The more games that I play, the more I realize how many games I missed out on. While I still think Pro Wrestling is the best wrestling game on the NES, Tecmo World Wrestling is amazing!
The game has a lot going on, and it feels like a game you would expect to see on the SNES of Sega Genesis. In some ways, it reminds me of the boxing games on the Genesis, mostly from a training standpoint.
The roster reminds me of Pro Wrestling, and the art style reminds me of WCW Wrestling. Tecmo World Wrestling has the best presentation of any of these games. Let’s take a closer look at what it has to offer.
TLDR: One of the Best games on the NES and One of the Best Wrestling games.
Narrative
Tecmo World Wrestling doesn’t have a story mode. This isn’t out of the norm for games in the 80s and 90s. However, there is a storyline that runs through the single-player mode.
There is a short prologue in the manual. This explains what is happening in the game. Your character is competing for the Tecmo World Wrestling Championship. Something is missing from this, however.
An epilogue shines some more light on things. After the manual tells us who the wrestlers are, we get told about Blue King. According to the manual, he came in 11th place in the qualifying tournament and was disqualified from the competition. Some mystery is alluded to concerning him.
Once you beat the game, you discover these were death matches. I’m assuming that was one of the lousy translation spots in the game. The lights go out, and Blue King arrives, looking very demonic for an NES game.
Once you beat Blue King, he is sent back to “the fires below, “ meaning he is a real demon. Then you’re declared the champion. I feel like you should get more than a championship for vanquishing a demon, but that is how the game ends.
Gameplay
This game has the best gameplay of all the wrestling games on the NES. There are plenty of moves to do, a solid roster, and several things that make this game stand out.
Tecmo World Wrestling has the most extensive set of wrestling moves. Each character has 20 moves, some are unique to the wrestler, and some are basic moves for every character. Characters have grapple moves as well as situational moves like:
- Ground attacks
- Turnbuckle moves
- Running attacks
The roster is fantastic! It is similar to the Pro Wrestling roster, with many colorful characters. Here is a list of the playable characters:
- Akira Dragon
- El Tigre
- Pat Gordon
- Rex Beat
- Jackie Lee
- Boris Chekov
- Mark Rose
- Julio Falcon
- Randy Gomez
- Dr. Guildo
- Blue King (Non-playable character)
There are three ways to win a match in the single-player mode.
- Pinfall
- Submission
- Count-out
One amazing thing about the game is the training parts of the game that take place between matches. It adds quite a bit to the game, even if it is simple button mashing. I couldn’t tell if it was helping me, but it was great to have it.
The training session is supposed to increase your damage. You can upgrade this seven times, represented by seven spheres. If you lose a match, then you’ll lose a sphere.
In the single-player mode, you have to defeat all of the opponents. Once that is done, you’ll face Blue King, and if you can defeat him, you’ll win the game.
Visuals
I love the graphics in this game. This is the best-looking wrestling game on the NES. It looks better than WCW Wrestling and Pro Wrestling. The crowd could be better, but that is me looking for something to complain about.
The game has cutscenes! These happen when your character does his special move, and it is just a close-up of the move. It is a nice touch and something that you might not expect from an NES game.
The matches have a commentator. This felt like something for the people watching you play, or in my case, the people watching me get my brains beaten in over and over.
The ending is pretty awesome. It is much more cinematic than most NES games. While it is just text over still images, it is done rather well. The pictures look good, and while sometimes confusing, there aren’t any glaring issues with the text.
The moves look good, the wrestlers look great, and the cutscenes are a great addition. Tecmo World Wrestling is a beautiful NES game. The graphics are much better than other games on the system and are better than the other wrestling games.
8.5/10. This game is fantastic! It has excellent graphics and solid gameplay and is easy to play. I’m unsure if I like this game more than Pro Wrestling, but I know it is much better than any of the WWF games on the NES.
Pros
- Great graphics
- Solid gameplay
- Cutscenes
- Great roster of wrestlers
Cons
- Difficulty spikes
- Button Mashing
- Can be repetitive
Conclusion
Right now, I’m debating on which wrestling game is the best. It is between WCW Wrestling, Pro Wrestling, and Tecmo World Wrestling. All three are great; I’m just trying to decide which one I like more.
Tecmo World Wrestling has many things that elevate it above the crowd. Each wrestler feels unique, the game looks great, and the cutscenes are wonderful.
This is one of the games that could be considered a hidden gem for me. Thanks to the internet, it is well known now, but I would have loved to have played this with my friends. It is one of the best games on the NES and one of the best Wrestling games.