REVIEW: ‘WrestleQuest’ Is An Over-The-Top Wrestling Fan’s Dream (PC)

Old-school wrestling and classic role-playing games collide in WrestleQuest, a new RPG developed by Mega Cat Studios and published by Skybound Games. The indie game serves as a love letter to classic wrestling in a way that will be nostalgic to fellow wrestling fans but also welcoming to those who have never seen a match in their lives. WrestleQuest is as over-the-top as the wrestling that inspires it, showcasing wrestling in a way video games have never done before.

WrestleQuest is set in a fictional toy world where toys take center stage. It features an upcoming young wrestler named Randy “Muchacho Man” Santos, who wants to make a name for himself in the wrestling world. Muchacho Man is not just inspired by famous wrestler “Macho Man” Randy Savage, he practically worships the man. Right off the bat, there is a giant statue dedicated to Macho Man, and Muchacho Man even says nightly prayers to the wrestling icon. It is established early on that everyone in WrestleQuest idolizes professional wrestling, and Muchacho Man is just another young buck trying to make a name for himself.

Storytelling is arguably the most important part of pro wrestling, so WrestleQuest really had to nail the feeling of wild and crazy wrestling storylines that the sport is known for. Muchacho Man feels like such an authentic amateur wrestler with big dreams, and the characters he meets along the way feel just as real. Having famous real-life wrestlers such as Macho Man and others like Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Jeff Jarrett certainly adds to the authenticity of this fictional toy world, but the new characters you meet along the way feel just as real.

There are a handful of characters that can be recruited to join you on your adventure to the top of the wrestling world, each with their own unique abilities and personalities. Forming the perfect team in the ring is vital, and finding new moves that complement each other is one of the most fun parts of the experience. As your party levels up, they unlock new skills and abilities, much like a typical RPG, but each of these is more outlandish than the last and really nails the wrestling vibe. I would have liked to see more playable characters, but that is only because the handful that are available are so good.

There are also hundreds of NPC characters scattered throughout the different worlds in WrestleQuest that all add their own flair. Random enemy encounters are chock full of corny lines used to anger other characters and pump up the crowd. Using the different personalities to increase the game’s hype meter is important because the side that has more hype on their side is given boosts to make winning the match easier. Enemy personalities as well as those of your allies and the other random characters you interact with, will help players understand the hype mechanic as well as the general over-the-top wrestling personality approach.

In the ring, combat in WrestleQuest is turn-based. Players have a set amount of health and skill points to be used to battle other opponents either in 1-on-1 battles or in a tag team extravaganza. Attacks are input based and require quick timing to hit the right button at the right time. I ended up missing a lot of attacks the first few times, but as I learned the rhythm of when the inputs would pop up, I found myself landing more and more devastating blows. Players can also taunt the opponent to boost the hype meter, but that leaves you vulnerable to more damage when attacked.

I found the approach to combat incredibly well-balanced, and there was no “right” way to approach things. I was able to go in guns blazing for some matches, while in others, I was more focused on building up hype to boost my team. Setting up tag team attacks is also really important, and as your team grows so do the types of tag team moves you can use. Each of the special moves also has a unique animation to it, further adding to the individuality of the characters. The sheer amount of combinations that become available as your progress never feels daunting, though, and picking which moves to use in which order felt seamless. It was also incredibly rewarding to time a special tag team attack just right to knock out an entire team at once or eliminate a pesky boss.

Traveling around in WrestleQuest uses a classic RPG overworld system that shows each location in a larger-than-life way. The locations themselves are incredibly detailed, with the pixel graphics approach lending itself to the zany wrestling aesthetic. Dark city streets, beautiful snow-covered fields, and flashy wrestling rings all have such a distinct look and feel that show how much Mega Cat cared about attention to detail. I often found myself drawn towards things happening in the background of scenes that I might usually ignore but added so much to the immersion in such a crazy world.

WrestleQuest is such a wonderful love letter to both wrestling and classic role-playing games. Every character has a larger-than-life personality that would feel right at home in the real-life wrestling ring. There are so many easter eggs both big and small for wrestling fans to enjoy as well as attract new fans to the sport. It’s hard to come away from WrestleQuest with anything but a deeper respect for wrestling as a whole and a new love for slamming your enemies into the floor.

WrestleQuest releases August 22nd on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, and PC.