lot of music that suits the game well, but the annoying voices and silly expressions become more annoying over time. Similarly, the game's structure becomes a bit repetitive after spending a few hours with it. I don't know if much could have been done differently here, other than perhaps a less engaging story, but for me the game was best played in shorter doses. However, every round of the game felt very entertaining and I often smiled at the developers' ability to put together this mix of madness.

I often judge a role-playing game by how memorable the journey is, and while this adventure lacks some of the epic feel that other games in the genre offer, it doesn't really matter. Instead, it's nice that it breaks away from the classic fantasy formula and gives you something different. There is still most of what the genre usually offers and the developers' passionate interest in both role-playing and wrestling is infectious.

WrestleQuest is definitely the most unique game of the year for me. But I would also like to highlight it a little extra because it succeeds so well in everything it does. In true role-playing spirit, there is a lot to see and discover, and in true wrestling spirit, you take what happens in and outside the ring and make it feel like a natural part of the experience. There is certainly no shortage of well-crafted indie games, and even if WrestleQuest doesn't quite measure up to the very best, its humour, charm and above all unique concept is something that should really be rewarded.