WWF Royal Rumble (1993 video game)

Did You Know?

• Mega placed the game at #40 in their Top Mega Drive Games of All Time.
• Official Nintendo Magazine gave the game a score of 82 out of 100.
• Hyper gave both the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis versions an 84%.

Gameplay

WWF Royal Rumble retains the tug-of-war grappling system from its predecessor, now with an on-screen meter indicating who holds the advantage in a grapple and how close they are to executing a move. Players can strike opponents with steel chairs found outside the ring. After temporarily knocking the referee unconscious, illegal tactics such as choking and eye raking become available. Wrestlers may also roll into the ring from the bottom side to avoid count-out, whereas ring entry was previously only possible from the left and right sides. The game adds moves including the body splash, knee drop, backbreaker, and atomic drop, and each wrestler has a signature finishing move. In a One-on-One match, two wrestlers compete in One Fall, Brawl, or Tournament variations. One Fall matches have a referee and standard rules, with victory by pinfall or count-out. Brawl matches lack a referee, allowing unlimited time outside the ring and unrestricted illegal moves; the first wrestler to lose all stamina submits. Tournament mode requires a player to defeat the entire roster in One Fall matches for the championship belt. Tag Team matches consist of two teams of two; a tired wrestler can tag a partner, and a wrestler on the apron can grab an opponent near the ropes. Tag team One Fall, Brawl, and Tournament modes follow the same rules as singles matches. In tag team Tournament, one or two cooperative players choose a team and must defeat all other wrestlers in One Fall tag matches to win the tag team championship.

Roster differences

The SNES and Genesis versions of the game launched three months apart, each featuring five wrestlers the other didn't. Seven grapplers appear in both: Bret Hart, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon, Randy Savage, Crush, and Lex Luger. The SNES roster adds Ric Flair, Mr. Perfect, Ted DiBiase, Yokozuna, and Tatanka, while the Genesis version swaps them for Hulk Hogan, IRS, Jim Duggan, Rick Martel, and Papa Shango.