Ever since the demise of WCW, the wrestling genre of videogaming has been primarily dominated by the juggernaut that is WWE. While their efforts may be finding success, the fact of the matter is wrestling fans are left with one brand when it comes to gaming. Professional wrestling is a grand, personality driven event that demands varied and unique approaches and the best way to experience it is through the scopes of multiple brands, so it would stand to reason the largest brands should extend into the gaming field. On October 8th, independent wrestling sensation Chikara enters the ring to an entirely new market with the release of their first ever licensed game, Chikara: Action Arcade Wrestling.
Pairing up with independent developer VICO Game Studio, Chikara: Action Arcade Wrestling is aiming to bring back the fast paced and over-the-top action of 90’s arcade style wrestling games. Taking clear inspiration from hits such as 1998’s WWF War Zone and WCW/nWo Revenge, Chikara is taking a more simplistic 2 button approach to the theatrical slams and high impact hits. This provides both a retro throwback for fans that yearn for the earlier days of wrestling titles and a low barrier of entry for new fans that may have not played many games before.
Fans of the Chikara brand will be happy to see the roster of over 30 official wrestlers, complete with their signature move sets and likenesses. Chikara Pro Wrestling stars like Fire Ant, Solo Darling, Hallowicked, and Dasher Hatfield all make an appearance in Chikara: Action Arcade Wrestling. These superstars will be available to compete in over 25 game modes including one on one, tag team, three-way and four-way matches, 4-10 person elimination matches, tornado tag, battle royal, and king of trios tournaments all featuring online capabilities.
Say you’re not content with the roster. Well, Chikara has you covered on that front with the Wrestle Factory Creation Suite. With this Suite of tools you can create your ultimate wrestler using body morphing, texture uploads, face mapping, move set assignments, and physics based accessories. The Wrestle Factory Creation Suite is looking to provide a level of creativity in a wrestling creator that hasn’t been seen before and you can download it right now, before the game launches on October 8th, by visiting the Steam page. Get your wrestler geared up and ready for the fight.
