Even if you view yourself as more than just a casual wrestling gamer, you may have never heard of a series known across the world as Fire Pro Wrestling.
The franchise made it's debut back in 1989 with a game called Fire Pro Wrestling Combination Tag, and featured wrestlers that were based on real-life stars like Antonio Inoki without actually using their official likenesses. The series has seen over 25 releases in Japan, but it didn't make its debut in North America until 2001 when Fire Pro Wrestling released on the Game Boy Advance.
Now, 16 years after fans in the United States and Canada got to experience Fire Pro Wrestling for the first time, the series is back with Fire Pro Wrestling World on Steam (PC) and PlayStation 4. And to help those who have never heard of, or played, Fire Pro Wrestling before, let's talk about what to expect when the game launches later this year.
LICENSING
Fire Pro Wrestling has never been a game focused on getting the licenses to wrestlers from various companies. Instead, the series has superstars that are based off real-life counterparts, but with made-up names to avoid any trademarking issue.
That being said, the game’s customization options – more on those later – allow players to truly make the game their own.
GENERAL SERIES FEATURES
What has always made the Fire Pro Wrestling series stand out from the crowd is the deep level of options players have at their fingertips.
The game will never look the most realistic, but that’s not the point of the series. The point of Fire Pro Wrestling has always been to provide a fun and exciting game that keeps players coming back for more.
The series has always featured a variety of match types, including a barbed wire deathmatch and landmine deathmatch, among others. But it also comes with a deep creation and edit mode. From minute details about attire to a countless supply of moves to give your characters, there is a plethora of options available.
Later games like Fire Pro Wrestling Returns also allowed players to edit arenas and ring areas to create custom brands and shows for fantasy wrestling at its finest.
FIRE PRO WRESTLING WORLD FEATURES
With the announcement of the next installment in Fire Pro Wrestling series, developer Spike Chunsoft also revealed some of the features that will be a part of the upcoming game.
From Spike Chunsoft:
- PLAY ONLINE
Organize exhibition matches, tournaments, leagues, championship bouts and battle royals with players from around the world.- MIX UP THE RULES
Modes include Deathmatch (steel cage, barbed wire or landmines), MMA rules and no-holds barred Gruesome Fighting.- UNLIMITED CUSTOMIZATION
Create your dream wrestler from over a thousand devastating moves and even more body parts to battle for custom championship belts. Personalize the ring, mat logos and even the referee!- REALISTIC SIMULATION
Give your creations personalities with a robust CPU logic system that defines their every action. Does your wrestler play to the crowd, or play dirty? You provide actors for the ringside drama.
In addition to what was revealed above, it appears that the game will feature over 2,000 moves to select from and 2,000 parts for your created wrestlers. The game will only come with 30 in-game wrestlers at launch, but will allow fans to create hundreds of their own superstars.
Players will also be able share their created wrestlers with one another online.
Speaking of online, the game will have four-player online multiplayer for the first time in the game’s history. The hope is to eventually support six-man matches online.
Offline multiplayer will support up to eight-man matches. There has been no word regarding any potential single-player modes other than typical matches.
Fire Pro Wrestling World will be available in early access this spring on Steam with a PS4 release coming later this year.
