Action Arcade Wrestling | Xbox Review

February 10, 2022 Chris Owens

From the developer VICO Game Studio comes Action Arcade Wrestling. This game is a throwback to the old console and arcade days with a fairly deep roster of wrestlers in a retro game style of cel-shaded visuals and basic controls. Several match types from Singles matches to Battle Royals can be played with 1-4 players. Players, to exercise their creative juices, can create wrestlers, promotions and even venues to use.

The Throwback Look Of A Five Minute Headlock

A nice thing, to start, is the game immediately throws you into a fairly extensive tutorial teaching the game moves and tactics. This is nice for a novice player going into this kind of genre for the first time, or for the seasoned gamer that may have moved past the basic controls the game offers. Once a match is selected and entered, the controls take a back seat to awkward movements blended with occasional button mashing wars to gain the upper hand on the opponent.

The roster is varied with different sized and skilled wrestlers from old school Luchadores (masked wrestlers) to the big heavy hitters. Each wrestler performs moves from leg locks, to speedier maneuvers, to out of this world laser shots and moves from “beyond,” all depending on the style and look of the wrestler.

During the basic matches, “spots” are occasionally called out to boost the match score. “Spots” are specific maneuvers in required positions to gain the bonus points. This reflects the genuine atmosphere of wrestling as these are done to boost crowd interest in the match. Not remembering the sequence of seemingly basic moves can prove difficult for the player to pull off these spots. The higher the match score, the faster a player’s rank grows, allowing for more customizable taunts and looks.

To throw more arcade style features into it, occasional power ups appear in the ring to boost stamina, speed, or hit power. Not only do these powers boost your abilities, but can be sacrificed to escape a pin, quickly get up from the mat, or evade elimination during battle royal matches.

The Throwback Feel Of A Five Minute Headlock

Action Arcade Wrestling boasts cel-shading as part of its throwback appeal, but not in a good way. The graphics replicate that of Virtua Fighter with slightly more shading. Performance of the game is lucky to withstand the standard of four generations past. During matches, if a wrestler is appearing, the game will freeze to allow for the figure to be processed and appear. While the game does offer a decent array of match types, no career mode of any kind is present and does not offer online play which can be a single-player turnoff. Online is simply reserved for created wrestlers and peripherals that can be viewed but that’s the extent of it.

This Match Is Ruled A No Contest

If you have a sizable contingent of old school wrestling game players that want to gather locally for tournaments or matches, Action Arcade Wrestling might scratch you where you itch. More often than not, this game is fun for about two minutes. Victory in a match is accompanied by brief fireworks then right back to the title screen with not much room to move anywhere. If you want to experience something of the past, find a retro arcade or dust off one of your old systems, because this game will disappoint and make you long even more for a genuine past.

This review is based on an Xbox copy of Action Arcade Wrestling provided by Reverb Inc. for coverage purposes. It is also available on PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.