For over a decade, the WWE has ruled both the real squared-circle and the video game one with an iron fist, but Serious Parody’s recently released 5 Star Wrestling on the PlayStation 4 has made itself a charismatic and intriguing challenger, thanks to intuitive gameplay and controls reminiscent of the classic Nintendo 64 grapplers of yesteryear.
A Different Type of Wrestling Experience
Using the right analog stick to grapple and one-button finishers, 5 Star Wrestling feels similar to games the likes of WWENo Mercy and WCW/nWo Revenge, but with counter-to-counter finishers and an awesome limb damage system, it’s advanced far beyond mere nostalgia.
Every match in 5 Star Wrestling is different. If you're a high-flyer and you're wrestling a brute, you'll have to take out his legs so he can't pick you up with power moves. If you're a showman, you'll have to use your charisma and taunt your opponents when they are down before you finish them off with your signature maneuvers. For this reason alone, 5SW is one of the most realistically-paced wrestling games ever released.
While it’s not in the same league as 2K Sports’ WWE series in terms of visuals, it’s the type of game that will leave your hands hurting, in the best way possible. From fighting out of submissions and going on 25-minute marathon matches with friends, the game creates the type of environment that you’ll want to run back to.
Great in quick bursts or even hour-long sessions, thanks to a slew of nifty challenges, 5 Star Wrestling is the type of independent game release that’ll make you wonder why some of the larger game publishers out there don’t take closer notice.
A small team based in Dundee, Scotland, the team has produced Wrestling Sim on iOS and an earlier version of 5 Star Wrestling on the.
With more hardware tools at their disposal and the promise of DLC, it’s fair to say that the series will continue to grow and in a few months, will be far more than a cool independent release.
Eager to see what this game looks and plays like? Check out our exclusive hands-on video below.
