Action Arcade Wrestling Xbox One Review

Action Arcade Wrestling Xbox One Review – A fun and simple grappling game

Action Arcade Wrestling was developed in a bid to bring the fun back to wrestling games, and it becomes clear early on that this is far from a wrestling simulation. This is fast and arcade-style fun as opposed to the simulation leanings of WWE games from recent years, and this will be most welcome to those who have been yearning for something a little simpler and easier to play. The game is even simpler to play than last year’s WWE Battlegrounds, which was 2K’s own attempt to make things more fun and pick up and play than their usual WWE games.

Let’s begin with how the game looks, as it’s definitely one that catches the eye very quickly. With its bold lines and colourful look, it’s a game that looks like it has leapt out of the pages of a comic book. Animations are also fast and largely satisfying, and up to 10 cartoon wrestlers can be on the screen at any one time. Presentation is everything with a game like this, and Action Arcade Wrestling definitely hits the spot in this area.

Firstly, let me get a few things out of the way. This isn’t the type of wrestling game that has mechanics such as momentum, limb damage or stamina, nor is it a wrestling game that you can expect to see one epic match after another. You can change the length of matches from arcade to normal, although even on the normal setting this is a game that is largely about quick-fire fun.

Apart from a few grievances here and there that I’ll get to a little later on, Action Arcade Wrestling is also as fun to play as it is to look at. The game is mechanically sound in a number of ways, and each wrestler has a health bar, with low health putting you at greatest risk of being pinned or submitted. Also, when a wrestler’s health is low, it makes them vulnerable to finishing moves.

As for grapples, these are easily utilised through quick grapples being employed with a tap of a button, while holding the button down leads to you locking up for your set of strong grapples, although attempting these stronger moves is a longer process, and will potentially be interrupted by quick grapples or strikes. If you manage to land one of these moves, however, it definitely feels like a risk that was worth taking. It’s also possible to find yourself locked in a grapple battle with your opponent, which happens when you and your opponent attempt a grapple at the same time. This brings about a best out of three button bashing battle, which is a test for your fingers.

Reversals, on the other hand, work automatically. If you are repetitive with certain moves, then this increases the chance of them being countered, which means spamming an attack is really something that you should try and avoid if you want to stay on top in a match.

“Wrestlers can move up and down and left and right, although anything else is against the game’s logic, meaning that you have to be directly facing an opponent in order to make sure that a strike or a grapple attempt connects.”

Action Arcade Wrestling also features some very useful power-ups, and these can be the difference between a victory and a loss. Power-ups spawn in the ring during matches, and the first wrestler to pick one up will be able to make use of its perk. Power-ups include recharging health, stronger offense, stealing as much health back as you dish out, instant grogginess when connecting with a strike, and so on. It works fantastically well, and it’s nice that it’s possible to steal a power-up by using a strong grapple, and it’s also nice that you can have a number of power-ups working for you. Another neat idea is that a power-up can be sacrificed in order to get up off the mat quicker or to save yourself from being pinned. If you want a purer wrestling game, however, power-ups can be turned off entirely or toned down to appear in lesser number during a match.

The spots add in some quick-fire arcade fun. These are essentially instructions which appear on the screen throughout each match, and the first wrestler that is able to perform the action in the allotted 60 second time limit will score points as well as receive a bit of health for their troubles. Spots include doing everything from achieving a certain grapple combination, performing a submission, using an aerial move, and more. If you have low health, managing to perform a spot before your opponent/s could be enough to save your hide when you find yourself in such a bind.

For the most part, Action Arcade Wrestling is an easy game to play, although it does have a few annoyances. Firstly, wrestlers can move up and down and left and right, although anything else is against the game’s logic, meaning that you have to be directly facing an opponent in order to make sure that a strike or a grapple attempt connects. It does make things a little awkward from time to time, and I have been in matches against my brother where we both were floundering when we attempted to attack each other, which led to some unintentionally funny moments. Another issue is that the game lacks automatic targeting and, while pressing a button to target the closest opponent is reliable for the most part, there were moments where it seemed to target opponents that were farther away.

Action Arcade Wrestling has a load of match types, although it doesn’t have any real single player options in terms of story and career modes, which is a bit disappointing. Exhibition matches are currently your only real option, although free DLC has been promised sometime down the line. The AI can also leave a little something to be desired at times, even on the hard difficulty level. The game is definitely at its best if you have someone else to play against, although it only features local multiplayer, which is also a shame.

Action Arcade Wrestling has a brilliantly flexible creation tool for creating wrestlers and arenas. Sadly, you aren’t able to do any creating in the game itself, with the tool oddly being a totally separate entity, although you are able to download the creations of others. When it comes to the tool itself, this is accessible through the AAW Wrestle Lab for free, and can be downloaded through Steam if you really do want to get creative.

Action Arcade Wrestling Xbox One Review Summary:

It’s a shame that the options in the game are a bit limited right now, although the £10 asking price is suitable and, while the game is easy to pick up and play, things can feel a little fiddly on occasion. The better and bigger side of Action Arcade Wrestling, however, is definitely a side that offers a lot of fun, with the beautiful art design also playing its part in this. This is fast, arcade fun that will bring back memories of some of the favourite arcade wrestling games of the past for many and, with that said, it’s a job well done.