WrestleQuest was provided by Skybound Games for review. Thank you!
Update 8/8/23 - WrestleQuest was delayed until August 22nd to make sure it was all fixed up for release.
In all my years playing RPGs, I have been across beautiful fantasy worlds with unique characters, grand quests to undertake, and progression that feels like it has meaning. Yet, there is something about WrestleQuest that feels a bit more unique and special than the others. Maybe its the gorgeous pixel scenery or the solid and flashy turn-based combat, but for me, its the overwhelming charm the game shows off.
For fans of wrestling, this will be a fest you will keep getting so excited over. The inspiration from the wrestling universe is shown through the moves, the way people talk to each other, and the entire world. You will see locations modeled after Andre the Giant, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, and many more, all for you to explore and learn from as you grow your career. Even for those who aren't into wrestling, you have to admire all the love and heart that was put into the game.
As a RPG, this is a wonderful experience. You are an up-and-coming wrestler who wants to make it to the big leagues so, on a quest to do so, you will recruit others and work your way up by taking down others, learning new moves, leveling up, and gearing yourself to take on your opponents. In your journeys, you will go through a plethora of different worlds and face off against lizards, robots, and many more unique foes.
The game is a solid RPG experience, but there are two elements that really stand out for me. The animations in-game feel extremely fluid and so nice to watch. The UI both in-combat and menus work really well too, feeling extremely smooth, but there is something about animations in pixel games that if done just right, really elevate the feel of the game. You can even customize your entrance into the wrestling arena, it's so cool! Luckily, WrestleQuest has that and more, which can all be fully enjoyed on the Steam Deck with the right Proton layer.
While the game does perform well, there are a couple of issues I had starting up. First, the game does have native Linux, which is awesome, but it didn't work well on the Steam Deck. I have seen this being a trend for pre-release copies of games, so it's possible this will be ironed out on release, but for me, the game would only show a black screen and freeze whenever I tried to change resolution (which defaulted to 1920x1080). Forcing a Proton layer fixed this, but while the game was able to stretch to 1280x800 in the Linux version, the Windows one didn't and was stuck at 1280x720. Though changing over was a no-brainer since I couldn't play the Linux version anyways.
Second, I decided to use Proton GE due to some videos not playing. This primarily affected preview videos of what you could be selecting to customize your entrance, and with this being a fun feature of the game, I wouldn't want to sacrifice that either. You can learn all about Proton GE, and how to get it, from our guide.
I also noticed that, no matter which version was selected, some parts of the world map would drain more than usual. The snowy areas specifically I noticed could drain up to 14W, but this was only in the world map. If you were in an area and everything was close up, it would hover around 8W - 9W. Nothing else needed to be changed and the game was able to hit 60 FPS the entire time.
Like I mentioned above, the game does default to 1280x720, which means there will be black bars above and below the screen, but the game does have full controller support and cloud saves!
WrestkeQuest is an awesome RPG that shines with its attention to detail and charm. It is an enjoyable experience with solid core mechanics that both fans of wrestling and those new to it will enjoy. With all of that said, the game is a perfect one to play on the Steam Deck, though it does need Proton GE to really enjoy it to the fullest extent. If you enjoy wrestling and/or solid RPG games with gorgeous pixel visuals and fantastic animations, you will want to get this game!
Our review is based on the PC version of this game.
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WrestleQuest is a solid RPG filled with charm and great attention to detail. And it is perfect to play on the Steam Deck!
