Action Arcade Wrestling: Wrestling Game Of 2021?

There’s never been a more exciting time to be a wrestling gamer.

AEW has invested millions of dollars into two apps and a highly anticipated video game, supposedly inspired by WWF No Mercy. RetroMania Wrestling, the official sequel to the 1991 arcade hit WrestleFest, came out earlier this year. Plus, independent video game developer MDickie released Wrestling Empire on the Nintendo Switch. And after the abomination that was WWE 2K20, the biggest wrestling company in the world looks to cleanse our palette with WWE 2K22.

Well, I’m here to talk about the wrestling game of the year: Action Arcade Wrestling.

It’s another independent, yet affordable (retail price: $14.99) wrestling video game created by Dave Horn, who has also created the video game Tappy Golf. Originally, Action Arcade Wrestling included “CHIKARA” in the title, but that was scrapped after the promotion closed in the wake of the #SpeakingOut movement.

As soon as I hit the “START” button, the vivid artwork exploded on screen. The core menu is unlike any wrestling video game I’ve ever played. Unfortunately, online multiplayer isn’t available yet, but local multiplayer is ready to go. After all, watching your friend/opponent suffer in person is much better entertainment.

The simple, addicting gameplay delivers a smooth rush of nostalgia for wrestling fans who loved that pick-up and play style. The matches always bring something new to the table, whether it’s a “spot” or a “powerup,” which are in-game boosters to level up your rank at the end of the match. Rank up each time to unlock new characters as well!

Most wrestling video games don’t have flexible match types, but Action Arcade Wrestling doesn’t restrict you to only 2 vs. 2 or 3 vs. 3. That’s right, you can go classic Survivor Series-style with a 5 vs. 5, and even make it an elimination match. It’s totally your choice for weapons thrown in the ring during a match and even at ringside. There’s also varying movesets, which are easy to figure out and fun to use.

Last but certainly not least is the fact that you can create wrestlers and arenas in the WrestleLab. My favorite part of the game, the WrestleLab is on a computer with minimum requirements to download; you can create and share with the community. On the console game, all the creations from the community appear for people to download for free. The customization is surreal and the options are limitless. This prime feature will definitely inspire younger indie developers for generations to come.

In conclusion, Action Arcade Wrestling was well worth the wait. Even though the niche market is about to be saturated, I hope wrestling gamers give this less-publicized beauty a chance. And with the delta variant spreading across the United States, making a return to lockdowns a seemingly close reality, the timing couldn’t be better to stay home, stay healthy and enjoy this blast from the past.