The combination makes more sense than you might think, and is more powerful (and sweatier) than you can possibly imagine.
WrestleQuest is our love letter to both this cherished video game genre and this intense, captivating, and often silly sport. These art forms share many qualities, such as a focus on story, larger-than-life characters, the spectacle of combat, and drama that leaps off the screen.
More than just blending elements from pro-wrestling and RPGs, we went up to the top rope and wrestlified the RPG formula to make it bigger, bolder, and better than ever.
What does that mean? Let’s elbow drop in to see how we wrestlified JRPG combat, tropes, and more. But first, let’s take a look behind the baby oil at what WrestleQuest really is.
What is WrestleQuest?
WrestleQuest combines our love of JRPGs, pro-wrestling, and the toys of our youth into a game like no other. It lets you adventure through a wrestling universe as two rivals on a quest to save pro-wrestling from the grip of a scheming tyrant. You’ll cut promos, get choke slammed, and journey through distant lands and parts unknown.
Featuring 12 playable characters, 50+ hours of content, 100 gallons of baby oil, 5000+ pound of pixels, and 30+ licensed wrestlers – including legends like Macho Man Randy Savage, Andre the Giant, Jeff Jarrett, Jake the Snake, DDP, Sgt Slaughter, and more – the game is made by hardcore wrestling fans and lifelong JRPG players.
If you are new to pro-wrestling, JRPGs, or both, don’t worry. WrestleQuest is the perfect game to introduce you to this sport and/or genre, and makes it easy for you to get caught up in the story and join in on the hype.
Wrestlification Defined
WrestleQuest takes JRPGs and explores them through a wrestling lens – but what does that mean? How do you “wrestlify” something?
Wrestlification is the process of making something (an event, a game, or even a person) sweatier, stronger, and more dramatic. Through wrestling, athletic rivalries become life-or-death conflicts, simple trash talk becomes catch phrases that live on forever, and character concepts take flesh to inspire generations. It’s about taking dull game design elements and breathing new life into them, like a wrestler changing their gimmick.
We did this to every aspect of JRPGs, from evolving stale combat to revitalizing tired tropes.
Evolving JRPG Combat
One of our primary design goals in WrestleQuest was to evolve the classic JRPG combat formula. Many of us grew up with turn-based battle systems, and I think we can all admit that they can get boring after a while – how many battles have you won by simply spamming the “attack” command?
WrestleQuest turns up the excitement and engagement of JRPG battles by capturing the drama, action, and spectacle of pro-wrestling matches. One of the first ways we did this is through hand-drawn animation. Every suplex, piledrive, and sidewalk slam is fully-animated in gorgeous pixels. This means battles are fun to play, watch, and even stream.
Next, we put every battle in front of a live audience. Just like a real wrestling match, they came to see some hard-hitting moves and spectacle, so don’t let them down!
Relatedly, the Hype Meter is an indication of this live crowd’s engagement with the fight. If you just hit the “attack” button on auto-pilot, the crowd will get bored, and the Hype Meter will drain out. When that happens, your enemies get stronger. But, if you mix up your strategy and put on a good show, then you’ll fill the meter and unlock bonuses, like power buffs and additional XP!
Furthermore, battles are filled with events and triggers that force you to pay attention or pay the price. From timed presses and button mashing to units bouncing off the ropes and enemies that you have to pin to win, WrestleQuest keeps your head in the fight.
Adding Even More Spectacle to Boss Fights
We went all out to make boss battles truly memorable events. Before these major confrontations, you’ll customize a walk-on routine, so you can style and profile down the entrance ramp. After that, you’ll hop on the mic for some smacktalk, trading insults with your opponent. Both of these can generate hype before the match even starts!
Dramatic Moments take it even further. These are special criteria during battles, like letting your opponent kick out twice, that are challenging to fulfill but pay you back with unique gear and even special cinematics!
Fixing JRPG Tropes with Wrestlification
We’ve also thrown out stale JRPG elements wherever we can, and tapped in a wrestlified replacement.
For example, you won’t find locked doors and keys in WrestleQuest. Instead, tables bar your path – and in wrestling, there’s only one way through a table. Find a special token to summon a wrestler, then throw them through a table to unblock the way. With this feature, the simple act of opening a locked door becomes an entertaining visual feast. It’s all about adding that wrestling spectacle into even the most basic aspects of JRPGs.
In the same vein, we’ve thrown tired character cliches out of the ring. Stalwart knights, evil sorcerers, and secret princesses have become devious managers, Machiavellian promoters, and heels that fans love to hate.
A Championship Story
As mentioned, narratives are the foundation of both pro-wrestling and JRPGs. Pro-wrestling is a storytelling art. It is built on narratives that develop behind-the-scenes, in-the-ring, and beyond. Plotlines culminate over weeks and months, with feuds, betrayals, dramatic reveals, and unexpected swerves.
What’s more, the wild world of wrestling is different than anything else. You’ve got scripts that go awry, forcing wrestlers to ad-lib in the ring. Real life drama spills into the show, with diva antics jeopardizing months of planning and content with a no-show. Managers on a power trip can ruin the careers of their rivals, even at the expense of alienating their fans, or even endangering their promotion.
All of this is fertile ground that has gone untouched in JRPGs, until now. In WrestleQuest, you’ll meet unique characters with fresh stories stemming from a world that is begging to get the story-driven treatment it deserves.