So, we’ve come to Konami’s entry in the genre of pro wrestling games. Rumble Roses is an all-female wrestling game, which is something that existed for a while. Most of these games never left Japan, which is a shame in some cases.
This is a tamer version of some of the other female wrestling games that you can import. I’ve tried a few of them, and some are fairly creative. I haven’t tried the pornographic ones, which feels like a line that I don’t want to cross. I’ve played one game from the Wrestle Angels series, which is a game that I would like to see a translation of.
I’m going to give this game the benefit of the doubt and hope for something that is fun to play. It is clear who the developers were targeting with this. Hopefully, there will be a fun wrestling game underneath all of this.
TLDR: It looks good, if you’re into this sort of thing.
Narrative
Each character has a story. It is a nice touch for a game like this, but the story mode isn’t very long. Both the “good girl” and “bad girl” personas have a story, so there is some reason to come back.
Each story is about seven matches long and doesn’t necessarily have a satisfying conclusion. Not everyone is going for the championship, so things can just end. You do learn more about each wrestler if that is something you really want.
The opposite personas have a five match story. I didn’t get into that. Once you complete a story, you unlock some things for that wrestler. While I like that this is here, I wish it were better.
The two stories that I played through were okay. There is a storyline running through them, and they do overlap. The endings aren’t all that satisfying, but I wasn’t really expecting much. I was very surprised that the belt is pretty meaningless in all this. The storylines don’t end with you winning the championship belt, and oftentimes tease a story that you don’t play through. It’s a little odd, but the whole thing is odd.
The story mode is what it is. None of these stories are very deep, and it is easy to complete them. I played through two stories, and I was ready to move on.
Gameplay
Rumble Roses has good gameplay. There just isn’t too much of it. With a limited number of game modes and only two-player support, things get stale quite fast. The controls are good, and this is a fun pick-up and play game.
The game uses standard rules for pro wrestling. If you’re coming from one of the WWE/WWF games, or really any other wrestling game, then you’ll know what to expect. There are a few match types, which add something different to the gameplay.
The type of moves you can do is similar to those in other wrestling games. You have strikes, grapple moves, counters, and special moves. There are also “humiliation moves,” which make me think I made a mistake in playing this. Thankfully, this game has a “Mature” rating and not an “Adults Only.”
This game has a heel and face system. You can also unlock the alternate personas of the characters. This is done by completing missions in the character’s “vow” system. I’m not too sure how long I’m going to be able to play this to see them. There are also quite a few wrestlers you can unlock.
Rumble Roses has very easy to learn controls. Each wrestler has different moves, and each of them is easy to do. The counter system is based on timing. Nothing in this game is very difficult, which is actually a problem. It is a simple game that is a little too easy.
Overall, the gameplay is fine. The controls are solid, but there isn’t too much to this game. There are a lot of story modes, but that is about it. I would rather play one of the Smackdown games. It is easier to play than some of the other games I’ve played, but I just wish it were better.
Visuals
The graphics look good. They obviously spent a lot of time on making the breasts jiggle, so if you’re into PS2 era boobs, then this is the game for you. The wrestlers, ring, and entrances all look great. The move animations and reactions are quite good.
Rumble Roses has a very long introduction video. It was about four minutes long, and it looked good. The developers were really showcasing two of the wrestlers, so I’m guessing they will be the focus of the game’s story. A few other wrestlers are there, but they don’t get as much screen time.
There are quite a few fetishes being satisfied with this game. You have a librarian/teacher, a schoolgirl, a female ninja, and so on. Dixie Clemets, who is one of the main characters, is a “cowgirl,” and I think the developers took that too literally. There is a lot of Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball in this game.
So, I did a simulation of one of the mud matches. It is what you are expecting it to be. Two women in bikinis are having a pro wrestling match in a mud pit. The mud will randomly wash off from time to time. Having never watched a live mud wrestling match, I’m not sure how accurate any of this is, and I don’t feel like finding out. As a video game, it looks fine, but I have no idea why this exists.
Aside from feeling a little dirty from playing this, I don’t see anything wrong with the visuals. The user interface is great, the graphics are good, and the animations are very good. I’m not really a fan of games like this, but it does look pretty good. The graphics held up fairly well over the years.
Reviews at the Time
I’m dreading this part of the review. This game was released in 2004, and I’m not sure what the reviewers are going to say about it. Some of the quotes on the back of the box are already making me nervous. The reviews weren’t too bad for this game; it received between a 6 and 8/10.
Game Informer gave two scores for this: a 7.75/10 and a 7/10. I feel like I need to take a shower after reading this. The first review liked the game quite a bit, and the second opinion pointed out that this doesn’t have much depth aside from regular and mud matches.
GamePro gave the game a 3.5/5 and lists the community score as a 3.8/5. As I read the review, it sounds like the author wanted to give it a lower score. They didn’t like the story or the gameplay all that much. It reads like there wasn’t anything technically wrong with this, so it got an average score.
GameSpot gave the game a 6.2/10. The reviewer liked the game, but said that there wasn’t much to it. The story modes can be “beaten in about 30 minutes” as they’re only seven matches long. They mentioned the “lousy voice acting” and only two game modes.
Reading these reviews was interesting to say the least. A few sounded like they were surprised that the gameplay was good. All of them liked the graphics, some to a creepy degree, and all of them pointed out how little content there was in Rumble Roses.
7.5/10. There is a decent wrestling game here, but there isn’t much to it. The draw is the scantily clad women and the mud matches. Once you’ve had your fill of very good PS2 graphics, you’ll probably go back to other wrestling games.
Pros
- Good controls
- Nice story mode
- Good graphics
Cons
- Not very deep
- Only two game modes
- Small roster
Conclusion
I was surprised by how good the gameplay was. The controls are very good, and each wrestler feels a little different. The story mode is a bit of a disappointment because of how short it is.
There is a competently made wrestling game in this. Granted, the real attraction is the women and the mud match. If there were more match types and a better story mode, then this would’ve been better. It feels like one of the arcade-style games from the 1990s, which isn’t a bad thing.
There is a sequel to this game, which I won’t be playing. It is on the Xbox 360, and I have no interest in tracking one down just so I can play a few wrestling games. If the prices go down on this stuff, then I might consider it. At this point, it is a strong no.
If you liked this post, check out my other posts on retro wrestling games. Such as Fire Pro Wrestling Returns or Showdown: Legends of Wrestling.