Developer: Rare Publisher: Acclaim Release: 11/90 Genre: Wrestling
Wrestling games on the NES had an awesome start with Pro Wrestling but went downhill from there for years. WWF Wrestlemania should have been a bright spot as the first officially licensed wrestling game for the system. But the specter of Acclaim/LJN loomed large and it turned out to be a disaster. I am ashamed to admit I played it far more than I should have, that is how bad I wanted to like it. For the second time at bat Rare and Acclaim turn in a better effort with WWF Wrestlemania Challenge. It still has issues but shows they were on the right track and is enjoyable in small doses.
WWF Wrestlemania Challenge was released in 1990 and takes place after Summerslam. Most of the promotion’s biggest talent has made the roster including the Ultimate Warrior, Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, and the Macho Man. The roster is also bigger to include more mid-card talent such as Ravishing Rick Rude, the Big Boss Man, Brutus the Barber Beefcake, and Hacksaw Jim Duggan. But most importantly you join the cast! The roster was the least of the first game’s problems however and Wrestlemania Challenge goes a long way toward correcting them.
The controls and overall gameplay are a dramatic improvement over WWF Wrestlemania. Every wrestler has a small arsenal of moves that are easy to pull off. A lot of the moves are context sensitive i.e. if you are behind your opponent you will execute a different throw or grapple than in the front. There are no complex button combinations which makes gameplay quick and easy to pick up. While the controls are identical for everyone you each wrestler has signature moves that make them distinct such as Hulk Hogan’s leg drop or the Rude Awakening. You can exit the ring now and climb the turnbuckle to attack as well. Whether you will want to is debatable but at least the option is there.
Wrestlemania Challenge uses an isometric view of the ring which takes some getting used to. The diagonal movement is not as annoying as it is in say Snake Rattle n Roll but it does switch up your control based on the direction you are facing. Lining up attacks can be tricky and it is frustrating to watch the AI literally run circles around you. More importantly UI elements such as life bars are on the ringside and often obscured by the camera. Your tag team partner is also similarly cut off by the viewpoint at times. While these flaws are annoying they are not egregious. Although I would have preferred a traditional horizontal view I will not fault the developers for trying something different even if it does not work 100%.
While the mechanics have improved the AI has not. The computer will piss you off with its stupidity and how much it drags out each match. The AI will spend most of each running around in circles and doing its best to avoid you for no reason. The viewpoint does not make it easy to catch them either and the whole thing becomes tedious. It also makes climbing the turnbuckle useless as they never stay still long enough to line up an attack. When they do decide to attack it is always a cheap shot. As dumb as the proceedings can be once you get your hands on them it is easy chain slams to win the match. Only Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan and their ridiculous damage pose a threat.
The single player may be disappointing but the variety of modes and multiplayer is where Wrestlemania Challenge comes alive. The game has plenty of modes such as tag team and a survivor series tournament featuring three characters per side. The AI seems a lot smarter in this mode to my eye. They are more aggressive and will tag out to avoid elimination. Although you can only play through the championship mode as the default player you can at least play singles matches to get a feel for every wrestler. This one is odd as there is a tag team championship mode for two-players that lets you do so. Most 16-bit wrestling games do not offer this many options so kudos to the developers, they give this game life.
In Closing
WWF Wrestlemania Challenge is a massive improvement over its predecessor and a decent game. It has a wealth of options which was uncommon for the time and competent gameplay. The computer and its annoying AI does not make for a good time. But get a friend and you can have a decent time for a little while. I will not outright recommend it but Wrestlemania Challenge remains a respectable effort overall. Take that as you will.
