Over the past ten years wrestling games under license WWE greatly degraded. Last year, 2K completely outsourced the Visual Concepts franchise, but in such a short time the sports simulation specialists have not been able to do anything good. After the total criticism of WWE 2K20, it was decided to take more time to develop a new part, and this fall to release a small arcade WWE 2K Battlegrounds, created by specialists from Saber Interactive, who had already been involved in similar games, but about basketball. How successful was the replacement, let’s figure it out.
Wrestling is a harsh form of sports entertainment, but in WWE 2K Battlegrounds it appears as puppet cuts with powerful fire strikes and grabs, by which fighters soar tens of meters into the air, sometimes making many turns in flight. All this looks very funny and sometimes even epic. The gameplay here is much more fun than in the main parts of the series. Finally, wrestling is fun to play! In all movements and animations, the classic techniques of the genre are recognized, however, exaggerated flights and the general cartoonishness of what is happening make the fights dynamic and spectacular.
The combat system does not seem deep, but it has its own characteristics. All characters are divided into five classes: high-flyer, technican, brawler, powerhouse and all-rounder. Each of them has its own list of movements and some other nuances. For example, high-flyers are more responsive and quicker than powerhouses, but the latter in turn have increased life and strength. Some gameplay elements, such as painful holds or the interception system, are done using simple QTE mechanics, which are performed very quickly and do not interfere with the dynamics of the battle, unlike the same WWE 2K20.
Interactive arenas are another important element of the combat system. In almost every location you can find various items typical for wrestling, such as a bamboo sword “shinai” or a folding chair, but the developers decided not to stop there and added more eccentric solutions to the game. For example, in Florida, there are crocodiles at the edges of the arena, to which you can throw your opponent, and in Mexico, a radio-controlled luchador ram is able to gore an opponent until they lose consciousness. It all looks fun, and even when your fighter is taking damage, you’ll still be smiling.
