WWF WrestleFest
A 1991 arcade sequel with tag team and Royal Rumble modes.
WWF WrestleFest is a professional wrestling arcade game developed and released by Technōs Japan in 1991, featuring stars of the World Wrestling Federation. It is the sequel to Technōs' previous WWF game, WWF Superstars, and adds a variety of wrestlers, enhanced graphics and sound, and voice samples including commentary and introductions by ring announcer Mike McGuirk. A remake titled WWE WrestleFest was released by THQ for iOS in February 2012.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Technōs Japan
- Publisher
- JP/NA, Technōs Japan, JP/EU/AU, Tecmo
- Director
- Yoshihisa Kishimoto; Shinichi Saito
- Producer
- Kunio Taki
- Platforms
- Arcade
- Genre
- Sports, professional wrestling
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Arcade system
- CPU:; 68000, Z80; Sound chips:; YM2151, MSM6295
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
WrestleFest simulates professional wrestling matches and supports up to four simultaneous players, with the ability to insert more credits to buy energy. Two modes are available: Royal Rumble, where the player picks one superstar for a Royal Rumble match, and Saturday Night's Main Event, where the player picks two wrestlers to form a tag team and compete through a series of matches, including a title match with the Legion of Doom. In tag team mode, players can perform double team moves, and a team member on the apron will temporarily power up after a certain time, winning all grapples and inflicting more damage. The game features ten selectable wrestlers: Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Ted DiBiase, Big Boss Man, Jake Roberts, Earthquake, Mr. Perfect, Sgt. Slaughter, Demolition Smash, and Demolition Crush, each with signature maneuvers.
Reception
In North America, RePlay reported WWF WrestleFest as the second most-popular arcade game in October 1991, and it became the highest-grossing arcade conversion kit of 1992 in the United States according to the AMOA. In Japan, Game Machine listed it as the third most-popular arcade game as of December 1, 1991. Zero gave the game a 3 out of 5, criticizing the cartoony graphics but praising gameplay. Sinclair User rated it 88%, citing character variety and high replay value, and awarded it Best Beat'Em Up Game in 1991 alongside Konami's Vendetta. Computer and Video Games gave a positive review, describing the gameplay as enjoyable.
Follow-up titles
In February 2012, THQ put out a mobile remake called WWE WrestleFest for iOS. Its lineup mixed then-current WWE names like The Undertaker, John Cena, Randy Orton, and Rey Mysterio with past stars such as The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Jake Roberts, and Randy Savage. Players could jump into Saturday Night's Main Event and Royal Rumble modes, plus standard one-on-one, tag team, steel cage, and gauntlet matches, along with online play. A Road to WrestleMania mode let them chase various WWE titles through a series of bouts. Extra wrestlers and arenas arrived as downloadable content. Planned versions for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Android were announced but never came out. The 2021 game RetroMania Wrestling took heavy inspiration from WrestleFest and was billed as a follow-up to the original arcade hit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who published WWF WrestleFest?
WWF WrestleFest was published by JP/NA, Technōs Japan, JP/EU/AU and Tecmo.
Who directed WWF WrestleFest?
WWF WrestleFest was directed by Yoshihisa Kishimoto and Shinichi Saito.
Is WWF WrestleFest single-player or multiplayer?
WWF WrestleFest offers single-player and multiplayer play.
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