RetroMania Wrestling is looking to fill the pro wrestling shaped hole in gamers' hearts. With AEW's games still in development and WWE 2K's woes, RetroMania could emerge as a real contender for grappling fans.
Beyond being part of an under-served sub-genre, the game has an additional nostalgic appeal. It's the official sequel to the classic WWF WrestleFest arcade game. Here's what you need to know about RetroMania before it launches.
Trailer
Like Fire Pro Wrestling World before it, RetroMania Wrestling could distinguish itself as a real alternative to WWE and AEW's games. Whether it can fulfill that potential depends on whether fans find its classic arcade gameplay satisfying in the 21st century. There should be room for an arcade wrestling experience, even with WWE 2K Battlegrounds occupying a similar space.
Johnny Retro is the star of RetroMania's story mode. When the story begins, Retro is rehabbing from an injury at wrestler Stevie Richards' gym. Retrosoft is keeping details close to the vest, but they promise appearances from characters from the classic Mat Mania arcade game in addition to the game's roster. The game will involve some level of choice, suggesting branching paths.
Roster
The roster is the most important part of any wrestling game. It's essential for a game like RetroMania, which isn't licensed a licensed product like a WWE or AEW game. RetroMania also won't ship with a create-a-wrestler mode to add your favorites and original creations. Developers Retrosoft Studios have said that feature could be added post-launch. Additional wrestlers, including female stars, could also be added as DLC.
RetroMania does feature the current champion of Billy Corgan's National Wrestling Alliance, Nick Aldis, as well as NWA themed arenas. Aldis's title will be on the line in the "Ten Pounds of Gold" mode. Tommy Dreamer's House of Hardcore promotion will also be part of the game, with ECW alumni Dreamer and nWo parody Blue World Order being playable as well.
The rest of the roster is a mixture of active wrestlers and legends. The legends side includes the Road Warriors, Austin Idol and Nikita Koloff. While the late Hawk and Animal have appeared in games since the '80s and Koloff appeared in a Legends of Wrestling game, this is Idol's first official game appearance.
Current active wrestlers come from various wrestling companies, reflecting how long the game has been in development. It's not quite the crossover that All Elite Wrestling's been cooking up, but it's an interesting cross-section of wrestlers. New Japan Pro Wrestling talent Jeff Cobb and Zack Sabre Jr., AEW's Colt Cabana, Impact Wrestling's Brian Myers and Matt Cardona and independent star Warhorse will all be part of the launch roster. Impact's Chris Bey will be available as post-launch DLC.
Even current WWE wrestler John Morrison is part of the game, under the ring name Johnny Retro thanks to an agreement made before his WWE return. Like his career outside of WWE, where he went by names like Johnny Mundo in Lucha Underground, he takes on a last name appropriate to his promotion.
Match Types
Just as important as RetroMania's roster is its match types. A wrestling game with only vanilla one-on-one matches would be pretty boring. Luckily, RetroMania offers some variety beyond singles bouts.
Tag team matches can have up to four men on each side. There are also triple threat and fatal four-way matches. There's even a "Retro Rumble" match reminiscent of WWE's annual Royal Rumble match, a battle royal where wrestlers have staggered entrances. Matches can be modified with elimination and tornado rules and there's even a Steel Cage option.
Release Date
RetroMania will release digitally on the PC, Switch and last-gen consoles on February 26th. It can only be pre-ordered on Steam and the Nintendo eShop at the moment. Customers can also pre-order a "Digital Plus" edition of the game, which includes a box, full-color instruction manual and stickers. It does not come with a physical copy of the game. Physical copies are in the works from Limited Run Games, but there's no release date for them.
The game's launch will be crucial to Retrosoft's future plans. Wrestling fans will be able to find out for themselves if the game has what it takes to rise above jabroni status at the end of the month.